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Homeowners adding backyard pickleball courts
Over the past few years, pickleball's popularity has quickly exploded as cities scramble to build courts to meet demand. But its impact is now hitting the residential market too. When Brian and Jenna Knoblauch started researching a backyard court for their kids, an interesting option popped up that piqued their interest.
CHANHASSEN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Following a wave of increased pickleball popularity across the Twin Cities, Life Time held a groundbreaking ceremony in Chanhassen on Tuesday for its first-ever dedicated pickleball location in the country.
City officials and Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi offered renderings of the 25,000-square-foot building that will hold eight indoor and seven outdoor courts, along with a viewing area, bar and lounge.
According to a press release, the location will be Life Time’s first first-ever "ground-up pickleball club," expected to open in early 2024.
"Life Time has been all-in on pickleball since 2021, and we aren’t slowing down as our members, and new members, continue to demonstrate their growing passion for this sport in Minnesota and beyond," said Bahram Akradi, Life Time Founder, Chairman and CEO, in a statement following the event.
The investment of the dedicated building demonstrates the sport’s overall growth and Life Time’s commitment to remain as a provider of pickleball play, according to the announcement.
Invented in 1965 as a leisurely competitive pastime, the game is a combination of badminton, tennis and Ping-Pong that has increased in popularity in recent years among participants both young and old.
Life Time currently operates more than 60 permanent pickleball courts across 12 of Minnesota clubs, and hopes to operate more than 1,000 across the country by the end of 2024, following partnerships with the Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA). It also operates its own tournament series, The Pickleball Classic.