Boise to get a new indoor home for America’s fastest-growing sport. What to know
One of America’s fastest-growing sports could soon have a new indoor home in Boise.
A nine-court indoor pickleball club is slated to open soon at 3615 S. Federal Way in the former Bed, Bath & Beyond, between Fred Meyer and Home Depot.
The new club, S2 Pickleball, aims to address a surge in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to USA Pickleball, the sport’s national governing body, membership in the organization increased 30% in 2023 to over 70,000 members.
“Pickleball continued its incredible rise in America and remains the fastest-growing sport,” according to a 2023 study by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. “Participation nearly doubled in 2022, increasing by 85.7% year-over-year and by an astonishing 158.6% over three years.”
S2 Pickleball Club is the brainchild of brothers Jake and Zach Spencer, who fell in love with the sport around four years ago and have watched its explosive growth across the nation.
“It’s larger than a blip on the radar… We see a long-term trend upward,” Zach Spencer said by phone. “It’s exciting to be a part of something as it’s growing.”
Zach Spencer, a former residential real estate broker, said he sold his brokerage to make time for the S2 Pickleball brand.
“That’s the kind of level of dedication and growth opportunity that we see in this,” he said.
The club would be the first of its kind in the city. The only other indoor courts dedicated solely to the sport in the area are at the Flying Pickle in Meridian, which opened in November, Zach Spencer said.
The brothers plan to keep the club open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight and feature equipment rentals, a full pro shop, demo paddles and a practice ball machine. It would also offer lessons, leagues and events.
It would also offer other amenities, including golf simulators, a court they could modify for badminton nets and a juice and coffee bar. A recovery room would also be available, including a sauna, ice baths and compression therapy.
The brothers aim to open the club in mid-February, but are still waiting on some approvals from the city.
Zach Spencer lives in Ogden, Utah, and Jake Spencer lives in Denver, Colorado, but they trace their family roots to Idaho. Their parents grew up in Burley, and they still have family in Boise.
“Our whole lives we’ve been tied to Boise,” Zach Spencer said.
Pickleball a sport for ‘everyone’
According to the brothers, the sport is accessible to everyone. Unlike golf, which can be infuriating for first-timers, folks can pick up a pickleball paddle and start enjoying it immediately, they said.
“It’s very versatile,” Jake Spencer said by phone. “Everyone can get involved.”
People can play the sport from when they’re very young and up into their 90s and still play well, he said.
“There are some 70-year-olds that get me sweating,” Jake Spencer said.
Jake Spencer said he’s competitive but also enjoys going with his wife and 5-year-old to just dink around. The sport is a “perfect mix” that allows players to be as aggressive and intense — or as relaxed — as they want to be.
Zach Spencer played basketball for most of his life, but doctors diagnosed him with rheumatoid arthritis when he was 35, which he said affected his time playing basketball. But he realized he could still play pickleball.
“For me it’s a way to stay really, really active,” Zach Spencer said. “It’s just a fun sport.”
He added that he’s made friends through the sport and that the pickleball community has been supportive and embracing.
“The community is part of what draws me to it,” Zach Spencer said.
Using sport to grow the Boise community
The brothers said there was a big pickleball community in Ogden and Denver and they realized Boise had a strong demand for more indoor courts to use over the cold winter months as well. But, there’s still a way to go for widespread adoption in Boise.
“There’s just a lot of room for that in Boise still,” Zach Spencer said.
They hope to work with middle schools, high schools and local colleges to foster the sport, he said.
Zach Spencer said they would start the S2 Cares Initiative for philanthropic work and would work to spread the sport by sharing equipment and courts, making donations and helping recovery groups.
“There’s lots of opportunity there to give back to the community,” Zach Spencer said.
How much hourly passes, monthly packages cost
According to Jake Spencer, they are offering different tiers of memberships depending on how often people want to play. Monthly packages run from $35 on the lowest end to $135 on the highest end. Hourly passes cost $10 per hour.
They plan to have a multiday opening event with free play for people to check out the club when they are hoping to first open in mid-February.
“There’ll be some pretty fun events that week,” Zach Spencer said.
Until then, they are offering presale founding memberships for annual, five-year and lifetime commitments at discounted prices.
They plan to have dedicated open-play hours. Players will be able to reserve a court online or through an app.
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