MOBILE, Ala. — PickleRage Mobile is closing its 12-court indoor pickleball club on South University Boulevard, its owners announced Monday, making it the second indoor pickleball facility in Alabama to announce plans to shut down in less than a month.
The club, located at 314 S. University Blvd. in the Regency Square Shopping Center, opened in May 2025. A final day of operation has not been set. In its announcement, the PickleRage Mobile Ownership Team said it is still working through the details and will share a closing date once one is determined.
Owners: ‘We Weren’t Able to Make It Work Financially’
The ownership group did not offer a detailed explanation for the decision, but its message to members made clear that finances were the deciding factor.
“We wish more than anything that things could have turned out differently,” the announcement reads. “We poured our hearts into making PickleRage Mobile a success, and while we weren’t able to make it work financially, we will never consider the friendships and community created here anything less than a success.”
The owners acknowledged the news would be hard for the players who made the club part of their routine.
“We know this news will be disappointing to many of you. Believe us when we say it is heartbreaking for us as well,” the announcement continues. “But when we look back on PickleRage Mobile, we hope we won’t remember the disappointment of how it ended. Instead, we will remember the people, the laughter, the friendships, and the joy that filled our courts.”
When it opened in 2025, the Mobile location was promoted as PickleRage’s first indoor club in Alabama. Its dozen indoor courts gave local players a place to compete out of the summer heat and rain, conditions that can make outdoor play difficult along the Gulf Coast for much of the year.
Second Alabama Closure in Less Than a Month
PickleRage Mobile’s announcement follows the closure of The Picklr Birmingham, which shut its doors less than a month ago. That facility was located at 1031 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills.
The Picklr, a franchisor of indoor pickleball clubs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. Chapter 11 is a section of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code that generally allows a business to continue operating while it reorganizes its debts under court supervision. The Picklr’s lone remaining Alabama location is in Huntsville.
PickleRage has also seen a closure outside the state. A PickleRage franchise location in Plainfield, New Jersey, abruptly ceased operations in September.
A Booming Sport With Tough Economics
The closures come even as pickleball’s popularity continues to soar. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the United States for five consecutive years through 2025.
The game, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis, is played with paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a court smaller than a tennis court. Its easy learning curve and social nature have attracted players of all ages, from retirees to young adults, and cities across the country, including along the Gulf Coast, have added or converted courts to meet demand.
But the growth in players has not guaranteed success for every business built around the sport. Large indoor pickleball clubs face significant overhead, and two costs stand out:
- Rent: Indoor clubs typically require large, warehouse-style spaces or former big-box retail buildings to fit multiple courts. Industry analysts have noted that monthly lease payments for such spaces can reach tens of thousands of dollars.
- Payroll: Staffing a club for extended hours, along with programming such as leagues, clinics and events, adds to monthly expenses.
Those fixed costs can make it difficult for some facilities to bring in enough revenue from memberships, court rentals and programs to cover expenses, even when the sport itself is thriving. For franchise-based clubs, the economics depend heavily on maintaining steady membership levels in each local market.
What It Means for Mobile-Area Players
For pickleball players in Mobile, the closure means the loss of a dedicated indoor venue on the city’s west side, one that offered courts sheltered from the weather and an organized setting for leagues and open play. Members will want to watch for further announcements from the ownership group about the final day of operation and any details related to memberships.
Players looking for other places to play can check with the City of Mobile and other local parks departments, which operate public courts in the area, as well as with private clubs and community centers.
The ownership team has not said what will happen to the space in the Regency Square Shopping Center after the club closes.
What Happens Next
PickleRage Mobile’s owners said they are working through the details of the closure and will announce the final day of operation once it is set.
The closure marks a bittersweet end for a club that, by its owners’ own account, built a community of players in just over a year of operation. As the ownership team put it in their farewell message, they hope members will remember the friendships and joy found on the courts rather than the way the venture ended.
