Building Pickleball in the City
Erica Desai and Mary Cannon turned their passion for pickleball into CityPickle, bringing play and community to iconic urban locations.
By Carl Foster
October 14, 2026 • 9 min read
Courts, Community & Hospitality
When discussing the visionaries shaping pickleball, Mary Cannon and Erica Desai stand out for reimagining the sport in urban settings. Both discovered pickleball while traveling with their families during the pandemic. Since then, they have rapidly expanded the sport across New York City and into Florida.
When Mary and Erica first crossed paths in 2009 as their daughters began preschool together in New York City, neither could have predicted that their friendship would one day transform the city’s recreation landscape. Years later, separate trips outside the city during the pandemic brought both women to the exact same discovery: pickleball.
They each fell in love with the fast-paced, accessible sport, only to return to a metropolis that was surprisingly behind the curve. Despite New York City’s reputation for setting trends, it lacked dedicated pickleball clubs, and few locals had even heard of the game.
Recognizing an untapped opportunity, the pair set out to bridge the gap. They founded CityPickle in 2021 as the city emerged from pandemic restrictions, a period when people were eagerly searching for ways to reconnect in person.
Mary and Erica saw pickleball as the ultimate social activity: a way to stay active, build community and share a fun experience, made all the better with a margarita in hand.
Central Park Shares Wollman Rink with CityPickle
Bringing their vision to life in some of New York City’s most iconic locations came with monumental hurdles, particularly during their debut season in Central Park in 2023.
After signing the contract, they faced a daunting, high-stakes timeline. Within a matter of weeks, they had to pull off a first-of-its-kind transformation, converting the world-famous Wollman ice skating rink into 14 fully functioning pickleball courts.
The logistics went far beyond physical setup. Mary and Erica had to hire and train a brand-new staff, implement a booking platform from scratch, stock a pro shop with merchandise and design catering menus for private events. What started as sleepless nights quickly turned into sleepless weeks.
Yet the relentless effort paid off. The thrill of building a vibrant consumer brand from the ground up and introducing thousands of New Yorkers to the joy of the game turned every challenge into a victory, cementing CityPickle as a fixture in the city’s social and athletic culture.
MLP Championships on the Biggest Stage
Hosting the MLP Finals for the past couple of years has been a major highlight for CityPickle. The energy is electric, and the backdrop of New York City’s iconic skyline adds an irreplaceable sense of place for the national television broadcast and importance to the championships. The CityPickle partnership with MLP has been a great success for the past two years, with plans to continue in 2027.
Another milestone for Erica and Mary was the opportunity to create their dream flagship club. It started in October 2023, when they first visited their future Times Square location.
Dropping the Pickleball in Times Square
The location was part of the former Paramount Theatre, where Frank Sinatra got his big break and The Beatles, Elvis and other top acts performed. Mary and Erica said they were immediately struck by its high ceilings and column-free space, a rarity in Midtown Manhattan, and knew it would be perfect for pickleball.
They went with a design inspired by the rich history of the building, and it has become a hub for both locals and tourists who want to play pickleball in this iconic location, as well as a venue for corporate events, birthday parties and celebrations of all kinds.
Pickleball Under the Brooklyn Bridge
This spring 2027, CityPickle will add another high-profile venue with the opening of the 11-court CityPickle in DUMBO, adjacent to the Brooklyn Bridge. Talk about iconic locations. Eleven million people walk over the Brooklyn Bridge each year, and now watching pickleball will be part of that experience.
Mary added, “The beauty of pickleball is that it is so accessible in most parts of the country, thus, its soaring popularity. This is not the case in NYC and other densely populated urban areas where adequate real estate is hard to secure for our sport.”
This is the challenge CityPickle has uniquely solved and now sees as an advantage. Mary and Erica said they were purposeful in naming the company and will continue to seek opportunities in cities where there are barriers to entry.
They are currently in their fourth season of CityPickle Philadelphia at City Hall, another legendary urban landmark. These high-profile locations continue to add to their brand.
CityPickle Heads South to Florida
Erica discussed their next move south to Florida.
“At CityPickle, our goal is to be a ‘third place,’ somewhere that isn’t home or work, where people feel a sense of community and want to spend time. Courts bring people in, but offerings like food and beverage, the pro shop, wellness amenities and comfortable workspaces are why they stay and make the club part of their routine.”
At their new club, Boca Paddle by CityPickle, pickleball or padel is just one part of the whole experience.
Mary added, “The hope is that our members will embrace the entire experience and make it their third place.”
Robust programming is critical to the success of a club. Leveled open play, clinics, leagues and tournaments keep players learning, growing as athletes and deeply engaged.
“We are having great success, too, with kids programming,” Mary stated. “Our summer camps and our afterschool Academy are wildly popular. Padel is new for us. We will have six padel courts at Boca Paddle. Erica and I are both tennis players, so we have a natural love for all racquet sports.”
Erica added, “We don’t subscribe to ‘either/or’ but rather ‘yes, please.’ While padel is getting lots of media attention these past few months, the number of players in the U.S. is still small. We think many pickleball players are ‘padel curious’ and will want to try the sport at Boca Paddle.”
As entrepreneurs, they see an opportunity to help grow padel in the U.S. from its infancy in Boca.
Building Success Amid Increased Competition
At CityPickle, Erica and Mary emphasize that they are more than just courts. They see CityPickle as a hospitality company creating an elevated experience built on great play, top-tier amenities and excellent programming, whether someone is new to pickleball or an expert player.
CityPickle clubs are also venues for events of all kinds, including corporate entertaining, team building, birthday parties and bar and bat mitzvahs. Their goal is to ensure that guests both on and off the court have a fantastic time.
How do two married women with children and families juggle CityPickle’s growing facilities and continued expansion?
Mary laughed, “I have three children and Erica has two, so we are always juggling. We are fortunate that our husbands are wildly supportive and that our children are a bit older. Our youngests are now both seniors in high school. We work all the hours, but we truly love this.”
Erica said, “Nothing is more exhilarating than building a company from scratch and offering a product that uniquely brings joy to others. My CityPickle office is mere steps from a pickleball court and our bar and restaurant…life goals!”
Both women agreed, “We work alongside a dream team at CityPickle. Anyone who partners with us mentions this. Our team is uniquely creative, professional and hardworking. Our team shares the scrappiness necessary for entrepreneurs but the polish that comes with discipline and experience.”
They intentionally called their company CityPickle because they always want to be in dense urban areas where there are high real estate barriers to entry.
Mary remarked, “We also want to be co-located with a strong concentration of corporate headquarters since events are such a significant part of the CityPickle business. It is very exciting to see the international growth of pickleball, a trend we are watching very closely. We are keeping an eye on locations in both the U.S. and abroad, such as London, Toronto and San Francisco, that meet all of these criteria.”
Building Community Through Programming
CityPickle has something for everyone, from introductory clinics for players picking up a paddle for the first time to DUPR-gated advanced open play.
Mary talked about their programming: “We welcome newcomers and challenge elite athletes. As I mentioned earlier, our kids summer camps and afterschool Academy are particularly popular, and we are currently scheduling a high school team for regular play this spring.
“Our weekend nights include $20 for 20s, two hours of open play geared toward mixing and mingling, and maybe even finding love. We host weekly free Parkinson’s programming to use pickleball to help athletes battling the disease.”
Off the court, CityPickle has food and cocktails to encourage everyone to linger. Mary continued, “Trust me; the caliber of our food is sky-high, even by NYC’s standards.
“In December 2025, we hired Kim Russen to be CityPickle’s COO. Kim was a founding partner of the first Tao restaurant and helped grow Tao Hospitality Group to over 80 restaurants worldwide. She has elevated our hospitality offerings and leads an experienced team of F&B professionals who make the CityPickle experience about much more than what happens on the court.”
Playing Alongside the Pros
CityPickle has frequently welcomed pros at its locations and most recently hosted the Major League Pickleball Finals at its Central Park location this summer. The company plans to continue hosting events of every size, from exhibitions to major tournaments, while keeping its clubs accessible to all types of players.
Mary emphasized, “We want everyone to feel comfortable at CityPickle, whether you’re a newbie or the GOAT! Boca Paddle by CityPickle will be the home courts for the Palm Beach Royals, and we hope to collaborate with them early and often on future events.
“Since many top players also live locally to that club, we hope to see them there regularly for training, too.”
Women Leading Pickleball’s Growth
Erica and Mary both feel they have found their calling with CityPickle and in helping grow the passion for pickleball.
“The parity in professional pickleball is very evident, which is so rare in professional sports. It is yet another aspect to love about our sport. However, there are very few women in leadership positions in the business of pickleball at the national level.
“We hope to see that change in the near future and are doing our part to cultivate and mentor our younger female colleagues. We would also love to see more female coaches. There are some exceptional ones out there like Elana Bush and Nikki Roth, but our sport needs more.”
The growing business finds them spending what they say is too much time on Zoom calls, in meetings and behind their computers to play as much as they would like.
Mary closed with this: “Playing more pickleball was my 2026 New Year’s resolution, but I am not doing such a great job achieving that one. The good news: we are bringing more pickleball to more people than ever before in 2026. That’s a big win!” ●
About Carl Foster
Carl Foster is the Chairman of the World Pickleball Conference and the CEO of Foster Events Group, LLC, where he specializes in the production and management of high-profile sports and entertainment events. With over 50 years of experience in broadcasting, fundraising, and event leadership, he produces Inside WORLD Pickleball and serves as a lead moderator for industry summits. He is a central figure in the professionalization of pickleball, connecting technology experts, organizational leadership, and the player community to elevate the sport’s presence on a global scale.
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