Dink City, one of the largest pickleball facilities in the northeast has opened at the former tennis courts of the Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, writes Caroline O’Halloran for Savvy Main Line.

Dink City Pickleball is owned by Episcopal Academy alum Bryson Craft, 31, and Radnor High graduate Rob Norton, 32.  

The co-owners converted four underused VFMA tennis courts into 16 state-of-the-art pickleball courts.

The focus at Dink City is on community pickleball so no membership is required, just the cost of reserving a court.

“It’s all the social things around pickleball that we offer – that’s the differentiator,” Norton said.

Surrounding the courts are shaded picnic tables and cornhole games.  On the weekends there’s food trucks and music.

Visitors can also take lessons, join clinics, leagues, and tournaments, shop in a pro shop, and participate in events and birthday parties.

There are lights for evening games and the courts are available year-round.

Norton and Craft are lifelong friends who started playing pickle in their parents’ driveway.

“Unlike tennis or golf, everyone and anyone can play well from the very beginning: a 7-year-old, a 25-year-old, and a 60-year-old can all be on the court and have fun,” Craft says.

Read more about Dink City in Savvy Main Line.