Forward Pickleball is a new, family-owned pickleball club located in the greater Philadelphia area. This new Philadelphia club celebrated its grand opening on November 7. With their grand opening behind them, the folks at Forward Pickleball are working hard to establish themselves in the pickleball world with a focus on hospitality, community, and player development. Forward pickleball is all about community. Not only is it a family-owned business, but its owners are striving to build the club into a family-like community.
Kecca Ward is one of the owners at Forward Pickleball. When Ward started playing pickleball about 3 years ago, she fell in love with the game and promptly started coaching. In the summer, she offered lessons at public parks, and when winter hit, she gave lessons in one-court indoor gyms. After about a year of coaching, she decided that she wanted to “scale up” her coaching idea. Her love for coaching first sparked the idea that brought about Forward Pickleball. There was only one pickleball club near Ward’s part of the Philadelphia suburbs at the time, so she and her family began looking for a suitable building. The search was neither short nor easy, but after two years, they found an appealing pickleball space.
The name “Forward” has a double significance. First, it is a play-off of the founding family’s last name “Ward,” once again showing the importance of family to the club. Second, the name indicates that the club is all about positive progress: “We’re all about building community, moving you forward in your game, moving you forward in life, and building out a community.”
Forward Pickleball is a 12-court, 33,000-square-foot facility. Eight of the courts are championship-size courts with extra space. The court lighting is “phenomenal,” and each court has a Selkirk net—“people come for the courts.” After players get tired, they can go sit back and chat in the lounge area. Players at Forward also have access to a pro shop and a coffee shop next door. The facility atmosphere is inviting with various whites, greys, navies, and Carolina blues painted throughout. Having a warm, welcoming facility is essential to Forward’s wider mission.
When asked about her club’s mission, Ward responds, “It’s all about building the community, being welcoming, and providing a lively atmosphere.” She also emphasizes the importance of individuals and families. As a family-owned business, Forward is big on family. But being a successful business also entails catering to the individual. Wise club owners “keep the player experience in mind.” Before starting Forward, Kecca Ward noticed that individuals did not have access to strong, accessible communities at their local, outdoor communities. Opening an indoor facility can be a tangible way to foster a closer pickleball community.
Ward also works as an HR representative and has a background in “building culture” and “employee experience.” Her work in HR has helped prepare her for making people feel welcome at Forward. Sometimes the little things make big impressions. Ward remarks that small services like ice machines, chocolates at the front desk, and excellent customer service can significantly boost customer satisfaction. It is also important to treat people as individuals: “Players will feel more valued if the customer experience is personalized.” Ways to personalize player experience could include greeting them by name at the front door, sending them personalized emails, or providing them with training programs geared specifically to them
Forward Pickleball offers a variety of educational clinics. Pickleball clubs must offer fun, engaging introductory clinics: “It all starts with the fundamentals.” Fundamentals should be fun. Sometimes players need a more easy-going introduction to the sport, so beginner clinics need not be overly competitive or intense. Ward usually breaks introductory courses into three or four separate lessons. She advises that pickleball coaches exercise transparency with their players. Coaches should be honest about their players’ weaknesses but should also encourage and help them to overcome those weaknesses and reach the next level. The folks at Forward plan to offer a host of clinic options for players of varying skill levels. Many clinics will be skill-specific for players who want to work on serves, dinks, drop-shots, or other specific skills. At Forward, players can take individual lessons or join larger group lessons.
Ward hopes to get creative with programming as the club grows. She anticipates putting on creative events after each of the upcoming Holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Group brainstorming is a good way to come up with new ideas for programming. Ward says that the Forward Pickleball team is very collaborative and often shares input and feedback with one another. Club owners can also find new programming ideas by talking to other clubs or just researching them on the internet. She remarks, “Sometimes the best ideas come from improving or expanding what’s already been successful.”
With their grand opening behind them, the folks at Forward Pickleball are excited to watch their pickleball family grow as they continue to show hospitality, encourage community, and offer great pickleball.
