by Kelly Campbell
We’re just days away from the official start of summer, which signals the height of pickleball season in many states. In areas where summer has prime weather, pickleball pop-up events, initiatives, and tournaments have become common and continue to spread pickleball popularity. Last year, one of the largest pickleball popups to date, Central Park’s City Pickle Pop-up, had so much success that it is returning for a second summer.
While we’re thrilled to witness a summer-specific pickleball boom in many areas throughout the country, some places, like Arizona, Texas, and Florida, miss out on the pop-up fun because of the sweltering summer heat. That’s where the latest product from Ecore, the MODCourt Pickle, comes into play. This new product, a portable and high-performance indoor pickleball surface, could be the solution we need to finally be able to easily transform indoor public spaces into pickleball courts at an affordable price. The ability to transform any surface or space into a pickleball court in warmer climates during the summer and cold winter states can help keep pickleball prevalent throughout the entire year, no matter where you live.
Read on to learn more about Ecore’s new MODCourt Pickle and to hear more about some of the best summer pickleball pop-ups throughout the country.
2024 Summer Pickleball Pop-Ups
Pickleball pop-ups usually involve local companies or groups transforming public spaces into limited-time pickleball events. They are a great way to promote pickleball and motivate new players to pick up a paddle. Their attention-grabbing enhancement to familiar public spaces like parks encourages people to break away from their routines to try something new. Positive turnouts and overall success for these pop-ups can prove to town legislators that more permanent public pickleball spaces are good investments in parks and communities. The limited-time marketing for these pop-ups brings an extra level of excitement and urgency for players. They unite communities, encourage healthy habits, and provide fun and safe outlets for pickleballers of all skill levels and all ages.
Here are some of our favorite pickleball pop-ups happening this summer–be sure to check them out near you or on your summer vacation.
City Pickle at Central Park, NYC
Goodland Pickleball in Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Community Pickleball Court, Boston
Pickleball 901 Pop-up, Memphis, TN
Big City Pickle’s Fulton Market, Chicago
City Pickle Center City, Philadelphia
How Ecore Could Solve the Summer Pickleball Slump in Warmer Climates
Although a summer pickleball pop-up sounds fun, the fact of the matter is, in many areas of the country, it’s just too hot to dink outside all summer. Even so, with kids out of school for summer, summer Fridays at the office, and vacation plans, it’s often still the time of year we have the most free time to dink. Warmer climate communities shouldn’t miss out on the fun of pickleball pop-ups, and Ecore’s MODcourt could be the solution we’re looking for.
Ecore has been a trusted athletic flooring provider for other sports, gyms, and fitness studios before their latest pickleball venture. MODcourt Pickle consists of an 8mm vulcanized composition rubber (VCR) base layer with interlocking tiles to transform any surface into a high-performance pickleball court. The flooring can be used for both temporary and permanent pickleball court installation and creates limitless opportunities for big and small events. The MODcourt Pickle is also DIY-friendly, which is great for small gatherings and community groups or clubs operating on a budget. Encore claims their product is specifically engineered with pickleballers in mind and can be installed with just four people over two hours.
There is so much potential for this portable surface to expand pickleball capabilities. Still, we’re especially excited about the opportunity it creates to support indoor summer pop-up events in warmer areas; this seems like a great idea after seeing summer pickleball pop-up success throughout the country. Also, even though it feels like we’re just approaching summer, the school year will be here before we know it; the MODcourt Pickle could become a great tool to advocate for more pickleball in physical education classes.
No matter where you’re playing this summer, stay safe from the heat, and have fun!
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