Little Rock’s newest dedicated pickleball space welcomed media Thursday night in anticipation of the facility’s grand opening on Dec. 6 and 7.
Promising to become “the premier pickleball destination in Arkansas,” Pickleball Kingdom Little Rock revealed its state-of-the-art digs for the first time on Dec. 4. The space includes 11 indoor, climate-controlled courts for both casual and competitive play any time of year. The courts also come equipped with some high-tech capabilities, such as live scorekeeping and instant replay on screens overlooking each court. Replays are even saved to a player’s account so they can go back and watch them later, said General Manager Scott Olsen.
Olsen highlighted that the community was the driving force for bringing Pickleball Kingdom to Little Rock. The building housing the facility is owned by a group of doctors who are themselves pickleball fanatics and wanted to build a space for it. Olsen said one core tenet of the PK brand is letting each franchise cater to the unique needs of its community. Pickleball Kingdom provides the base setup, he said, and gives local leadership, such as himself, the freedom to listen and respond to what local players actually want and need.
Scott Olsen
“This sport brings people together in a truly special way, and we’re excited to share our facility, our programs and our passion with Little Rock,” Olsen said.
The new facility, located at 2616 S Shackleford Road, Suite D, next to The Main Event, is meant to position the capital city as a major center for the sport of pickleball as it continues to explode in popularity. According to an earlier press release, the club prides itself on providing “a welcoming space where beginners can learn quickly, and advanced competitors can sharpen their skills.”
In addition to memberships, the club will offer a variety of ways to play, such as open sessions, instructional clinics, private lessons, tournaments, kids’ leagues and youth training programs. The space will also be available for hosting corporate functions, birthday parties and other events.
Pickleball Kingdom opened its first location in Chandler, Arizona, in 2022 and has since franchised more than 100 facilities in several states.
Once a little-known way for seniors to stay active, pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and was invented in 1965. Perhaps in part due to the boom in outdoor hobbies following the COVID-19 pandemic — and arguably thanks to its low-impact, highly accessible nature — pickleball has become a sporting sensation at tennis courts and athletic clubs all over the country.
“People ask me, ‘What’s the demographic for this?’ and I tell them, 8 to 80, male and female, all walks of life, just all kinds of people,” Olsen said.
Per pickleheads.com, the activity was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. The largest age bracket for players was between 25 and 34 years old, and those younger crowds are now powering an estimated $1.5 billion market as they clamber for spaces, equipment, tournament entries and more.
Arkansas has previously made its mark on the pickleball world thanks to Hot Springs-based Vulcan Sporting Goods Co. The Spa City outfit’s signature VPRO Flight Outdoor Pickleball has been the official ball of the Professional Pickleball Association and Major League Pickleball since 2024.
If the current trajectory holds, the future of Arkansas pickleball looks very bright — some might say neon green.
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