Solitaire, skiing, knitting – some things are just fine to do as a single pringle. Others, like pickleball, are reliant on another person. But what does a single player do with a paddle but no partner? Pickleballerz in Chantilly, Virginia wondered the same thing. And in the spirit of adaptation and innovation, they came up with a solution.
Pickleballerz was the first indoor facility in Virginia and essentially the entire East Coast when it opened in 2019. It is now home to nearly 600 members who enjoy a pro shop, a fully stocked bar area and most importantly its six fully dedicated pickleball courts with hard surfaces and permanent nets.
Their focus is on the joy and inclusivity of pickleball with the Director of Pickleballerz, J.D. Almond, saying “we are just happy people are playing (pickleball)!”
To keep “everyone” playing its imperative to come up with new ways for people to play and solve challenges, like singles looking for games.
“We initially tried to start a league for single players, however, it’s such a unique aspect of pickleball we didn’t have a ton of success. We knew there were single players out there, we just needed to figure out how to get them to play.”
And Player Matchup was born!
Originally targeting singles players, Player Matchup has become a great connection space for people needing a fourth for doubles and even players from out of town looking to get on the courts. While members enjoy reduced court time pricing, it’s easy for non-members to pop in and enjoy some playing time at a reasonable cost.
“We’ve been doing it for about a year now and have a little over 400 members in the Facebook group so to me, it seems pretty successful,” J.D. says.
Another adaptation Pickleballerz has made is in response to the growth of pickleball.
Once the only facility in the area, there are now five other clubs within a five to ten-mile radius of Pickleballerz. As more people pick up paddles, it only makes sense demographics change as well.
With younger players in their thirties and forties are joining the sport Pickleballerz has had to adapt to a younger demographic with more time constraints. Retirees have more flexibility with their time, while these newer players have a multitude of factors that influence when and where they play.
“A lot of players belong to a couple of clubs because one is close to where they live and another might be closer to where they work,” says J.D. He added players might like a Monday men’s league at one club and a double’s league on Wednesday at another.
To better meet this demand, Pickleballerz has diversified their court time adding more in the morning and weekends. To meet growing demands for ladies’ leagues for example, they now offer them on Mondays and Fridays vs. just one day along with increasing their beginner clinics to meet the needs of newer players.
Advertising is always on owners minds and J.D. says for them, word of mouth is very effective.
“Once players find a facility they tell their friends and then those friends tell friends,”. J.D. adds they also utilize Facebook and other social media. These methods seem especially helpful with tournaments and other organized events including leagues and clinics.
As pickleball continues to grow, it makes it even more important for clubs to grow along with it in their offerings, advertising and club atmosphere. While it might be easy to get a player to walk through the door, ensuring they keep returning is key.
Pickleballerz has found a great combination of top-notch playing facilities, keeping an eye on players’ wants and needs and making the club a great place to be by keeping the focus on fun and inclusivity.
