A sport that gained popularity during COVID is taking southeastern Wisconsin by storm with the opening of several national franchises and courts across a handful of cities including Menomonee Falls, Milwaukee, West Allis, Wauwatosa, Glendale and Cedarburg, among others.
The surge in franchising represents only a portion of the industry’s growth, however. The other portion is supplemented by the inclusion of pickleball courts on countless developer’s conceptual plans for residential and commercial development, and the addition of courts to existing and proposed sports and recreational clubs.
National franchises including
The Picklr,
Pickleball Kingdom and
Ace Pickleball are just beginning their franchising efforts in the area, with three locations slated to open this spring and more than a dozen others planned for additional franchising in Wisconsin.
In September of 2024, Utah-based indoor pickleball franchise The Picklr opened its first Wisconsin location in Green Bay in a 20,000-square-foot space at 2610 Holmgren Way.
Murko Capital Group, which franchised the Green Bay location, would later announce plans to open eight more locations, with at least four in the Milwaukee area. Since then, Murko has made plans to open a location in Menomonee Falls which is slated to open this spring inside a former Big Lots store at N78 W14511 Appleton Ave. Murko Capital Group includes former Green Bay Packer and Wisconsin Badger
Mark Tauscher.
Arizona-based Pickleball Kingdom is opening its first Wisconsin location in Menomonee Falls at the former Multi-Color Corp. facility at N58 W14900 Shawn Circle in less than a month. Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver
Donald Driver is an investor in the franchise. In January, Pickleball Kingdom and its three franchisees - Driver,
Greg Straub and
Doug Reigle - held a press conference at the 60,000-square-foot Menomonee Falls facility. Amenities within the facility will include locker rooms, shower facilities, a full-service bar and grill and 17 courts, including a championship court called “Court 80” in honor of Driver’s jersey number during his time with the Packers. Memberships and classes will be taught twice daily when the franchise opens in spring.
Driver, Straub and Reigle plan to franchise at least two other Pickleball Kingdom locations in Green Bay and Madison. They also mentioned the possibility of opening two locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“There is so much potential for pickleball throughout the region and state,” Driver said. “With the sport growing at an unbelievable pace and very few indoor facilities, the need is there and is only going to grow. That is why we are also excited to bring Pickleball Kingdom to Green Bay and Madison next.”
Ace Pickleball most recently announced plans to open a location at a former Pick n’ Save grocery store in Brookfield that closed in 2022. The 45,000-square-foot space, located at 2205 N. Calhoun Road in the Ruby Isle shopping center, will become Ace Pickleball’s first in Wisconsin as part of a multi-franchise effort by Atlanta, Georgia-based
Embarq Group LLC. This club will be a membership-only club and will not feature amenities like Pickleball Kingdom. No food or beverages will be served, and the space will not be used as an entertainment venue, said Embarq’s principal
Mohammed Chaudhry. Ace is planning for the space to include 17 courts, a locker rooms, a viewing deck, a pro shop and a mezzanine level for parties. Members will play in a pickup basketball game-style, Chaudhry said. The club is planned to open in August.
Driver and Chaudhry do not fear oversaturation in the market, despite rampant growth in the region.
“Given that pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, I believe there is a place for all of us to be successful,” said Driver. “At Pickleball Kingdom, we are focused on giving our members the best experience possible with a very unique club that you cannot find anywhere else in our region.”
Chaudhry said that the “experience at Ace will be different from (its) competitors."
In addition to the boom in franchising, several local development firms are including pickleball in their residential and commercial conceptual plans. Several sports complexes in the region are either adding pickleball courts to their existing buildings or planning to include them in their development plans.
Mequon-based
Athlete Performance plans to build a 77,000-square-foot building in the Town of Cedarburg to be used as an indoor sports complex, physical therapy clinic and massage therapy clinic. Pickleball courts along with futsal facilities are planned for the development.
Pewaukee-based
Neumann Developments received approval in early 2024 to build a 212-unit housing development near Pewaukee Lake in the Town of Delafield. Plans include a clubhouse, pool, playground, park and pickleball courts for residents.
Similarly, a residential development from Chicago-based
Bond Cos. including the construction of over 700 apartments in Pleasant Prairie included pickleball courts in addition to its planned putting green and walking paths.
The franchises and various other pickleball developments listed in this story are a small collection of a larger growth pattern planned for or already opened in southeastern Wisconsin.
“I see a very bright future as pickleball is a sport that anyone can play,” Driver said. “There is so much interest in playing and as these new facilities open up in the Milwaukee area and more people will be getting into the sport. That means more exercise and fun is ahead.”
