In this article, we will be taking a look at the top 15 pickleball companies and brands. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the top 5 pickleball companies and brands.
Most popular sports that have a global following and attracts tens of millions of players, have been around for decades in one form or the other. Be it golf, football, basketball, cricket, tennis or badminton, not to mention a myriad of other possible names here, while sports may have been fine-tuned with rule changes and amendments with time (such as the implementation of ever-improving technology including the Hawk-Eye in tennis, VAR in football and Decision Review System in cricket), it is extremely rare for a relatively new sport to gain a significant following.
Pickleball has done exactly that. The sport was only created in 1965, but even then, was more or less unknown for the following decades, before suddenly exploding in popularity in the last few years. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, it has been the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. in 2021, 2022 and expected to maintain top spot in 2023, a phenomenal achievement considering just how popular other sports are in a sports-obsessed nation.
Pickleball is a combination of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, and according to the New York Times, grew by 40% between 2019 to 2021, becoming a favorite during the pandemic. Currently, there are 4.8 million pickleball players in the U.S. alone, and while serious players have tended to be above the age of 50, most of the casual players are much younger, with the fastest-growing age segment for the sport being under the age of 24. One of the main reasons behind the sport’s popularity is its ease of play, especially for beginners as compared to other racket sports such as tennis, squash and badminton, mainly because the plastic ball bounces less while the racket is lighter and easier to handle. Another attraction is that while definitely physical, it is still less exhausting than tennis because of the small size of its court, with four pickleball courts being the same size a regulation-sized tennis court. The massive surge in popularity has resulted in over 38,000 indoor and outdoor pickleball courts being set up in the U.S.
Another reason behind the increasing number of pickleball players is its retention ratio, which is great news for the top pickleball companies and brands. According to an article published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the returning rate for pickleball players is much higher than the average rate of those working out, something attributable to the enjoyability of the game, as participants in a study found the sport 150% more enjoyable than a stroll.
Because of the upside potential in a sport whose user base is increasing significantly, many investors have been attempting to cash in on its popularity and have opened courts in various locations including vacant big-box stores and warehouses. According to Globe Newswire, the pickleball market is currently already a billion dollar market, worth almost $1.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $2.14 billion by 2027, following a CAGR of 10.32% across the period. Various cities are budgeting tens of thousands of dollars for building new courts and carrying out feasibility studies on adding even more courts, while other cities have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and are expected to spend even more for further expansion. However, from an investor perspective, while the overall upside potential is quite high, there has been some concern on whether individual pickleball facilities can be profitable and become successful businesses. To this end, different concepts have been implemented to engage audiences, from karaoke bars to entertainment venues, while Life Time, one of the top pickleball companies and brands, opened its first dedicated pickleball facility in Bloomington. Companies such as NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) and New Balance are providing shoes which are suitable for pickleball courts.
Many companies have sought to repurpose big-box stores as pickleball courts, but have faced multiple challenges, including lower profit per square footage, which is why combining it with other entertainment options, or food and drinks, is a necessity to maintain profitability. Further, low ceilings in such stores can impede lob shots, while pillars can be a major obstacle for a proper court. Removing drop ceilings is a costly endeavor while some landlords even refuse to accept leases at prospective sites because of their lack of familiarity with the sport.
Since it is a growing sports, there aren’t a lot of pickleball companies and brands right now, but with international reach increasing and popularity in the U.S. reaching fever pitch, that is likely to change soon.
To determine the biggest pickleball companies and brands, we used various sources as there isn’t one objective source of information, considering that most, if not all, pickleball companies are private and don’t have any obligation to disclose their financials to the public. We obtained rankings from Rookie Road, Pickleball Max, Pickleball University and separate information on top pickleball court companies as these are often not considered among top pickleball companies and brands and yet are integral to the sport. We then used the average rankings from these websites to come up with our own list. Where a particular company or brand were only present on one list, we used that ranking. So, let’s take a look at the companies at the center of one of the most popular sports out there, starting with:
15. Acacia Sports
While Acacia Sports is involved in multiple sports, it has invested heavily in pickleball as well, providing shoes, balls and other equipment, with their shoes considered the official footwear of Pickleball USA. The company also sponsors top pickleball athletes including Tyler Loong and Corinne Carr.
14. GAMMA Sports
While GAMMA was established over half a century ago and has been known for selling tennis equipment for decades, but was one of the first companies to pivot towards pickleball in addition to its normal business, doing so in 2014. GAMMA provides not just playing equipment including rackets and balls for pickleball, but court items as well such as portable pickleball nets, court markers and cones among others. Being a part of the top pickleball companies and brands, GAMMA has pledged to continue innovating in this field and develop equipment that is top of the line.
13. Dreamland Universal Pickleball Ratings
Dreamland Universal Pickleball Ratings is the company responsible for pickleball ratings globally, based on margin of victory, type of result and outcome, with all players, regardless of location, age or gender, being rated on the same scale. Corrine Carr, one of the top pickleball athletes globally, has compliment the DUPR system.
12. Vulcan Sporting Goods
Vulcan Sporting Goods is a sporting goods company which provides baseball, softball and pickleball equipment, but is heavily focused on the latter, which is why it is one of the top pickleball companies and brands. It has also partnered with American Pickleball, a private family-run business which organizes tournaments and focuses primarily on amateur athletes. In addition to selling pickleball equipment which includes paddles, nets, bags and accessories, it also created the Vulcan Pickleball Park which features lighted outdoor state-of-the-art pickleball courts and is located at the Vulcan headquarters. The park is free to the public.
11. Franklin Sports
While Franklin Sports is known for being the home of official goods from the NFL, NHL and MLS among others, it is also the first company to ever sponsor a pickleball athlete, and has sponsored Ben Johns, Aspen Kern and Christine McGrath. Like most other sporting goods companies, Franklin Sports also sells paddles, apparel, bags and pickleballs.
10. Armor Courts
Most pickleball companies have pivoted to the popular sport while having roots elsewhere and Armor Courts are known for creating tennis courts, but now, are equally well-known for their state-of-the-art pickleball courts. In fact, the company even offers services to convert tennis courts into pickleball courts where needed.
9. Sport Court
Sport Court is another company which is known for its top pickleball courts and is counted among the top pickleball companies globally. The company uses its patented material to create high-performing courts which are environmentally friendly, while additional services include installation and material colors, lighting, fencing and even rebound systems. The company has officially been featured at the Professional Pickleball Association grand slam tournaments to be recognized as the Official Portable Court of the PPA Tour, while also being the Official Modular Tile Surface Partner of USA Pickleball.
8. PB1965
One of the few purely pickleball companies, PB1965 was founded just four years ago in 2019 by professional pickleball player Kyle Yates and fellow pickleball enthusiast Randy Sussman. It has sponsored professional pickleball players including Eva Welsher and Kyle Yates and aims to provide innovative and comfortable designer apparel and accessories.
7. Niupipo
Niupipo is one of the only top pickleball companies and brands to be solely focused on the sport, having been established just over a decade ago. The company worked with several athletes to create pickleball paddles which not only help them get better results, and produces over 40 types of paddles and more than 300,000 rackets annually.
6. Electrum Pickleball
Electrum Pickleball was established in 2019 and focuses exclusively on pickleball apparel and paddles, with its paddles being Electrum Model E, Electrum Pro, Electrum Pro II and Electrum Model E 13mm. The company is also building a top pickleball company including Lina Padegimaite and Colling Johns. While its variety may not be significant, its paddles are considered to be top of the line, ranging from $170 to $200.
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Disclosure: None. Top 15 pickleball companies and brands is originally published at Insider Monkey.
