Clark Freeport gets first dedicated pickleball venue with P12-million deal

Clark Freeport is putting real money behind pickleball, and the P12-million price tag says this is bigger than a novelty court or a weekend pop-up. Clark Development Corp. and Bandjag Sports & Leisure Inc. signed a 10-year lease for Clark Pickleball+, the first dedicated pickleball venue in the freeport, formalizing the deal on April 14 at the Clark Visitors Center.

The project will transform the former Clark Trading Warehouse along Centennial Road, fronting Deco Central, into a purpose-built pickleball and paddle sports facility. The leased site covers 8,443 square meters, with 3,818 square meters of existing structure and 4,625 square meters of open space, giving the venue room for indoor courts and outdoor activity areas. That mix matters in a sport that still leans heavily on borrowed gyms, converted tennis courts and multipurpose spaces across the Philippines.

For Clark, the redevelopment is as symbolic as it is practical. A warehouse built for industrial use is being recast as a sports asset, reinforcing the freeport’s push to become a lifestyle and sports hub. CDC has made that broader direction clear, and the location near Deco Central adds another layer of appeal because the area already sits within Clark’s leisure and retail map.

The timing also fits the sport’s rapid climb in the Philippines. The Philippine Pickleball Federation says the first known clinic was held in Cebu in February 2016 by Sara Ash. It was formally organized on April 15, 2019, and by the end of 2024 it said it had grown to 181 member clubs and 10,717 players. The federation also said the Philippine Olympic Committee formally welcomed it as the country’s National Sports Association for pickleball on April 14, 2024, a marker of how far the sport has moved from grassroots curiosity to institutional recognition.

That backdrop is why Clark Pickleball+ matters beyond Pampanga. A dedicated venue can centralize coaching, leisure play and local competition in one address, while also giving the region a site capable of hosting clinics and events that bring visitors into the freeport. For Bandjag Sports & Leisure and CDC, the bet is straightforward: pickleball has reached the point where permanent infrastructure can make business sense, and Clark may be early in showing how that market expands in the Philippines.