Pickleball Kingdom Opens 13-Court Ocala Facility to Meet Surging Demand

Pickleball Kingdom opened a 37,000-square-foot indoor facility in Ocala, featuring 13 professional-grade indoor courts and a local franchise owner, Tim Campbell, leading operations. The company promotes the site as part of what it calls the world’s largest indoor pickleball entity, and the Ocala venue includes advanced lighting and climate control to support competitive and recreational play year-round.

There are conflicting location details in published announcements and local coverage. Pickleball Kingdom’s initial release listed the site at 4937 NW Blitchton Rd, Ocala, FL 34482, while local coverage and interior photos identify the facility at 2800 SW 24th Avenue and tie that address to a retail space formerly occupied by Conn’s HomePlus, which closed in 2024. Both addresses appear in source material; the Ocala site has been pictured and photographed with interior shots credited to A. Joaquin Delgado.

Inside the facility the courts are described as outdoor-style surfaces installed for a consistent playing experience, arranged in blue and grey layouts with perimeter fencing around each court. Vibrant wall murals include a depiction of the city skyline and the slogan “Life is Better with Pickleball.” The venue profile and event listings reference perimeter fencing, coaching, clinics, youth programs, leagues, tournaments, private lessons, corporate and community events, and facility tours.

Pickleball Kingdom and local organizers staged a grand opening weekend with free open play and other events. Scheduled times listed for the weekend were Saturday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, March 1, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The weekend programming reportedly included a ribbon-cutting with local leaders, facility tours, membership specials and giveaways. To participate in free open play sessions, visitors were required to download the Pickleball Kingdom app, create an account, and sign up for a specific time slot. Published contact details for the Ocala location include an email address, info@pickleballkingdomocalawest.com, and a phone number, 352-421-9550.

Franchise owner Tim Campbell, who previously managed large-scale revenue streams for national grocers and acquired the Ocala site last May after initially targeting northwest Ocala, framed the project as community-focused. His statements made in press materials and local coverage include: “The opportunity to bring a Pickleball Kingdom to Ocala is exciting for so many reasons. We have worked hard to build others’ businesses in our careers and are now looking forward to combining our passions for fitness and community to build our own. This Pickleball Kingdom franchise affords us the blessing and honor to serve our community through active involvement in the health and well‑being of our Ocala family. We look forward to being a part of such an amazing city and helping to deliver upon the City of Ocala’s mission statement to provide fiscally responsible services to meet the current and future needs of the community.” He also said in a separate statement: “Ocala is a vibrant, growing community, and we’re thrilled to bring a world-class pickleball experience to this city. Our mission is to create a place where people can stay active, build friendships and be part of something special. Pickleball is more than a sport – it’s a community.”

Pickleball Kingdom’s founder and CEO Ace Rodrigues provided the company’s growth framing: “Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, an it’s exploding in Florida with a passionate and rapidly expanding community,” said Rodrigues. “We are thrilled to bring Pickleball Kingdom to this amazing state and create a welcoming space where players of all skill levels can connect, compete, and elevate their game.” Company history notes the first Pickleball Kingdom location opened in Chandler, Arizona, in 2022 and that by November 2023 some 100 franchise clubs had been established.

Published timelines contain discrepancies: the company’s Feb. 6, 2025 announcement targeted a summer 2025 opening, while the Ocala grand opening weekend is listed in local coverage as Feb. 28 and March 1, 2026. The facility’s climate-controlled design is presented as bringing year-round pickleball options to Marion County.