Pickleball Kingdom Eyes Pickleball Throne in Ohio

Steve Niehoff, a franchisee of the indoor pickleball franchisor, will lead the development across multiple locations with lounge areas, climate-controlled courts, youth development programs, leagues and tournaments and professional coaching and clinics.

Earlier this month, Pickleball Kingdom announced a multi-unit deal in California for the Sacramento area.

Pickleball kingdom expansion

“We’re excited to bring Pickleball Kingdom to the communities of Columbus,” Pickleball Kingdom CEO and founder Ace Rodrigues said. “Steve’s impressive background in leadership, strategy, and community engagement aligns seamlessly with our mission to transform lives through pickleball.”

Niehoff, who has a background in the financial industry at Fidelity Investments, noted he’s thrilled to introduce the rapidly growing indoor pickleball franchise to Columbus and is eager to showcase its social element.

“Our indoor courts will provide a welcoming space for the local community to connect, regardless of skill level, all year round,” he said. “We will attract individuals, families, and local organizations like businesses, schools, and churches for parties, meetings and events.”

Pickleball Kingdom COO Rob Streett said the franchisor is proud to have Niehoff as one of its growing network partners.

“His leadership skills and dedication will undoubtedly drive success as we expand into Ohio,” Streett said.

Industry growth and trends

In addition to California and Ohio, Pickleball Kingdom is expanding elsewhere: in Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, New Jersey, Washington, Georgia and Canada.

Pickleball has certainly evolved from being a sport with a funny name to a lucrative franchise opportunity for its multi-revenue model. PickleRage, another fast-growing indoor pickleball franchise, plans to open over 500 clubs by 2029 following a recent deal with GreenPeak Venture Partners, a private equity group.

The sport has also captured the heart of Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi. The luxury athletic country club operator has hundreds of courts in the works. QVC also signed a multi-year deal with USA Pickleball to sell pickleball gear and activewear and become a broadcast partner.

As the pickleball boom continues, another sport is rapidly gaining traction in the U.S.—padel. Popular in Europe, the racquet sport offers a step up for pickleball fans seeking a more challenging experience. Now, one couple is eager to help grow its popularity stateside.

“I was in France last summer, and my son and I went to the local tennis club – a 10-court complex because we heard there was padel there,” Nicol New Jersey co-founder Jess Nicol told Athletech News. “They converted five courts to padel, and there was no one on the tennis courts. We could not get a single court for padel that entire day.”

Jess and her husband (former world #1 squash player Peter Nicol) are opening a facility in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, offering pickleball, squash, padel and a branch of Spear Physical Therapy. It will be the second location for the couple, having opened a squash facility in New York City in 2021.

“It’s not surprising because we are falling in love with the sport,” she said of padel. “We love playing it, and when we were exposed to it, that’s when we made the decision that we have to make sure that this sport is under our roof for New Jersey and beyond.”

Padel Haus has similar ambitions, with its seventh facility soon opening in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Given its size and the amount of potential players, I think the U.S. is going to become the number one padel market in the years to come,” Padel Haus founder Santiago Gomez tells ATN. “Right now, there are about 400 courts but I think we can easily get to 5,000.”