From humble beginnings, NYC Pickleball has undergone rapid growth since entering the scene in 2021 to cement its mark as one of the premier resources for pickleball in New York City.
Co-founded by Queens, NY, residents Eric Ho and wife Ray, NYC Pickleball’s original offering as a resource and guide for local New York pickleball players to find courts in and around the city has quickly evolved into a full-time business providing leagues, coaching sessions, clinics, merchandise and more.
“We took a very analytical mindset to learning how to play,” said Ho. “It wasn’t like, let’s just hit the ball back-and-forth. We were watching Tyson’s [McGuffin] videos, practicing dinks…my wife Ray was like, ‘If you’re going to coach on the side, then you need a website.’”
The stars began to align for the company. The couple purchased the nycpickleball.com domain name in 2021 and built an initial website with a guide of ‘Where to Play in New York City’ for New York’s pickleball community. Seemingly overnight, the guide and website gained traction, aligning with the sport’s rapid rise in popularity and participation the city.
“The demand and people looking to play pickleball in New York City was always there, it’s just the resources were never there to help [assist them in finding places to play],” noted Ho.
Fast forward 18 months and the team is now a fixture at Owens Community Centre in Brooklyn, partnering weekly with non-profit youth organization New Heights Youth Inc., hosting DUPR-sanctioned rating events and facilitating coaching clinics. Major League Pickleball’s (MLP) Brooklyn Aces have also come onboard to sponsor the organization’s indoor leagues, which feature MLP-style team leagues and co-ed ladder leagues for almost all skill levels.
It goes beyond just facilitating and organizing leagues and locations for Ho and NYC Pickleball, however. The team is passionate about helping to create the best overall pickleball experience for their members.
“The incremental improvement that a player can experience by really understanding and learning the nuances of the game is a highly enjoyable aspect of pickleball,” remarked Ho. “That’s kind of our angle that we’re approaching or trying to differentiate ourselves from other organizers, by focusing in on optimizing for the best games possible…the best games for all players.”
Pickleball’s rapid growth has been both a gift and a curse for New York’s pickleball scene, NYC Pickleball and the New York sports scene in general, with a consistent demand for space to play on any given day continuing to pose a daily challenge, according to Ho. However, it’s a challenge that New York’s pickleball community might be able to handle and overcome better than any other city.
“You go to Central Park and the North Meadowland handball courts, where like, their courts are two feet short…I think people are used to hardship in New York, they’re used to the struggle,” said Ho. “We had two courts that were created by the the parks department in West Village and then there were disagreements by some of the parents…those two courts got taken away. The pickleball players accepted the park’s decision, shouldered on and found other places to play. There are a lot of people out there hustling, trying make pickleball work for as many people as possible. The hustling culture is definitely prevalent in all the different New York communities.”
That hustle and grind mentality is ingrained in NYC Pickleball’s team too. Between the never-ending search for space to play and daily management of an increasing portfolio of pickleball services, NYC Pickleball is committed to doing what it takes to grow both their brand and the sport in the city.
“I think New York is really churning out some strong players and I think to be able to help that base grow and help those players develop and help those players find each other and make New York the centre of pickleball—that’s kind of a guiding star for us,” added Ho. “How do we continue improve the games and improve the players experience with pickleball in general?”
Learn more about NYC Pickleball at nycpickleball.com.
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