Northwest Arkansas is poised to become a pickleball hub on a national scale thanks to the Big Dill Pickleball Club & Academy, a 12-acre development southeast of Interstate 49 and Elm Springs Road in Springdale. Reginald Brasfield, founder and partner, said the mix of social spaces and state-of-the-art indoor facilities will be the first of its kind.
“It’s just built to create an experience that does not exist,” he said. “In all of the conversations that I’ve had with companies or partners that do pickleball, there’s nothing at this scale that’s designed this way.”
Reggie Brasfield
The complex will include a 70,000-square-foot indoor facility, at least 30 outdoor courts, and 2 acres of retail, social and entertainment space, he said, estimating the cost of the facility to be $40 to $50 million.
The indoor portion will have 23 courts, including a stadium court with at least 900 seats, four show courts and 18 additional courts, and the outdoor area will also have a stadium court and show courts. The courts will have video streaming and recording capabilities that assist in player training and display highlights, Brasfield said, and there are some technologies that incorporate artificial intelligence, as well.
In addition, he said, the facility will likely have a sports bar, and he is working with local medical institutions to include physical therapy and other aspects of health and wellness.
The complex will provide training for youth and adult competitors, Brasfield said, adding that he plans to start by working with middle schools and high schools to implement programs and expand from there.
“We want to give them an opportunity to have a facility that caters to and offers elite training, bring in some professionals and have them have this on-site and really create a system that allows Arkansas to be a place known for developing pickleball players and the sport of pickleball and training to be competitive,” he said.
He added that pickleball is currently being integrated into colleges, and he believes pickleball will eventually become an Olympic sport.
Brasfield, who played tennis and basketball in college and has taught both sports, became interested in pickleball while teaching tennis to Walmart corporate associates. He said the game has surged in popularity because it is a fun, sociable activity available to people of all economic backgrounds.
Today, there are about 10 million players and 36 million players who have played the game once, he said, and by 2030, the number of dedicated players is expected to increase fourfold to 40 million.
“Just to see the impact that the sport’s having worldwide, right, it’s going to be global, sooner rather than later,” he said. “To be a part of something that can really set the bar in the country and it be in Arkansas is amazing.”
He estimated that the complex will bring 25,000 to 30,000 tourists to the state each year, and he has seen tournaments at other locations bring in 50,000 attendees over a week.
“If we are able to uphold our part by offering things that don’t exist and being a great steward for the game and the community, we think northwest Arkansas will have tons of tourists, people who decide to move to this area, people who become repeat visitors because they notice some of the great things that not only Springdale but Bentonville, Rogers and Fayetteville has to offer,” he said.
The project will eventually include multifamily housing, as well, for a total investment of $150 million, he said. He added that the development will not only help meet the housing needs of the growing population in northwest Arkansas but also provide residences for youth and adult players who train and perform at the complex.
The indoor and outdoor facilities will open in spring of 2026, if not earlier, he said, and the multifamily housing will likely open in three to five years.
Brasfield said the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center helped lay a foundation for the project, which has been in the works three years. Fugitt and Associates in Fayetteville is the architect, Swope Consulting in Rogers is the engineer, and Eldridge Brooks Law Firm in Rogers is the attorney.
“I’ve also just received an outpouring of individuals, as well as some companies, that are excited about the project,” Brasfield said. “We’re hopeful to build some relationships that will allow this thing to come together not only for our group but for the entire community because this is a community facility. It’s something that we’re proud of, but it’s something that we want our home team to be equally as proud of and a part of.”
