Big money bets on pickleball’s future as Naples remains major stage

EAST NAPLES, Fla - Pickleball has already become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Now, major money is following.

A $225 million investment led by Apollo Sports Capital is creating Pickleball Inc., a new parent company bringing together Major League Pickleball, the PPA Tour, media, retail, technology and other parts of the sport under one umbrella.

For Ben Weinberger, U.S. Open Tournament Director, the deal is another sign that pickleball is being taken seriously on a much bigger stage.

“The combination of Major League Pickleball the PPA tour, the e-commerce assets with Pickleball Central all of those things coming together,” Weinberger said. “You know, it's a validation that investors see an opportunity for a very large audience.”

That audience is easy to see at the National Pickleball Center in East Naples, where the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

Weinberger said the National Pickleball Center has 65 year-round courts and is, as far as he knows, the largest pickleball facility in the world. He said more than 7,000 people applied for about 3,500 spots in this year’s U.S. Open.

“It is the pickleball capital of the world for a lot of reasons, and you can't just manufacture that,” Weinberger said.

The sport’s growth is not just showing up in tournament numbers. It is also changing who is playing and how the game is being viewed.

Gabriella Crown, founder of Kinda Proper Clothing, said she started playing pickleball about eight months ago and quickly fell in love with the community and accessibility of the sport.

“I used to just think it was this sport that my grandparents would play,” Crown said. “And now it's just elevating into this younger, faster, more hip sport, and being recognized all over the world.”

Crown got hooked on that evolution and built a business around it. Her pickleball clothing line is designed for players who want to bring style to the court.

“I was always one of those people who really cared about the way they showed up to the court,” Crown said. “I thought, If I look good, I'm gonna play better. And it really does work.”

While the investment is aimed heavily at the professional and business side of pickleball, Weinberger said the amateur and recreational players remain the foundation of the sport.

“We really think that the amateur tournament and the amateur player, the amateur recreational side of things is what really continues to drive the sport,” Weinberger said.

What started for many as a casual game is now drawing national attention, major business interest and a clearer path toward a bigger future.

And in East Naples, one of pickleball’s biggest stages, that future is already on display.