Pickleball Kingdom Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Pickleball Kingdom is a recreation franchise operating indoor pickleball clubs with courts, leagues, lessons, and a pro shop. Franchisees run the facilities, managing court bookings, memberships, and events.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Pickleball Kingdom franchise requires a total initial investment of $940K – $2.3M, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $940K – $2.3M
- 43rd pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyn=1
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 24th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 4
- 16th pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $940K – $2.3M including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports the 2024 gross revenue of a single affiliate-owned club in Chandler, Arizona (printed p.58). 'We had three franchised locations begin operating during 2024, but no franchised locations were in operation during the entire Reporting Period so no information for those locations is included in this Item 19.'
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 38/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Pickleball Kingdom Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Pickleball Kingdom National, LLC
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Michael "Ace" Rodrigues
- Incorporated in
- AZ
- HQ
- 275 E. Rivulon Blvd., Gilbert, Arizona 85297
- Auditor
- CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $742K
- vs $20K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael "Ace" Rodrigues
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 20% above the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $160K | $348K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $720K | $1.8M |
| Total initial investment | $940K | $2.3M |
Source: Pickleball Kingdom 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $940K – $2.3M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $160K – $348K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $3K |
| Transfer fee | $45K |
| Renewal fee | $9K |
| Inventory (initial) | $12K – $25K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Pickleball Kingdom did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Pickleball Kingdom unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
6%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports the 2024 gross revenue of a single affiliate-owned club in Chandler, Arizona (printed p.58). 'We had three franchised locations begin operating during 2024, but no franchised locations were in operation during the entire Reporting Period so no information for those locations is included in this Item 19.'
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on a single reporting unit - not a system average
- Item 19 type
- gross revenue
- Sample size
- 1
- vs category median 5 · small
- Reported figure
- $1.9M
- A single outlet — not a range
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 166 Recreation & Entertainment brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Recreation & Entertainment average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Pickleball Kingdom Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 75%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 7
- Loan volume
- $9.9M
- Median loan
- $1.6M
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (7 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Pickleball Kingdom presents elevated risk due to a nascent, unproven franchise system with only 4 units, undisclosed profitability metrics, and questionable franchisor financial stability masking real unit-level economics.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 38 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 4 units in system with unknown growth trajectory raises questions about scalability and market validation
- 02MINORNo net income disclosure despite $1.87M average revenue — unclear if locations are actually profitable after operating costs
- 03MINORHigh investment range ($940K-$2.26M) paired with 7% royalty requires substantial revenue to achieve acceptable ROI
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status is False, indicating potential financial instability at franchisor level
- 05MEDExtremely limited franchisee pool (4 units) makes validation and support network verification difficult
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Gilbert, Arizona (AAA office nearest principal place of business for mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | AZ |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 20 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 28 hrs
- Training location
- Gilbert, Arizona (or other location designated by franchisor)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- PodPlay system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: PodPlay system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
40 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Pickleball Kingdom · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Pickleball Kingdom franchise?
The total investment to open a Pickleball Kingdom franchise ranges from $940K – $2.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Pickleball Kingdom franchise owners earn?
Pickleball Kingdom does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Pickleball Kingdom FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Pickleball Kingdom FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Pickleball Kingdom's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Pickleball Kingdom (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Pickleball Kingdom franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Pickleball Kingdom has 4 total units in the United States, including 3 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Pickleball Kingdom a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Pickleball Kingdom as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 38 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.