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Riding A Wave of Popularity, Local Entrepreneur Acquires Franchise Rights To Dill Dinkers Pickleball Clubs
By Tina Traster
As pickleball grows into a national pastime, prescient developers and franchisers are bringing the sport indoors. Makes sense when you consider the long history of playing tennis or squash in the comfort of a climate-controlled environment year-round.
“Pickleball is a sport to watch. I hope to see this great sport at the Olympics one day,” said Adam Fiala.
So while towns like Clarkstown and Orangetown build outdoor courts, a sibling trio is scoping to develop 20 Dill Dinker locations in Rockland, Westchester, and Bergen Counties. The Maryland-based Dill Dinkers, founded in 2022, owns five indoor pickle ball locations in Maryland and Virgina. Last September, the company began franchising; it has signed more than 375 developers throughout the country.
More recently, Dill Dinkers signed a regional development deal with AGM Pickleball Clubs LLC, a group of the Fiala siblings, who’ve been running Preschool Playhouse in Blauvelt – a company founded by their parents in the 1970s.
“We are the regional developers for Bergen, Rockland and Westchester,” said Adam Fiala. The team, which owns the exclusive rights to the territory, is tasked with opening a flagship location along with 19 additional franchises.
The sport is like a Labradoodle – it’s a sought-after hybrid of tennis, ping pong and badminton that’s all the rage. While it caught on early for a greying demographic, its appeal has widened to all age groups.
“It’s fun, low impact, and community-based,” said Fiala, who has a background in hotel/restaurant management. “Pickleball is a sport to watch. I hope to see this great sport at the Olympics one day.”
Leading franchisor companies like Dill Dinkers, The Picklr,, Pickleball Kingdom, and Ace Pickleball Club have opened dozens of facilities nationwide and have hundreds more planned. Meanwhile, established “eatertainment” chains such as Chicken & Pickle and Crush Yard continue their market expansion.
For the third consecutive year, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, according to The Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report. The sport grew 51.8 percent from 2022 to 2023 and jumped 223.5 percent over three years.
The SFIA reports all age groups saw increased participation.
“While many have associated the sport with a higher age participation, the age group with the most participants, 2.3 million people, is actually the 25- to 34-age-range,” according to SFIA. “The sport added over 1 million children under age 18 from 2022 to 2023.
The Fiala “kids” are in their late 30s/mid 40s. Adam got his sibs Michael and Janine excited about pickleball after attending a franchise trade show at the Jacob Javitz Center. There, he met Dill Dinkers’ founder Will Richards, and shortly thereafter, went to Maryland to meet with the company.
“I feel like it’s time to branch out and I am madly in love with pickleball,” said Fiala. “All three of us have worked in business. We are equal partners in this. We will all take a share of the responsibility.”
Regional developers like the Fialas are compensated for recruiting franchisees and providing support for local Dill Dinkers operators.
First up is for the team to find its first location – and Fiala admits he’s a Rockland boy and partial to the county. However, he said the search for the right real estate deal has been a challenge.
“We have been looking at everything from retail to warehouses in all three markets, but it’s been tough to find a space,” said Fiala, adding the team is scouting for either a 15,000 square-foot space, which would house six courts, or a 30,000 square-foot space, for twelve. Ceilings of at least 18 feet are necessary, as well as buildings without supporting columns that would interfere with the flow of the courts.
“Ideally, we’d like to be located centrally in Rockland – maybe in West Nyack or New City or North Rockland,” he said. “We don’t have to be on Route 59 because pickleball courts are a destination and people will find us.”
Pickleball is an opportunity for the real estate industry. Landlords with struggling retail chains, empty mall spaces, and unoccupied warehouses are becoming “eatertainment” and “sportstainment” targets. Communities, clubs, and private homeowners are investing in and remodeling courts. Private companies are working closely with public entities to sponsor and subsidize places to play.
The Fialas are planning a pared down franchise focused on the courts. The facilities will include locker rooms and a pro shops. He estimates annual club membership would be around $400.
Pickleball has had a rapid ascent in popularity. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, more than 13.6 million people played pickleball across the U.S. in 2023, marking an 85.7 percent year-over-year increase from 2022. This surge is primarily attributed to the sport’s accessibility and appeal across various age groups. Initially popular among older adults, the average age of pickleball players has decreased from 41 years in 2020 to 38.1 years in 2021, reflecting its growing appeal among younger demographics.
Asked whether he believes pickleball clubs attract people year-round, Fiala said pickleball is not “just a sport, it’s a community. Leagues build community. There will be clubs. And kids clinics. These clubs are a place where you gather and make friends.”
