Located in Mankato, Minnesota, the Picklebarn is an indoor eight-court facility that opened in 2022. Husband and wife co-owners Mitch and Sidney Elofson played tennis together collegiately and opened Picklebarn to make racquet sports accessible and fun for everyone. Utilizing their coaching backgrounds, the couple has turned Picklebarn into a successful model of reliable revenue and community engagement by focusing on youth programming. Mitch spent time with Pickleball Club Magazine to share simple strategies other clubs can use to successfully start or grow youth pickleball programs and increase club participation and profit.
When Mitch and Sidney opened Picklebarn, they knew youth programming would be a focus. To help spread the word, they reached out directly to local middle and high schools by emailing athletic directors, youth program coordinators and physical education instructors to promote their location as a great place for youth to be active and learn something new.
“Once a few kids joined and had fun, they told their friends and families, and it grew pretty organically,” Mitch says. “We offer summer camps along with youth classes, leagues and lessons with a focus always on fun and flexibility.”
Their summer youth camps have been a great success, growing every year. They group classes by age 8 – 12. Sessions run for five to six weeks, Monday – Thursday. Most programs are either in the morning or afternoon for three hours; however, they also offer all-day camps for parents to drop off their kids before work and pick them up after. Mitch and Sidney keep classes interesting for all ages by mixing in crafts and tennis to break up the week.
Rather than stick to a specific timeline and skill list, Picklebarn offers tailored classes based on where the students are skill-wise. Kids are learning skills while the lessons remain fun and lighthearted.
“Our biggest priority is to make sure kids are having fun. And if they are having fun they want to come back,” Mitch says. “We also want kids to keep playing and are sure to create lots of opportunities for them to get on the courts again.”
Outside of structured lessons, the Elofson’s diversify pickleball offerings at the Picklebarn to make it easier for kids to get and stay on the courts.
Family time on Sunday is a popular way for kids and parents or grandparents to dink around. They also offer family-focused seasonal events near Halloween and Christmas, for example, and are planning to host parent/child tournaments in the future.
A creative way they have found to keep kids playing is through “Date Night Drop Offs.” These Friday night events provide three hours of supervision, pickleball and pizza for $20/child. Mitch says these have been really popular and allow parents to go out and grab dinner or a date while their kids stay active and have a great time.
While Picklebarn doesn’t require a membership to play, there are perks to being a member, including discounted summer camp rates. With over 4,000 accounts linked, Mitch says they’ve had great success pushing out the classes through their booking system. He can customize who he sends it to, and recipients can sign up their kids directly through the app.
To reach new, youth players, Mitch has created connections with local colleges, Special Olympics and the homeschool community.
“Mankato is near a lot of colleges and many of those schools are forming club teams, Mitch passed along. “I reached out to let them know they are welcome to practice or host tournaments here. We want to be the central hub for college club teams that might possibly grow into varsity sport teams.”
Another outreach that has proven fruitful is connecting with the homeschooled community.
“One of our members mentioned they homeschooled their children and I offered the club as a physical activity.” says Mitch. “I taught them the rules and scoring and now every Friday afternoon we have a large group of students come in to play and hang with their friends.”
Mitch adds they also host Special Olympics events and are looking forward to 80 players joining them in the next few weeks.
With a full-time staff of two, the Picklebarn has made a name for itself in Mankato through creativity, outreach, and a fun and welcoming community. While the Elofson’s coaching and sport background nudged them into starting youth camps, Mitch says what is most important is focusing on the players and keeping them engaged and having fun.
“We’re just trying to get a racquet in as many kids’ hands as we can,” Mitch says. “Just keep trying and keep it fun and growth will take care of itself.”
