Pickleball boom continues in North Texas as Texas Open draws 20,000+ fans to McKinney
More than 20,000 fans are expected to attend this week's Veolia Texas Open Pickleball tournament in McKinney, the first of four major pickleball tournaments scheduled this year in North Texas.
To those fans, it's a chance to see one of the most popular sports in the country up close. To those competing who have North Texas ties, it's a home court advantage.
"I know I've played in the area, my parents actually live in McKinney," said Alex Valentine, a pro pickleball player. "I played a lot at the park courts, and yeah, it's quite a hub and really exciting that everyone's getting involved."
This sprawling office in Downtown Dallas is one of the reasons why this week's Texas Open and the World Championships scheduled for later this year are held in North Texas.
It's the international headquarters for the sport's governing body, the Pro Pickleball Association.
"We're probably one of the only major sports leagues that's based outside of New York City," said Samin Odhwani, the PPA Tour Chief Strategy Officer. "The NFL, NBA and MLB are all kind of concentrated up there."
Since the PPA moved to Dallas, it joins the PGA of America as the second major professional sport to relocate its headquarters to North Texas.
"Now with the PGA coming here with us being here, we kind of recognize like, 'Hey, talent pool is there and we need those people to help build this league,'" said Odhwani.
The PPA office overlooking the Arts District includes a regulation-sized pickleball court right in the middle. But, this court inside the PPA's headquarters is not just for fun.
The staff here also uses it to test out possible rule changes to the sport.
"To have this here is really, really impactful for our business," said Jeff Watson, the PPA Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications.
Last year's world championships in Farmers Branch attracted 60,000 fans, a record for a pickleball event.
The PPA says the sport has grown by 300% over the past year.
Pickleball has quickly become a favorite game to both play and watch around the world, while DFW is quietly becoming the place this mega-popular professional sport calls home.
