Sneak peek at Birmingham’s first indoor pickleball hub, The Picklr

In October of last year, we let you know about The Picklr, an indoor pickleball complex taking over the former Sprouts location on Highway 31.

Now, The Picklr is in the last stages before the grand opening tomorrow, March 15. Here’s a peek at what to expect.

The Picklr Birmingham grand opening on March 15

Once you step inside The Picklr in Vestavia Hills Common, you’ll see:

• 10 indoor courts, including 4 championship-sized courts
• Pickleball Central Pro Shop
• Community event space

This first-of-its-kind pickleball hub offers a great place to bond with old friends, meet new ones and engage in friendly competition.

“We’ve never had a facility at this level in Birmingham, and we could never dedicate this much space to programming.

We want people to play as much or be as good as they want to be, and being open 18 hours a day and having 10 courts makes that possible.”

Ross English, Club Coordinator, The Picklr Birmingham

Check it out for yourself:

• Location: 1031 Montgomery Hwy, Vestavia Hills, AL
• Hours: Daily, 6AM-Midnight

Bringing The Picklr to Birmingham

Patrick Denney was a dedicated tennis player, but it wasn’t long before he was drawn into the pickleball culture.

Now, Patrick is the owner of The Picklr Birmingham and he worked hand-in-hand with Club Coordinator Ross English to bring it to life.

Ross English, Club Coordinator (The Picklr Birmingham on Facebook)

Ross learned how to play pickleball at Crestwood Park, where he fell in love with the social and competitive atmosphere of the sport.

“It was a welcoming point into the city when I moved here. It was a way that I met an abundance of people who welcomed an unknown person onto the court to learn how to compete together.”

Ross English, Club Coordinator, The Picklr Birmingham

The growth of Pickleball

The easy-to-learn yet hard-to-master sport of pickleball has seen tons of growth over the past few years. It’s easily described as the perfect blend of badminton, ping-pong and tennis—but pickleball doesn’t need any of those comparisons to hold its own.

This sport is often recognized for offering a unique environment of community and a fun way to exercise that people of all ages can enjoy.

“I think the communal aspect is the thing that people come back for. It’s that desire to get better with a group of people that makes it the accessible sport we want it to be.”

Ross English, Club Coordinator, The Picklr Birmingham

With nearly 70,000 places to play (over 60 courts in Birmingham) and an estimated 19 million ‘pickleballers’ across the world, it’s hard not to make a friend or two out at the courts.

Which is exactly what The Picklr strives for: community.

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