David Johnson and his wife Anna started selling pickleball gear in 2006. That became Pickleball Central, the biggest pickleball retailer in the world, which they sold at the end of 2021. Today David runs the IAPPF, the trade association for pickleball and padel facility owners, with more than 500 facilities. We talk about what facilities are really worth, why most are leased, and what decides whether a club makes it.
Key Takeaways
- What owning courts taught him that selling paddles never did.
- Why nine facilities listed for sale cut their asking price by a median of 39 percent.
- Why 98 percent of pickleball facilities are leased, and what that does to resale value.
- Location, lease, and people: the three things that decide whether a facility makes it.
- Pickleball or padel: why demographics decide it.
- His advice before signing a lease: $15 or less per square foot, triple net included.
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