The Picklr Manahawkin-LBI Named Club Of The Year

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A Syosset-based pickleball franchise operator with clubs in Centereach and Manahawkin-LBI has been named Picklr Club & Franchisee of the Year, according to an announcement released Tuesday.

Arete Sports Group and its pickleball business arm, CrossCourt PC, received the award from Picklr, Inc. at the company's annual franchise conference last week in Salt Lake City, Utah. Picklr said the group was recognized from 75 clubs across more than 50 franchisees in 31 states. The award was presented to CEO and owner Tom Neale for overall performance, including club operations, customer experience, marketing, community engagement and commitment to growing the Picklr brand.

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The company opened its first Picklr location in Manahawkin-LBI, New Jersey, in March 2025, followed by a second club in Centereach in December 2025. It is now preparing to expand with new clubs scheduled to open in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and Commack-East Northport, New York, according to the announcement. The company said the four clubs will soon total 46 courts across 150,000 square feet.

"To be recognized as the Club & Franchisee of the Year this early in our development is incredibly gratifying and really belongs to both the people who operate our clubs every day and our passionate members who turn our clubs in their second homes with their dedicated energy and commitment of community," said Neale.

"We believe strongly that the sport pickleball is a great unifier and that we get to make a positive difference in peoples' lives. It's a privileged responsibility and honor to be the vehicle to make this happen," Neale said.

Picklr, which was founded in Utah, said it has sold more than 500 locations worldwide and that its network currently gives members access to 80 clubs in North America. The company said expansion is continuing across the United States and internationally. The announcement also said Picklr was recently recognized as a Time 100 Top 10 Most Influential Wellness Company and ranked No. 43 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies, with the No. 1 spot in sports.

"Arete Sports Group epitomizes what we want a Picklr franchise partner to be," said Abby Olson, Acting President and COO of Picklr. "Tom and his team have demonstrated that successful clubs are about much more than opening the doors and putting players on courts."

Olson added, "Their ability to build strong local communities around their clubs while maintaining the standards of The Picklr brand made them very deserving of this recognition."