Tim and Heather Dull discovered pickleball during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they began by playing in the driveway of their Maryland home while the world was in lockdown.
“A Blue Court In Our Driveway”
“Tim painted a blue court in our driveway, and we got one of those portable nets,” says Heather. We played pretty much every day.”
The Dulls then discovered an indoor pickleball facility nearby called Dill Dinkers during the 2022 winter holiday season.
The couple fell in love with the venue and its facilities, and seeing that they had bought a property in Sarasota in 2021, they instantly figured that Florida would be the perfect place to expand the brand.
A bit of research on the website tells you Dill Dinkers currently has locations only in the northeast of the country—four in Maryland. However, two more facilities are planned for Pennsylvania and one each for Virginia, South Carolina, and Connecticut.
In October last year, we also reported that the brand had secured three regional developers for 45 locations in San Antonio, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C. Indeed, according to The Bradenton Herald, “There are 125 locations in development.”
Ten Venues In West Florida
Fast-forward a few months, and the Dulls have announced they are franchising 10 Dill Dinkers venues along Florida’s west coast, including in Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, and St. Petersburg.
The exact locations are yet known, but the Dulls said they intend to open the first facility by early 2025.
“We are developing two indoor facilities with 9 to 12 courts each in the broader Sarasota/Bradenton area,” Heather told The Bradenton Herald. “We’re hopeful that it will be a six—to 12-month timeline, and that’s what we expect. But obviously, things can change.”
A Sense Of Community
Their court reservation system is different from the first-come, first-served model you usually find at other facilities.
“There’s very few places, if at all, that you can reserve a court and go play and have that court for your time,” Tim says. “And I think that’s one of the big features that makes us think this will be very popular down here.”
He added he was keen to create a sense of community among pickleball enthusiasts at Dill Dinkers, where the establishment prioritizes social spaces and offers vending machines for convenience.
Collin Johns
In other Dill Dinkers news, Collin Johns has signed a sponsorship deal with the Dill Dinkers facility in Columbia, Maryland. Johns will represent the Dill Dinkers brand at nationally televised events, assist in the education of staff and members, serve as an advisor for franchise operators, and appear at corporate events and location openings.
“As someone who grew up in Maryland and has been in the pickleball space for over six years, I can recall when there were only two permanent courts to play at in the entire state,” Collin said. “As a touring professional, I have seen firsthand the need for quality infrastructure to continue and serve the incredible growth taking place in pickleball.”
Visit dilldinkers.com for more information.
Read another of our Dill Dinkers articles here.
