Pickleball, Anyone? More Than a Dozen New Facilities Planned for the Philly Region
Ready your rackets! New tennis and pickleball facilities are opening up across the Philly region.
Court 16 will debut this spring with a new location in Philadelphia’s South Kensington neighborhood, bordering Fishtown. The 14,000-square-foot indoor facility a 1400 N. Howard St. will serve adults, children, and families, offering a dynamic racket sports experience for everyone.
Court 16 guests will find four USTA-sanctioned courts, including three various-sized courts, plus year-round campus and programs for adults and kids. The boutique club was founded by Anthony Evrard, a former NCAA Division I athlete and nationally ranked junior tennis player.
“We’re thrilled to bring Court 16 to Fishtown, a neighborhood that embodies community and innovation,” said Evrard in a statement provided to NBC10 Philadelphia.
Court 16 is only one of several new pickleball facilities coming to the Philadelphia region:
- Pickleball Kingdom has plans to open new locations in Philadelphia and King of Prussia, following the opening of its New Jersey franchise in May 2024.
- Glen Mills native Jim Cassady and his wife Mia have inked a deal to bring Dill Dinkers pickleball centers to Delaware County and northern Delaware. Ten centers are set to open over the next six years, with the Cassadys operating two of them.
- Dill Dinkers is also opening a new pickleball facility with 18 indoor Pro-Cushion courts and three championship-sized courts in Montgomery County. The facility is set to open by the end of January 2025 at 354 S. Warminster Road in Hatboro. Memberships are now open.
- Located in a 30,000-square-foot space at 20 West Road in Newtown, the Newton Picklr offers 11 courts, a pro shop, and locker rooms.
Pickleball’s popularity in the United States continues to rise. In 2024, the Association of Pickleball Professionals recorded more than 48 million players in the country. A 2024 Forbes report noted that the sport was founded during the summer of 1965. Pickleball instructor Dierdre Morris is credited with establishing Aug. 8 as “National Pickleball Day.”
