Former CEO Matt Rose has a new passion project far removed from his days leading one of the country鈥檚 largest railroads.
It鈥檚 pickleball, the nation鈥檚 fastest-growing sport. Rose is a partner in the recently opened Grapevine location of , an indoor/outdoor entertainment complex that offers pickleball and other games along with a restaurant and bar.
The former rail executive said Chicken N Pickle founder Dave Johnson is a friend from college.
鈥淗e called me and said he was looking for locations down here, and I thought we should have one in Tarrant County,鈥� Rose said.
The Grapevine Chicken N Pickle is the seventh to open and the largest, sitting on six acres, Rose said. Along with pickleball, the site offers games like cornhole and jenga.
Kansas City-based has opened several locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, in Grand Prairie, Allen and Grapevine.
鈥淭here are places to eat, to drink and games for kids,鈥� said Rose. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a place to hang out.鈥�
The reason is pretty simple: pickleball is hot. It鈥檚 the fastest-growing sport in the country, according to statistics from the . The association鈥檚 says that 36.5 million Americans played pickleball at least once between August 2021 and August 2022. That鈥檚 up from 5 million in 2021, though that was coming off a pandemic year, according to the APP.
One of those who has picked up a pickleball racquet is Sue Latterell, a Keller resident who started playing in 2021 during a trip to Miami.
鈥淚 enjoyed it and it鈥檚 one thing that my husband and I can do together,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to pick up and it seems to attract all ages. Unlike a lot of sports, I can play with 20-year-olds and the next game I鈥檓 playing people my age or older.鈥�
Latterell usually plays near her home, but has also taken her racquet to several area courts that have popped up in northeast Tarrant County.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great sport for meeting people,鈥� she said.
Aside from attracting new players and fans, the sport is attracting business, too. Pickleball can be as much of a social activity as a sport, so several combination restaurant/bar/pickleball courts have opened recently in Tarrant County. The sport is attracting sponsors and celebrities, too.
According to the , Lebron James, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Gary Vee and others are pouring money into the sport.
Brands like Chase, Hertz, Michalob, Miller Lite and Sketchers have backed pickleball at varying sponsorship levels. The sport is also showing up on screen. The Association of Pickleball Professionals has an agreement with CBS and ESPN to broadcast more pickleball tournaments.
The sport traces its origins to Washington state in 1965 when a congressman and a businessman were looking to play badminton, but could only find table tennis balls and paddles. There is some controversy surrounding the name of the sport. According to , there are two theories. One is that it was named after the family dog, a cockapoo, of one of the sport鈥檚 originators. The other is that it鈥檚 named after the mashup of rowers in a boat who didn鈥檛 make the first team, known as the pickle boat.
Whether of nautical or canine origins, the sport has seen phenomenal growth in the past decade. The has grown from 10,000 members in 2015 to more than 53,000 today.
Several municipalities have either added pickleball courts or have converted tennis courts to accommodate the sport鈥檚 growth. in June 2022 authorized the construction of a $3.4 million pickleball complex at Bicentennial Park.
Another person who was attracted by the social aspect of the game was Matt L. Johnson, an entrepreneur and owner of the auto dealerships in Whitesboro and Graham. He became a pickleball fan when he was looking for something for his family to do during the pandemic. After playing with the family, he decided to invest in the game by opening , in the space formerly occupied by the Mopac Event Center at 1615 Rogers Road, near University Drive and Interstate 30.
鈥淎t first, we were going to do just pickleball courts and then we decided we needed to add food and drinks,鈥� he said.
Johnson partnered with Christian Lehrmann, an executive chef who has worked at for the project.
Johnson already owned the Mopac Event Center. Events like weddings, receptions and other social events were winding down because of the pandemic. So Johnson measured the site and saw he could have nine pickleball courts on the site.
Courtside Kitchen opened in the summer of 2021 just as pickleball was rallying following the pandemic. The name is sort of a pun, at least to seasoned pickleball players. 鈥淜itchen鈥� is for a non-volley zone on a pickleball court.
They have been busy since opening, Johnson said.
鈥淲e were the first or at least one of the first in the area that combined pickleball with food,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e a full service restaurant. Since this is such a social game, it goes together with a restaurant setting very well.鈥�
Johnson said he is looking at other locations to open a Courtside Kitchen.
Coming this summer at 6635 N.E. Loop 820 in North Richland Hills will be an 鈥渆atertainment鈥� concept from
John Oldham, chief operating officer for the South Carolina-based company, said the facility will offer pickleball, darts and food options in the location鈥檚 63,000 square feet. Along with the seven indoor pickleball courts, Volli Entertainment will have dats, golf simulators, shuffleboard, minigolf, cornhole and an adventure park.
鈥淧ickleball has proven to be popular with families and our concept fits into that,鈥� he said.
For players like Latterell, the growth in the sport means that more courts will be available.
鈥淎s long as the number of courts keeps up with the number of players, I鈥檒l be happy,鈥� she said.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .