Indoor pickleball facility opening next year in Jackson Township
JACKSON TWP. – Local pickleball fanatics will soon have a dedicated indoor facility to play their sport.
A 20,000-square-foot Prime Pickleball Club complex is in the works at 4736 Dressler Road NW, which is the former home of American National University in Thursdays Plaza. The facility is expected to open in early next year.
"We've played pickleball at the YMCA and outside in the summer and really love it," said owner Eddie Zhang, who will operate the facility with his wife, Linda. "So we wanted to open an indoor facility for everyone to play year-round."
A $1 million to $1.5 million project is ongoing to remodel the building, which rests on about 3 acres and will feature eight pickleball courts, Zhang said. The center will include three championship courts adequate for tournament play.
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Pickleball, often described as a combination of tennis, table tennis and badminton, had close to 9 million players in 2022, according to a Business Insider report earlier this year. Prime Pickleball Club is at least one of two new indoor facilities opening in Northeast Ohio. The Ace Pickleball Club plans to open a site in Solon next year.
Steve Pustay, who's position will be director of pickleball at the club, said the facility will also include men's and women's locker rooms, as well as a snack bar.
"This entire place will fill a big need for people wanting indoor play," said Pustay, who estimated that there are about 1,500 dedicated pickleball players around Stark, Tuscarawas and Summit counties. "It's very much a growing sport."
Steve Pedro, director of the Massillon Park Department, said the city's Recreation Center has six indoor pickleball courts and called the sport very popular among senior citizens.
"We added two courts just this year," said Pedro, adding that the Rec Center likely sees 30 people per day who play pickleball. "More and more folks want to play. It's really taken off."
Prime Pickleball Club to host lessons, camps, tournaments, more
League play, individual and group lessons, pickleball camps, high school tournaments, drop-in play and birthday parties will be available for members and non-members at Prime.
Annual memberships are to likely to run $100 per person, said Linda Zhang, while monthly memberships are on target for $15 each.
The business plans to have 15 to 20 full-time and part-time employees, she said.
Prime pickleball plans to work with the Hall of Fame City Pickleball Club to host tournaments and group competitions down the road, Pustay said.
The Zhang family operates A-1 Japan Steakhouse and are planning to host a grand opening for the pickleball center in mid-February or early March.
Reach Steven at steven.grazier@indeonline.com. On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE
This article originally appeared on The Independent: Indoor Prime Pickleball Club opening in Jackson Township
