Because so much of a club’s identity over time hinges on the initial vision casting from its founders and core values that stem from this vision, being purposeful about vision and values is crucial to a club’s origin story. In this article, we get to hear from three new clubs in various parts of the country on how they initially determined their club’s vision and values, setting them on a successful course to effectively communicate their mission with their community.
Having opened two locations within six months of one another, Pickles and Play understood the significance of establishing their club’s vision and values from the beginning. Both their Wake Forest location, which opened in September 2023, and their Chapel Hill location, which opened in February 2024, exhibit the well-rounded values of the club and the vision of Lane Ethridge, Pickles and Play’s CEO and co-founder. The staff’s identity is “driven by the opportunity to interact and impact [members] in an integrity-filled environment where [members] have the opportunity to experience pickleball at its finest,” says Ethridge.
This identity is played out in Pickles and Play’s core values, which significantly color anyone’s experience at the club. One of Ethridge’s key areas of focus for the club is relationships. As such the organization at-large values being loyal and honoring every relationship. These core values set a welcoming tone within the Pickles and Play community, encouraging co-workers, clients, and families to build trust with one another. Among their core values are things such as maintain integrity and embrace challenge. As an organization, Pickles and Play seeks to conduct itself with sincerity, transparency, and loyalty in order to most effectively mentor and interact with members. Further, they understand that the sport is ever-changing, requiring clubs to be agile and responsive to the frequent evolutions of pickleball’s philosophy and skill components. Moreover, they seek to exceed expectations in all interactions with players, going “beyond the level of the norm.” Finally, Pickles and Play aims to be a visionary to change by “implement[ing] new, innovative measures to enhance the brand and impact the results of [their] clientele.” This effort is sure to set the club apart among others within the Greater Raleigh area.
In Austin, Texas, the vision for Other Racquet Social Club (Other Racquet) is quite simple: social connection and pickleball. The need for additional pickleball opportunities in the area became apparent to Matt Wolski, Founder of Other Racquet, in late 2022 as he saw a gap in the market for a socially-based pickleball experience. After much planning and preparation, Other Racquet opened to founding members in September 2023 and to the general public in January 2024.
Wolski affectionately explains the ethos for Other Racquet as “come as you are.” Whether you are a professional player looking to improve your technique or a casual player hoping for a fun social experience, Other Racquet offers something for everyone. In order to provide this well-rounded experience for local pickleball players, they focus on core values of “connection, social relations, and top-notch service,” culminating in a community-based experience and seeks to strengthen the overarching Austin pickleball community.
Firmly believing in the significance of having a unique, identifiable identity from a club’s infancy, Wolski capitalized on the opportunity to craft a pickleball facility from scratch, rather than retrofitting an existing space. Other Racquet members have commented that the “intentional social club aspect and attention to every facility detail” makes the club stand apart from others in the market, allowing them to be fully bought in to Wolski’s vision for Other Racquet to a place where connections are made.
At The Press Pickleball Club, a new pickleball club in Spokane, Washington, much of their vision and identity stems from their location inside the former Spokesman-Review Production facility. The Press Pickleball, which opened in early February 2024, is eager to make a positive first impression on their local pickleball community and represent themselves as “being player-centric, [which is] at the brand’s core,” says Rita Koefod, the Senior Director of Marketing, Communication and Branding for Cowles Real Estate, which owns The Press Pickleball Club.
In casting a vision for the club, The Press Pickleball’s leadership was eager to highlight the club’s connection to the Spokesman-Review newspaper’s production facility and incorporate that tradition into much of their culture branding. One of their main emphasis was to “resonate with long-term community members who are familiar with the history of the building, while also sparking interest with new residents and out of town visitors who may not be familiar with that legacy.” In doing so, The Press Pickleball established several core values for themselves to ensure their actions align with their vision for the club. “Vibrancy, attention to detail, clarity, and fun” are all a part of The Press Pickleball’s values for how they conduct their club.
Koefod and the team at The Press Pickleball have sincerely enjoyed seeing “connections forming within [their] membership base” and the fruits of their labor in vision casting for the club paying off in dividends and more people join the greater pickleball community. She highlights the importance of having fun when establishing a club’s identity and also listening closely to what the existing pickleball community is looking for in a club. Further, they have found it “rewarding to partner with surrounding businesses in [their] downtown area” and continue to look for opportunities to cultivate relationships within their community and share pickleball with others.
Each of these three clubs are prime examples of establishing your club’s values early on in order to most effectively communicate your vision for the club with everyone who walks inside your facility. Through intentionality and a clear plan for your club’s vision, and how it relates to your mission as an organization, pickleball clubs can efficiently set the tone for who they are and where they are going, even during the club’s infancy.
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