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Couple brings pickleball franchise to St. Pete

A local husband-and-wife duo has signed a franchising agreement with a fast-growing chain of pickleball clubs that will bring several new indoor courts to Pinellas County.
Kevin and Lisa Goettel’s deal with Dill Dinkers allows them to open 10 of the Columbia, Maryland-based company’s facilities throughout the area. The couple has a letter of intent to open their first location in St. Petersburg.
Dill Dinkers has experienced exponential growth since its inception in November 2022, and the Goettels are now one of 22 regional franchisees nationwide. Another husband-and-wife team will soon open the company’s first Florida location in Sarasota.
“Since we live here, we wanted to get something in our hometown first,” said Lisa Goettel. “We play in the area and know a lot of people, so it makes it a lot easier to bring people towards it.”
The Goettels hope to secure a 24,000-square-foot space in about a month. The climate-controlled indoor facility would feature 10 courts.
Lisa said the couple became addicted to the sport after a friend invited them to play at Crescent Lake Park. Pickelball’s popularity has soared in recent years, and the Goettels, like most local players, often encountered long lines and inclement weather at the city’s outdoor courts.
Kevin said the company’s culture and support network enticed the couple to become franchisees. Lisa noted she has worked with several franchises throughout her professional career, and “being able to trust who you work with is so important.”
The company has five corporate-owned facilities in Maryland and Virginia and launched its franchising program in September 2023. “I think they’re up to 440 sold locations, and … there will be 20 built within the next quarter,” Lisa said.

A Dill Dinkers facility in Connecticut.
Kevin said Dill Dinkers “described to us their whole process of trial and error, the things they tried, and the things they figured out worked and didn’t work. It just all made sense, and trying to do that on our own didn’t make sense.”
He believes excitement for Dill Dinkers will “exponentially spread” once the couple opens the first local club. The facility will feature cushioned courts, a state-of-the-art reservation system and indoor courts separated by fences.
The club will offer open play, tournaments and lessons for beginners. The Goettels must hire a “director of pickleball operations,” who will match players according to skill level.
Dill Dinkers provides industry-leading paddles, nets and equipment. The company offers monthly and annual memberships for individuals and families, who receive steep discounts and free use of an automatic ball machine for solo play.
Non-members must pay twice the cost as their counterparts – roughly $300 to $500 annually – to use the facility. They also have a shorter window to reserve courts.
The Goettels stressed the importance of creating a welcoming space for people of all ages and skill levels to experience the camaraderie they felt when introduced to the game.
“I get joy playing pickleball; I get excitement from it,” Lisa said. “And you want to have everybody do that.”
Dill Dinkers also offers event space and a pro shop. While the facility will provide vending machines for players, it will eschew food and drink services found at some high-end athletic clubs.
“You’re there just to play pickleball – versus having all those extras,” Lisa said. “This is going to be much more manageable for people to come and play.”
The Goettels can enlist independent franchising partners to open additional clubs away from their “flagship” location in St. Petersburg. Their region extends from Tarpon Springs to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
“If somebody up in Tarpon Springs is really interested and wants to open a location, we’ll work with them,” Lisa said. “We’ll take the expertise we have for opening up our region and then help train and develop them in a local market.”
