Palm Beach County’s pickleball craze is going big league. The Palm Beach Royals will debut as the twenty-third team in Major League Pickleball (MLP) this month, with the season lasting through August. Backed by digital development and investment firm Hyperspace Ventures and a roster of high-profile athlete investors, the franchise aims to anchor the sport’s explosive growth locally.
Here, co-founder Zach Hunter shares the vision behind the Royals—and why Palm Beach is ripe for prime time.
PBI: What did your personal journey into pickleball look like?
Hunter: I grew up a tennis purist, so I did not immediately buy into pickleball. I respected it, but I did not think it was for me. Then I played. Within one session, I was hooked. It felt like tennis mixed with chess. Fast hands and quick points, layered with strategy, positioning, and anticipation. The margins are small and the thinking is constant. It rewards discipline and creativity at the same time. I caught the bug quickly and have been playing almost every day since. What started as skepticism turned into obsession, and ultimately into building a franchise around a sport I now fully believe in.
Palm Beach County already has one of the highest pickleball participation rates in the country. Why is this the right moment to launch a MLP franchise here?
Palm Beach County is already the mecca of pickleball from an amateur participation standpoint. The courts are full, from sunrise to sunset. Private clubs, public parks, country clubs, training centers—the depth of engagement here is different. It’s not just recreational; it’s competitive, social, and deeply embedded into daily life.
From a professional perspective, it’s even more compelling. Roughly 18 of the top 20 players in the world now live and train in South Florida. That kind of density does not happen by accident. The weather, facilities, coaching ecosystem, and lifestyle have made this a true high-performance hub for the sport.
Then you look at it economically and culturally. Palm Beach understands premium experiences. It values sport, health, design, and community. It supports its teams, invests in infrastructure, and appreciates quality over noise.
When you combine the strongest amateur base in the country, a concentration of elite professional talent, and a market that aligns with where professional pickleball is heading, the timing felt obvious. It was not about forcing a franchise into a new market. It was about formalizing what was already organically happening here.
Boca Paddle will eventually become the team’s home, with “The Royal Court” as its centerpiece. What kind of fan experience are you envisioning there?
The Royal Court won’t feel like a municipal rec center … [Expect] premium seating, hospitality lounges, luxury finishes, and sponsor integrations that feel natural, not intrusive. We want fans to feel like they’re attending a boutique sporting event … It will still be social and energetic but refined.
What would success look like for the Royals at the end of the first season?
On the court, competitiveness, discipline, [and] a team identity people recognize. Off the court, community engagement and brand clarity. If Palm Beach feels proud of the Royals, if people wear the crest even when we’re not playing, that’s success. Year one is about foundation, not flash.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.palmbeachillustrated.com ’
