As the sport of pickleball grows throughout the country, we continue to see new courts popping up in unique locations in order to meet the demand of community members looking for local access to dedicated pickleball courts. In Texas City, Texas, World Gym responded to the desires of their community by building the first dedicated pickleball courts in the county, opening in the summer of 2023. While the facility is primarily a traditional fitness center, they now offer pickleball in addition to their assortment of fitness classes, a power lifting zone, a recovery area, and more.
When deciding to build these courts on the gym property, Nick Hernandez, the Area Manager for World Gym, and his team recognized the “impact and rapid growth of [the] sport nationally…[and] had members asking if [they] would or had plans to expand/add.” Further, because there were no dedicated pickleball courts within 10-15 miles of the gym, they saw an opening in the market that would allow them to be the primary place to place pickleball in the area. Additionally, as an already top provider for fitness amenities, they wanted to “match the various fitness and social needs of the surrounding community” and provide opportunities for locals to socialize and build community at their gym through pickleball.
In looking at World Gym’s overall mission, they want to “provide a one stop shop, or rather, the ultimate fitness destination,” says Hernandez. They believe that fitness should be as enjoyable as possible and want to create access to pleasant fitness experiences for their community. They seek to serve everyone from the “traditional gym-goer…to the basketball player” and want to “provide everyone with the resources and place” to hone their craft as well as explore new fitness passions. In line with this thinking, World Gym has been able to add pickleball to their offerings for members already interested in the sport and wanting a local place to play and for those unfamiliar with the sport who are looking for a new outlet for an athletic-based community. Regardless of which camp a potential player is coming from, Hernandez hopes for the pickleball courts at World Gym to be a place where “they will find their new community to help keep them consistent and accountable to being active and exercising.”
Prior to opening the courts, World Gym solicited feedback from members to gauge interest in having pickleball courts at the facility by emailing members about “improvements or upgrades they would like to see or believe would help them enjoy [the] facility better.” Members were vocal about their desire for pickleball courts at the gym when speaking to gym staff members and made known their interest in having dedicated courts at their local fitness center. The leadership team at World Gym decided to construct five dedicated courts outdoors by redoing an unused section of their parking lot, which is located near their Muscle Beach concept. Although World Gym is open 24 hours/day, they chose to have the courts open every day of the week from 7am-8pm for both open play and reservation. Since opening the courts, Hernandez says, “Our members have truly enjoyed the addition of five pickleball courts.” From those who were already fans to those who knew next to nothing about the sport, local pickleball players have enjoyed this outlet for fitness and have been active participants in various learning opportunities hosted at the gym.
In addition to engaging existing gym members in a new way, the pickleball courts at World Gym have opened doors for new members to join. From the beginning, the team at World Gym “expect[ed] and believe[d the] brand new courts would catch the attention [of] and attract avid players to join [their] fitness community solely for access” to the courts. Members joining because of the courts would also have access to the plethora of amenities at the gym that would further enhance their pickleball and community experience. Hernandez knew they could count on an influx of new members wanting to join because of the pickleball courts as he has “been in the industry for a long time and understand[s] ‘if [you] build it, they will come’.” Further, they had received feedback from current members that they had friends looking for a suitable environment to play pickleball in the area but there were currently no good options within a reasonable distance from Texas City. Since unveiling the pickleball courts, World gym has experienced a “good increase in member base directly from the pickleball community” and has also seen a large number of new members who were referred to the gym by friends or family who were already members and wanted to enjoy the sport with their loved ones.
Operationally, World Gym had to consider a number of things when opening the pickleball courts. Primarily, they had to focus on “scheduling reservations and providing education and equipment to those unfamiliar” with the sport. Because they educated their entire staff on pickleball and how to run the equipment check in/out system, the only additional staffing measures made by World Gym to accommodate for the addition of pickleball to the facility was in the Member Service Department. The reason for this was because of the increase in traffic through the gym and the need for additional support services for members.
Since opening the courts several months ago, World Gym has hosted a pickleball-themed event monthly and intends to continue these events as well as hold fundraisers to give back to their community. They are looking forward to the future of pickleball in the Texas City area and are excited to be a primary destination for local pickleball enthusiasts.
