Custom built exclusively for pickleball. Coming early 2024.
8 indoor courts • 4 outdoor courts • 1 amazing facility
Play on. It’s what we do. We’re a big, diverse family of tennis players, swimmers, runners, Crossfitters, cannonballers, stairmaster-ers, weekend warriors, big kids, little kids and kids that never grew up. For years, we’ve provided the facilities to make all that happy happen. Now we’re adding pickleball to the list.
Yes, “pickleballers,” we are building EIGHT indoor and FOUR outdoor tournament size dedicated pickleball courts at Athletic! We broke ground in April and expect to have the project complete early next year. Can you say, “YAY!”
CEO, Frank Lawrence, certainly has! “We haven’t been more excited about a movement since ‘aerobics’ came on the scene decades ago. Pickleball is an easy-to-learn game that’s perfect for people who enjoy active fun as well as those who prefer competition, regardless of age. It’s exactly what our brand is about and we’ve decided to commit the resources and staff to make it happen for Central Arkansas in a big way."
“Our tennis and pickleball members are all clamoring for indoor space. It’s been very amicable, as many play both, but they’re tired of shared lines. Bottom line, we need to build to enhance the member experience. Of course, we love having an additional fitness option but we love seeing another community thrive at the Club even more. The ‘park’ will be a relaxed and family-friendly place for people to engage with each other. There will be observation decks and lounge areas, and the entire facility will be replete with TVs and wifi for a full-on game day experience - every day!”
Free from heat, cold, wind, sun, rain and insects, the indoor courts will be large enough for tournament play with lighting and court surfaces similar to our indoor tennis courts. Besides court rental, offerings will include private and group lessons, drills, open and league play for all levels, plus corporate and large group catered events. “We would love to have this up and running immediately,” says Lawrence “but with this kind of investment, we want to take the time to make sure the new venue will be perfect for our members and guests.”
While our immediate focus is on building the indoor and outdoor courts, the ultimate goal is to expand the family friendly venue to include space for yard games, food trucks, live entertainment and good old fashioned fun. As Frank puts it, “We exist to help people connect and our goal is to build community. The amazing facilities just make for a really awesome place to make that happen.”
If you want to play pickleball, be a part of our Club family and have access to all of the other amenities our members hold dear, we’d like to meet you!
