While increasing membership is an understandably common focus of member-based organizations, investing in membership retention can be an equally impactful venture for pickleball clubs attempting to grow their impact on their community as well as their bottom line. In the following article, we will look at how two clubs from opposite ends of the country think about membership retention and several things they do to ensure members stay engaged at the club and continue coming back.
Pickleball Virginia Beach aims to be the “center of pickleball in the[ir] area” of Virginia Beach, Virginia and has grown tremendously since they opened, having 25 dedicated courts with additional courts planned for the future. While they are always eager to welcome new members to their community, they have a very simple philosophy on how they retain current members. “Pickleball itself is the easiest way to retain members,” says Jim Aldrich, one of Pickleball Virginia Beach’s founders. This club focuses on providing quality courts and good play while not forcing separation between levels to allow their beginners to advance quicker. They are focused on providing a top-tier overall pickleball experience to entice members to keep coming back to play.
Part of this strategy includes their onboarding process, which starts with a “beginner lesson that takes them from not knowing anything to knowing everything.” During this session, they go through each the basics such as scoring, dinking, and serving and conclude with casual play to wet the new member’s appetite. For players looking for additional organized programming, Pickleball Virginia Beach hosts lessons, ladder leagues, clinics, and tournaments on top of their open play hours. Their lessons are affordable and offered at convenient times, making for a low barrier of entry for any player looking to progress and expand their skills. Aldrich highlights their ample open play opportunities as a “great way for all skill levels to work their way up in the sport,” which encourages players to continue growing.
Aldrich and the other co-founder, Jack Singer, have made the conscious decision to be on-site during all business hours, opening the door for members to share their feedback and offer requests and/or suggestions for improving the club and overall experience at Pickleball Virginia Beach. Through this open door policy, Alrich and Singer have also enjoyed hearing the “many stories of new found friends, reunions, and of course love connections” that have come through the game of pickleball. Being able to foster these kinds of interpersonal relationships within a club is a great way to ensure members stay members for as long as possible.
Another way Pickleball Virginia Beach seeks to cultivate community within their club are through their regular hotdog and hamburger nights, sanctioned tournaments, and charity events. Because of their demographics–a vacation destination, military area, and retirement community all in one–they have found it productive to have both annual and monthly events in order to reach everyone in their area most effectively. Further, they offer daily drop-in hours for both locals and visitors.
Pickleball Virginia Beach works with BallButton for their membership software, through which players are encouraged to check in through their account each time they go to the club. Aldrich loves that this system “gives [members] a sense of belonging.”
Pickleball Virginia Beach is focused on giving local pickleball enthusiasts a “wonderful place to play, that plays at an affordable price, and encourage[s] a strong community environment.” They are confident this investment contributes heavily to their ability to retain members, with the exception of those who leave naturally for injury or because they have moved out of the area. Aldrich believes this strategy leads to “members…[continuing] to be members and will [entice them to] bring in more members to enjoy this fun game” together.
On the other side of the country, Pickleball Kingdom, with one franchise open in Chandler, Arizona, and more planned throughout the nation, focuses on being responsive to the desires of their members and having an outstanding front desk staff as part of their membership retention strategy. As a membership-driven club, they “welcome visitors and have a ton of people who come to drop in now and again, but [their] primary focus is serving members,” says Ace Rogrigues, Pickleball Kingdom’s founder and CEO.
Because of the communal aspect of the sport, Rodrigues and his team have noticed their members particularly enjoy playing doubles and “want to build a community” through the club. As such, Pickleball Kingdom seeks to cultivate this kind of welcoming and competitive environment within their membership base by offering ample opportunities for doubles play. They want their members to feel comfortable socializing with other pickleball enthusiasts at the club and this often begins with new partners for doubles.
Additionally, to encourage members to enhance their skills, Pickleball Kingdom maintains a “stable of elite coaches…to provide lessons, whether that’s in private, semi private, or group settings, in every aspect of the sport.” These lessons are provided to members at a discount from the regular, non-member price, further adding value to a membership at Pickleball Kingdom.
Moreover, the front desk staff at Pickleball Kingdom are specifically trained and encouraged to build strong relationships with members so “members feel very comfortable expressing what works well and what they’d like to see within the club.” This open and honest communication between members and front desk staff has allowed Pickleball Kingdom to hone their drop in hours over time and tweak them until they were very dialed in on when members were wanting to come play.
To communicate the value of a membership to existing members and help members identify what their dues are going toward, Pickleball Kingdom uses front desk check-ins as part of their strategy. Additionally, they send regular newsletters with updates on what’s going on at the club, upcoming events, and value added benefits that members can choose to participate in.
When thinking about how to keep members interested in coming back to the club regularly, Pickleball Kingdom emphasizes “environment and culture first and foremost,” striving to create a fun and competitive environment for play and a place where members feel appreciated. They believe the value of interacting with their staff makes this experience even better and contributes greatly to their overall membership retention philosophy. Rodrigues knows that “once someone gets on the court, pickleball is the start and takes over,” therefore, he wants to ensure the club is bringing value to members not simply through offering a place to play, but also outside of the court.
