Binghamton students win funding for 24/7 indoor pickleball facility

Binghamton’s pickleball gap just got a business-plan answer. The Paddle House won first place in the city’s 16th annual BLDC-EAP Business Plan Competition, earning $7,000 plus mentorship, administrative help and in-kind services that could move it from pitch deck to a real indoor facility.

The winning entry comes from Binghamton University students and recent graduates Kai Chen, Jason Moeller and Brian Ng. Their plan is straightforward and ambitious: a 24/7 indoor pickleball facility for the Greater Binghamton region, built by converting an existing former retail space into a sports venue. The city has not selected a site yet, which keeps the project in the concept-to-buildout stage for now, but the prize package gives it more than cash. The first-place haul also includes accounting, legal, chamber membership, sign creation, website services, branding and three months of free co-working at the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator.

For players, the appeal is not abstract. The Paddle House is planned with five pickleball courts and a social entertainment lounge, and presale memberships are expected to open by July 31. Jason Moeller said the business would be Broome County’s first and only dedicated pickleball facility, a claim that points to the real court shortage the project is trying to solve. Right now, Binghamton’s Recreation Center at 152 Hawley Street offers winter pickleball every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Binghamton University’s Lane-Starke Tennis Center says it is the only indoor facility in the area that offers pickleball on a tennis-court surface.

That is the reality check. The competition win matters because it unlocks money, professional guidance and a clearer path to launch, but The Paddle House still has to secure a location, finish the buildout and turn its membership pitch into an operating venue. The city says the competition is the longest-running in Greater Binghamton and handed out $10,000 in total prizes, with support from M&T Bank and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator. If this one lands, it would give local amateurs something they do not have now: year-round court time without depending on limited winter hours or a tennis-court crossover setup.

The timing is also on the business side of a booming sport. USA Pickleball’s 2025 annual growth report counted 18,258 places to play nationwide and 82,613 total known courts, while the Sports & Fitness Industry Association said participation topped 24 million Americans in 2025. Binghamton’s winning pitch is trying to turn that national demand into a local, indoor home.