Indoor pickleball expanding Tampa Bay presence

After opening its first location in Florida last year, indoor pickleball franchise Dill Dinkers is expanding its presence in Tampa Bay and Lakeland with 20 new locations.

Martina and Andrew Kochli are spearheading the expansion. Martina Kochli is the global brand ambassador for Dill Dinkers and a former professional pickleball player. The company did not release information about the opening dates for the pickleball courts.

“Pickleball is more than a sport — it’s a way to build community and foster personal growth. Dill Dinkers embodies that spirit with its exceptional facilities and welcoming atmosphere,” says Kochli in a statement. “As a professional player and Global Brand Ambassador for Dill Dinkers, I’ve seen how the brand consistently creates spaces where players of all levels feel at home. Andrew and I are thrilled to expand Dill Dinkers’ presence in Florida, further strengthening its impact with more opportunities to experience the joy of pickleball in an unparalleled environment.”

Dill Dinkers was founded in Maryland in 2022 by husband and wife Will and Denise Richards. The two began playing in 2021 and caught ‘the bug’, but had nowhere to play by late fall, according to the company’s website. The pair trekked to an indoor court in Pennsylvania only to find it was a converted barn with no heat or bathrooms, but the place was crowded. Since then, the pair have opened five locations in Maryland and Virginia and began franchising in September of last year. The company now has leases signed in 12 states with plans to have 30 locations opened by year end. That includes a location in the Sarasota-Bradenton market under different franchisees.