Poulsbo won't have to wait long for the arrival of an indoor pickleball facility, as the city expects a Pickleball Kingdom franchise to swing its doors open in early 2025.
Pickleball Kingdom, a company that was born in Chandler, Arizona and describes itself as the world's largest indoor pickleball entity, is slated to take over a former OfficeMax building and current Big 5 Sporting Goods building, both located at 21800 Market Place NW. The adjacent buildings will eventually be combined into one 31,500-square foot pickleball facility featuring 12 indoor courts and offer professional coaching and clinics for players of all skill levels, youth programs, leagues/tournaments and community/corporate events.
There will also be a museum-type area displaying original pickleball equipment and paraphernalia.
"There's no better place to have a Pickleball Kingdom than in Poulsbo, which is right by Bainbridge Island, where pickleball was created," Ace Rodrigues, Pickleball Kingdom founder and chief executive officer, said in a release.
The possibility of indoor pickleball in Poulsbo has been in the works for several months. In May, Poulsbo parks and recreation director Jeff Ozimek and Bainbridge Island Pickleball spokesperson Clay Roberts presented a renovation plan to Mayor Becky Erickson and city council members that involved repurposing the OfficeMax as a pickleball center. At the time, Ozimek said the next move would be doing a "deeper dive" into the financials, including lease particulars with the owner of the building.
"If we had basically taken over the management ... it would have taken much longer and we would have to figure out how fund the various pieces of the conversion through citizen activity," said Erickson, noting that a city-operated facility would have likely involved Poulsbo's parks and recreation department.
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As it turns out, Pickleball Kingdom NW owner/chief executive officer John Hylton and chief operating officer Mara Hylton ended up working with the building owners — First American Properties, Inc. — directly to reach a lease agreement, essentially fulfilling the vision of creating a regional pickleball facility that should attract users from all over Kitsap County and beyond.
"The stars aligned," said Mara Hylton, who credited Roberts for helping her and her brother locate the space that will eventually become Pickleball Kingdom's first franchise in Washington. "The groundwork was already laid and the community was already on board."
According to its website Pickleball Kingdom opened its first location in Arizona in 2022, and franchises indoor facilities around the country. Other recent announced openings including facilities in Louisville, Kentucky, Appleton, Wisconsin, and a series of courts in both North Carolina and Ohio.
"It's a very streamlined solution," Erickson said. "These people will have this up and operational in a very short period of time."
Erickson is excited that some of the sport's local ties and early history will be honored at the facility. Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island in 1965 and is played by an estimated 36.5 million people around the country. It became the official sport of Washington state in 2022.
"It's all over the United States now," Erickson said, "but this is where it started."
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Pickleball Kingdom indoor facility opening in Poulsbo next year
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