Fast Company Spotlights CityPickle as NYC’s Pickleball Industry Leader

Fast Company is taking notice of pickleball’s meteoric rise—and CityPickle’s undeniable role in shaping the sport’s future in New York City. With pickleball participation surging over 220% since 2020, entrepreneurs and investors alike are seizing the opportunity to bring the game to urban environments where space is at a premium.

CityPickle is leading that charge. In 2022, we opened New York’s first indoor pickleball club in Long Island City. By last summer, we operated 32 courts across the city, including our iconic courts at Central Park’s Wollman Rink. And we’re just getting started.

According to Fast Company, CityPickle’s strategic partnerships and high-profile locations give us a competitive edge. With backing from Avenue Sports Fund, led by ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and an expanded collaboration with Related Companies (the force behind SoulCycle and Equinox), we’re proving that pickleball in NYC isn’t a passing trend—it’s a movement.

“We think of ourselves as a hospitality company. It’s about the experience, leaving people with a certain feeling,” says CityPickle cofounder Erica Desai. Whether it’s hosting top-tier corporate events, pivoting a Meta Threads launch from an outdoor to indoor venue on a moment’s notice, or reimagining underutilized city spaces for play, CityPickle is redefining what’s possible for urban pickleball.

Next up? Expansion beyond NYC, with Toronto and London in our sights. As cofounder Mary Cannon puts it, “Coming out of COVID, people want to connect, be social, put their phones down, move their bodies.” And CityPickle is here to make that happen.

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