The details
According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, North City Pickleball is a $2.8 million facility that will be approximately 34,000 square feet. Construction is expected to begin in February.
The backstory
Pickleball is one of the country’s fastest growing sports. According to USA Pickleball, the sport grew to 13.6 million players in 2023. The number of players surged by 51.8% from 2022 to 2023 and has grown by 223.5% since 2020.
The USA Pickleball website states pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, just off the coast of Seattle, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum in an attempt to keep their bored children engaged in physical activity.
According to the USA Pickleball website, reasons for why it’s called pickleball differ, but Pritchard’s wife began calling the game pickleball because of “the combination of different sports reminded me of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.”
However, according to McCallum, the game was officially named after the Pritchards’ dog, Pickles, who would chase the ball and run off with it.
- Slated to open October 2025
- 8600 North City Drive, Fort Worth
- Website unavailable at this time
