With nine indoor courts, camera mounts and a pro shop, Pickleland has been cultivating a welcome space for Pflugerville’s pickleball community since its opening on Aug. 23.

The backstory

Owner Alejandro Rioja started the Pickleland project in January after researching other pickleball courts. He said it was important to get every detail right in the building process.

Rioja played at every facility in Austin to get an idea of what other places were missing that he could incorporate into the business. He even created a Slack channel for other pickleball enthusiasts to share their desires for the perfect facility.

“That was really helpful because instead of us guessing or trying to predict what people want, we just asked them directly and they gave us feedback,” said Rioja.


Rioja said he’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit. From creating a version of Yelp in his home country Bolivia to building a portable charger company from scratch, he’s always longed to create a business. He said Pickleland is different from his past projects.

“If you’ve been following the pickleball industry—it’s growing really fast,” Rioja said. “There’s a lot of eager customers and that’s created a lot of support needs. ... Managing all that has been really exciting.”

Dive deeper

Despite only opening a month ago, Rioja said he’s already seen some customers form bonds through their gameplay at the business. He said the community building aspect of the sport is what makes it stand out.


“I think pickleball has been really good in my personal life—just like making friends and having something that’s healthy and fun to do,” Rioja said. “I hadn’t found any other activities that I enjoyed and I could do on a daily basis that were community friendly.”

What they offer

The business provides classes, clinics, private bookings and open play for all levels of players as well as leagues and tournaments for those interested in more recurring competition. The facility’s pro shop allows players to test out and purchase paddles.

The business currently only sells pre-packaged food, drinks and alcoholic beverages, but Rioja said they are looking to work with food trucks to provide additional food options to customers.