Pickleball Chain Ballers To Launch In Former Power Plant Turbine In Fishtown
A local group plans to open a national chain of indoor complexes for pickleball and other sports.
The new locally-based company, known as Ballers, plans to open an entertainment and sports complex in Fishtown featuring a turf field, racket sports courts, bars and other amenities, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The sports complex will be located in a former power plant turbine, the last undeveloped property at The Battery, a new hotel and apartment complex located just north of Penn Treaty Park. Lubert-Adler owns the entire property and tapped design firm Good City Studio to find a use for the parcel.
Good City founders Amanda Potter and David Gutstadt came up with Ballers, a national chain of hospitality-driven sports complexes, Gutstadt said in a post on LinkedIn six months ago.
“Ballers will launch a number of pop-ups across the US in the spring and will be closely followed with openings in permanent locations in Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, Washington DC, San Francisco, Dallas and other tier-one markets,” Gutstadt said in the post.
He also said the cost for the Philadelphia project is “above the single digit millions number,” according to the Inquirer.
Ballers’ first level at the Fishtown location will offer an almost 5K SF turf field, which will be available for rent. A bar and restaurant will overlook the field.
The second floor will be dedicated to racket sports, including two squash courts, three padel courts and six pickleball courts along with golf simulators and a space for practice that includes two sand bunkers and areas for putting. It will also feature showers, cold plunge tanks and an infrared sauna. A second-floor bar will serve coffee or juice during the daytime and alcohol at night.
Prices are not yet set, though the company is exploring different options for peak hours or packages for frequent users, Gutstadt said. However, the complex will not be members-only like Fitler Club, which is also owned by Good City.
“It’s a sports complex, so anyone who wants to book a court or field or have a drink or eat will be able to come,” Gutstadt told the Inquirer. “The primary user is everyone in Philadelphia. This is something that’s meant to capture as many people as possible.”
The partners chose Fishtown for its first location due to the energy of local residents and easy access, Potter said.
“We love the fact that customers can walk to our venue,” she said. “But it’s also very easy for those of us who don’t live within walking distance to hop on the 676 and get there.”
