Coming Soon: Arizona’s Largest Pickleball Facility & USA Pickleball headquarters

Article originally posted on AZ Central on November 7, 2023

A development that will include the largest pickleball facility in Arizona and will be the future headquarters for USA Pickleball is coming to tribal land near Scottsdale.

Pure Pickleball will partner with Scottsdale-based Caliber Cos. to develop the 11-acre venue, which will include 28 oversized indoor pickleball courts with streaming capabilities, a championship court with a 500-seat stadium, a pro shop, café, locker rooms and event spaces in the first phase.

It is expected to open in late 2024.

Later phases will add 16 outdoor courts, a clubhouse with a restaurant and bar, two rooftop courts, a gym and a childcare facility.

Pickleball events planned for all ages

The location will be Pure Pickleball’s first, said Brett Warner, one of the pickleball professionals with Pure Pickleball. The facility, which will be located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale, is part of the Riverwalk development, a 100-acre site that Caliber is developing with an entertainment focus. It is located east of Loop 101 near Talking Stick Way.

The facility will provide a venue for professional and competitive pickleball players and will have offerings for people of varying ages and skill levels, Warner said. Pure Pickleball plans to host camps, instruction, field trips, tournaments and other events to promote pickleball and teach skills.

“We want to create an ecosystem for everyone on campus and all under one roof,” Warner said. The courts will all be oversized and will have professional lighting, and the championship court will be upgraded for all levels of video production, so games there can be broadcast.

“We want to be as close to mainstream viewing as possible,” Warner said.

The sport’s explosive growth in popularity has sparked many different businesses to incorporate pickleball, like “eatertainment” venues that have a restaurant and bar with pickleball courts.

Warner said those types of venues have been a great way for people to learn about the sport and get involved on a more serious level, and Pure Pickleball plans to have a close relationship with other pickleball venues nearby.

“This sport is growing faster than any other sport, and there aren’t enough courts to keep up with demand,” he said.

Pure Pickleball will offer memberships at different levels and price points and will also have events, camps and programs for members and nonmembers to use the facility, Warner said.

The development is still in the design process with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community government, Warner said.

New headquarters for USA Pickleball

The site will also be the new headquarters for USA Pickleball, the national governing body of the sport. USA Pickleball was already based in the Valley but has grown quickly and was looking for a new space, Justin Maloof, COO of USA Pickleball said.

USA Pickleball has a staff of about 35 people, Maloof said. The group is responsible for the official rules of the game and the officially recognized equipment, and sanctions tournaments and other events throughout the year.

The co-founder of Pure Pickleball, Kevin Berk, had been one of the owners of AZ On The Rocks, a rock climbing gym, and got to know Maloof and the CEO of USA Pickleball, Mike Nealy, who both worked for the Arizona Coyotes. The hockey team trained near the rock climbing gym, and the groups got to know each other.

$139 for ‘luxury’ pickleball club?Owners think amenities will draw members

The plan to build the Pure Pickleball facility and include USA Pickleball’s headquarters was in the works for about a year, Maloof said.

“It checked a lot of the boxes for what we were looking for,” he said. “It will be awesome to work from a facility with all the courts.”

Maloof said the group wanted a venue that had easy access to an airport and nearby hotels, restaurants and other facilities that could accommodate people traveling for tournaments and events.