A former grocery store in Plano is being converted into a 51K SF pickleball facility, the largest to debut in Texas since the sport took the nation by storm.

Pickleball Kingdom at 1301 Custer Road will include 15 indoor courts and is slated to open in January, according to a news release. There will also be a food and beverage café, an internet lounge, pickleball classes and space to host corporate events.

Franchisee and developer Dan Jenkins plans to eventually open five North Texas locations of the Chandler, Arizona-based business.

"Since my childhood days of playing pickleball at camp, my love for this sport has been a lifelong companion," Jenkins said in a statement. "It's a game that brings people together, creates lasting bonds and fuels a passion that never fades."

A ground-up location in Keller scheduled to open next summer will span 45K SF and include 17 courts, per the release.

Pickleball courts have become a common tenant in big-box spaces left behind by the spate of retail bankruptcies and closures that have taken place in recent years. However, they have also become the object of complaints in some communities, especially outdoor courts, often because of the noise made when playing.

Pickleball exploded in popularity after decades of existing as a relatively niche sport. Created on Washington state’s Bainbridge Island in 1965, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, and today there are an estimated 3.65 million players in the U.S., according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

There were 10,724 registered pickleball facilities in North America at the end of 2022, an annual increase of about 130 locations per month, according to USA Pickleball.