Four enthusiasts of the country’s fastest-growing sport plan to open an 11-court indoor pickleball complex in Naperville this summer.

Sure Shot Pickleball at 2244 Corporate Lane will be geared to all ages and proficiency levels, said Dean Grant, one of the founders and a resident of unincorporated Naperville.

In addition to drop-in play, the new 27,000-square-foot facility on the city’s far north side — north of Ferry Road and east of Route 59 — will offer leagues, lessons, camps and weekend tournaments, he said. They’re exploring how to incorporate games for players with wheelchairs.

“We are going to have a lot of structured play,” Grant said.

High-end players in Chicago and throughout the area have indicated they will make Sure Shot their home court, he said, and they plan to obtain a city liquor license so the facility can be used for corporate or charity events, holiday or birthday parties, reunions, private happy hours and other functions.

The idea was hatched, Grant said, when the weather turned cold and he and a friend were talking about the need for an indoor space to play pickleball.

About the same time, two other friends were following a similar mindset.

“All four of us (Grant, Mark Murman, Mike Nicolosi and Tim Kelly) put our heads together” and began looking for properties, Grant said.

“We spent months trying to find a place,” he said. They settled on the former Sky High Trampoline Park located in a light industrial park north of Interstate 88.

Pickleball is popular, Grant said, because it’s a sport that’s accessible to a variety of people regardless of age or fitness level. “It’s entry level in so many ways,” he said.

Participation in the sport nearly doubled in 2022, according to a report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. It’s increased 159% over the last three years.

Casual players — those who play seven or fewer times a year — account for 3.5 million of the 4.8 million participants in the sport, the association report said. It’s estimated there are 801,000 are pickleball players in the East North Central region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.

A USA Pickleball report released this year said the rapid growth is attributed to the sport being embraced across the nation at both the recreational and competitive level for casual, amateur and professional players.

To keep up with the increasing participation, the number of locations where it can be played in North America grew by 1,557, or 130 new locations per month, in 2022, according to USA Pickleball’s database. Based on that count, there were 10,724 locations available last year.

Naperville Park District has helped contribute to those numbers since 2012, when district staff first lined a court at the DuPage River Sports Complex so it could be used for pickleball and tennis.

Four years later, the district brought pickleball indoors at the Fort Hill Activity Center, providing year-round access.

Next week, a ribbon-cutting event will be held to open the Rothermel Family Pickleball Courts at the Frontier Sports Complex. Located on the city’s south side, the facility adds six more outdoor courts and gives the district a total of 18 dedicated, outdoor pickleball courts in addition to the others that are lined for both tennis and pickleball.

Naperville Park District’s efforts “just feeds the frenzy,” Grant said, and justifies the need for more dedicated, indoor courts.

Cold weather isn’t the only motivation, he added.

“Wind is a big factor outdoors,” he said, as is the sun, which can warm a court’s playing area.

“If it’s 85 degrees out, it can feel 10 to 15 degrees hotter,” Grant said.

While anyone can participate in drop-in play, leagues, tournaments, drills, camps and lessons, Sure Shot is offering a $399 annual membership package for those who frequently play or train.

“If you play more than two times a week, it’s just a cost-effective way for the avid player to save money,” Grant said.

Members will pay $5 for two hours of drop-in play or $30 per hour for full court rentals. They also would receive discounts on league and tournament fees and products in the pro shop.

Fees for nonmembers are $10 for drop-in play and $40 for a full court rental.

The $399 price is only available during the preopening period.

While no opening date has been set other than it will be in later summer, the owners have set operating hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For additional information on membership or Sure Shot Pickleball, call 630-566-2211.

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