Pickleball Investment: How People Put Money Into the Sport

Quick Answer: Money moves into pickleball through several channels: financing indoor court facilities, buying a franchise location, purchasing a stake in a Major League Pickleball team, investing in paddle and gear manufacturers, real estate developers adding courts to communities, and buying shares of public companies with pickleball-related product lines.

How Much Money Is Moving Into Pickleball?

Participation numbers explain why capital keeps showing up. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association counted 24.3 million pickleball players in the United States in 2025, up from 4.2 million in 2020, a trend covered in more detail in the breakdown of how many people play pickleball in the US. That growth curve has pulled in institutional money at a scale that would have looked out of place in the sport a few years ago. CNBC reported in May 2026 that Apollo Sports Capital and investor Tom Dundon led a $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc., the Dallas-based parent company of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, with part of the funding directed toward expanding the company’s indoor court network. That deal alone spans the range covered here, from a single-court lease to a nine-figure check.

How Do Investors Back Indoor Pickleball Facilities?

Building an indoor facility is the most direct, and most capital-intensive, way to invest in the sport. A multi-court building requires site acquisition or a long-term lease, court surfacing, netting, lighting, HVAC sized for a large open span, and staff to run reservations, leagues, and clinics. The breakdown of construction and buildout costs is covered in the indoor pickleball court cost analysis, and the sequencing of a larger project, from site selection through opening day, is covered in the guide to planning a multi-court pickleball complex. Entity formation, licensing, and insurance for a facility, pro shop, or coaching business are covered in order in the guide to starting a pickleball business.

What Does Team Ownership in Major League Pickleball Cost?

Major League Pickleball, the co-ed team league explained in the overview of what Major League Pickleball is, has become its own investment category. In an August 21, 2025 press release, Major League Pickleball announced that the Los Angeles Mad Drops sold a majority stake to Mad Drippin SPV, LLC, an entity headed by Texas investor Alex Geesbreght, at a $13 million franchise valuation, with the team’s existing ownership group retaining roughly 40 percent of the club. Other MLP franchises have changed hands at different valuations as the league has added expansion teams and signed sponsorship and media deals, so no single number applies league-wide. Owning a stake in an MLP team means buying a media and sponsorship asset, different from the equipment or real estate that generates revenue at a single local facility.

How Do Paddle and Gear Companies Fit Into the Investment Picture?

Paddle, ball, and apparel companies are a second entry point, and a few of them are already public. Escalade, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESCA) owns Onix, one of the paddle and ball brands used in the sport, alongside its other sporting goods lines, as of September 2026. Most other well-known paddle brands, including Selkirk, JOOLA, and Franklin, remain privately held, so getting exposure to that side of the equipment market, as of September 2026, means buying shares of a diversified company like Escalade rather than a pure pickleball stock.

Are 55+ Communities and Real Estate Developers Investing in Pickleball?

Residential developers have folded pickleball into the amenity package used to sell homes, particularly in communities marketed to buyers 55 and older. NewHomeSource, the National Association of Home Builders’ consumer site, has reported that 55-plus buyers increasingly expect amenities such as pickleball courts alongside traditional clubhouse features. For a builder, adding a bank of courts to a new community is a small line item against total development cost, but it functions as a sales and marketing tool in a competitive active-adult housing market. That makes it a different kind of investment than a stand-alone club: the courts do not generate direct revenue on their own, they support home sales and resale values instead.

Which Public Stocks Have Pickleball Exposure?

A handful of publicly traded companies now reference pickleball in their business descriptions. Life Time Group Holdings (NYSE: LTH), which operates athletic country clubs, has added pickleball courts across many of its locations and launched its own branded pickleball ball, moves CNBC covered in May and August 2024 as part of the company’s broader push into racquet sports. Escalade, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESCA), described above, is the more direct equipment play. Neither company is a pure pickleball stock. Life Time’s revenue comes from club memberships spanning many activities, and Escalade sells table tennis, basketball, and archery equipment alongside pickleball gear, so evaluating either one means looking at the whole business, not just the pickleball segment.

What Are the Risks of Investing in Pickleball?

Every entry point above carries real risk. Indoor facilities face overbuilding risk in markets where several operators open courts within a few years of each other and end up competing for the same pool of players. Lease costs are fixed whether or not courts stay full, and a facility that signs a long-term lease based on current growth rates is exposed if participation growth slows in that market. Margins on court time and memberships alone are thin once rent, staffing, insurance, and utilities are paid, which is why many operators add coaching, retail, food service, and league fees rather than relying on open play revenue by itself. Facility owners and coaches also carry liability exposure that a business plan needs to account for, covered in the guide to pickleball liability insurance. Franchise buyers face the added risk of a network-wide slowdown or a franchisor decision made outside any single owner’s control, a tradeoff addressed in the guide to buying a pickleball franchise.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I invest in pickleball? Money enters the sport through several channels: financing or leasing an indoor facility, buying into a franchise system, purchasing a stake in a Major League Pickleball team, buying shares in a public company with pickleball-related products, or funding a real estate project that includes courts. Each channel carries a different cost, timeline, and risk profile.

Is pickleball a good investment? Whether any of the paths above makes financial sense depends on the buyer’s own analysis of cost, competition in a given market, and how long returns take to materialize. None of this article is investment advice, and a decision this size deserves independent financial and legal review before money changes hands.

How much does it cost to buy a stake in a Major League Pickleball team? Prices vary by team and by how much of the franchise is being sold. In an August 21, 2025 press release, Major League Pickleball put the Los Angeles Mad Drops’ valuation at $13 million when a majority stake changed hands, with the prior ownership group retaining a minority share. Other MLP franchise sales have been reported at different valuations, so no single figure applies to the whole league.

Can someone buy stock in a pickleball company? There is no single pure-play pickleball stock on a major exchange. Escalade, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESCA) owns the Onix pickleball paddle and ball brand alongside other sporting goods lines, and Life Time Group Holdings (NYSE: LTH) operates athletic clubs that added pickleball courts and its own ball brand, as CNBC reported in 2024. Both companies generate most of their revenue outside pickleball.

What is the least operationally demanding way to get exposure to pickleball as a business? Buying shares of a diversified public company with a pickleball product line, such as the equipment makers described above, carries less day-to-day risk than opening or leasing a facility, since the buyer is not responsible for staffing, leases, or court maintenance. It also means the pickleball portion of that company’s business is a small piece of a much larger balance sheet.

Do pickleball franchises make money? Results vary by location, local competition, and how the franchise system structures royalties and territory fees. A franchise system typically charges an upfront fee plus ongoing royalties in exchange for training, a recognized brand, and marketing support.

How much money has flowed into pickleball overall? There is no single running total, since money enters through many separate deals rather than one fund, but individual transactions show the scale involved. CNBC reported in May 2026 that Apollo Sports Capital and investor Tom Dundon led a $225 million investment in Pickleball Inc., the Dallas-based parent of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, with part of the funding directed toward expanding the company’s indoor court network.

What are the biggest risks in pickleball investing? Overbuilding is a real risk in markets where multiple operators open courts within a short window and end up competing for the same players. Long-term leases carry fixed costs whether or not courts stay full, and margins on court time alone are thin once rent, staffing, insurance, and utilities are paid. Franchise buyers add the risk of decisions made at the network level that sit outside any single owner’s control.

Do real estate developers profit directly from adding pickleball courts? Courts inside a housing development typically do not generate direct revenue the way a stand-alone club does. Builders add them because active-adult buyers increasingly expect the amenity, based on reporting from NewHomeSource, the National Association of Home Builders’ consumer site, and because the courts can support home sales and resale values rather than produce fees on their own.

Anyone comparing these paths eventually wants to see how existing operators run day to day rather than just read about deal sizes. The pickleball clubs directory lists operating clubs and facilities across the country, a useful gut check before writing a business plan or wiring money into any of the options above.

Written by the Pickler Junction Team.