LINCOLN PARK — An indoor pickleball social club is set to open in Lincoln Park this winter amid Chicagoans’ growing interest in the sport.
Social Pickleball Fun, 2121 N. Clybourn Ave., will be a 40,000-square-foot facility featuring nine pickleball courts, an indoor turf field, restaurants, a coffee shop and programs for people of all ages, said co-founder Richard Green.
The space will be free to enter and open to the public year-round, but people can pay to use the courts and access additional amenities, like locker rooms, a sauna and guided lessons, Green said.
More outdoor pickleball courts have started to pop up around the city as Chicagoans increasingly get involved in the game, but there aren’t as many indoor courts, Green said.
Green, who lives in Lincoln Park, founded Social Pickleball Fun with his wife, Lisa Rella, and their two friends, David Galst and Chris Boston. The group wanted to create a space where pickleball enthusiasts like them can swing their paddles no matter the weather, Green said.
“Someone told my wife one time that Chicago’s a beach town, it just doesn’t get to be one year-round,” Green said. “So, we set out to create an experience that gives beach vibes all year round.”
The space’s first phase is set to open this winter and will include eight pickleball courts, guided lessons, an all-day eatery and a coffee bar.
The pickleball courts meet the game’s official size regulations and are equipped with instant replay technology.
“It gives you the opportunity to rewatch a great play or share it on social media,” Green said. “It’s another way of accentuating your pickleball skills to your friends and family, or you can use it if there’s a debate whether a ball was in or out.”
Social Pickleball Fun is partnering with Honey Butter Fried Chicken in Avondale to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, Green said. The coffee bar will feature Kikwetu Coffee, a family-owned Chicago-based coffee brand.
“We wanted to highlight the great people, products and organizations of our city,” Green said. “That’s how our partnerships with Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Kikwetu Coffee came about. We’re trying to create an environment that highlights all the great people that live in our city.”
The space’s second phase will open later next year, offering expanded dining options, another pickleball court and more space to play other games, Green said.
“We’re really trying to create a family-friendly concept and give people a place to have fun all year round,” Green said. “In addition to pickleball, we’ll eventually have cornhole and bocce and other fun games for people to gather and come together as a community.”
Adults will be able to access pickleball lessons and exercise programs through Toss & Spin. There will also be after-school and weekend classes available for kids 3-11, who will be “affectionately called” cucumbers, “as a bit of a nod to little pickles,” Green said.
“It’s going to be a holistic program to try to help people develop a love for the sport first, then work to get better at it,” Green said.
Since pickleball is easy for most people to learn, Green hopes the space will provide more opportunities for people to spend time with each other during the winter.
“We’ve really fallen in love with pickleball because it’s so fun to play with everyone in the family and friend group, whether you’re with kids or grandparents or non-racquet enthusiasts,” Green said. “Anyone can really pick up the sport.”
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