Husband and wife team Maura and Gary Miller opened Picklers Pickleball Club in Menands, N.Y., in June 2024. The Millers converted an old Aldi grocery store just outside Downtown Albany into six dedicated pickleball courts. The Millers hope to 1) create a venue where players have fun, 2) build a business they can pass along to their adult children and 3) foster great pickleball competition.
Sports and competition have been at the center of the Miller family’s lives from the beginning. Maura and Gary both grew up playing sports. They started dating when they played on the same adult travel softball team in the DC area. When the Washington Post wrote a story about couples who met playing adult sports, Maura and Gary were the poster couple in an article titled “Playing softball for a good catch.”
They raised five kids (Tim, Dave, Jeff, Maggie, and Tommy) who played sports. Tommy is the winningest pitcher in Siena College history. Maggie was the Hudson Valley Community College Female Athlete of the Year and an All-American softball player at the College of St. Joseph. The Millers followed their kids around the country watching tournaments, and now that all of their kids have all graduated college, they are looking to feed their joy of competition at Picklers.
Gary was a military brat who moved around the country growing up. He started his career as an athletic director and coach. The Millers ran baseball camps in San Diego. But Gary moved into higher education. He was vice president of administration and finance for SUNY for four years and before that he managed investments at Georgetown University.
Maura, who grew up in New Jersey and New York, ran the Georgetown University real estate and construction portfolio for the school’s endowment fund. When they moved to New York, Maura opened the Pass the Thyme Cafe in Kinderhook. She is also a licensed blackjack dealer and has worked in a casino vault.
They stumbled on pickleball when they were in Florida watching one of their kid’s tournaments. “What are these tiny tennis courts?” they wondered. And they noticed these little courts were packed with players. The Millers, who live in East Greenbush, started playing pickleball before Covid at the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club. Of course, they loved the competition and felt like it was a sport that would ease the winter doldrums. “The winter is so long,” Maura said “And there is not a lot to do.” The idea struck them that they should open a pickleball club so everyone would have something to do during the winter. COVID delayed their plans, but their facility is finally open.
Picklers Club has permanent pickleball nets on a tennis surface. The club has Class 1 LED lighting. The lighting is good enough to host TV broadcasts, Gary said. “When all the lights are on, there are no shadows on the walls,” he said. The ceilings range from 18 to 20 feet high and each court is fenced in so balls are contained. The club offers drop-in play and leagues, and more lessons and competitions are in the works. The venue uses Court Reserve, like several other clubs in the area.
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The club was entirely financed by the Millers and Maura’s brother and sister-in-law Mike and Donna Behrmann, who live in Fredericksburg, Va. The Millers hope Maggie – now a softball coach – and Tommy – an accountant, will take over the business in five years or so. Winter is still not the Miller's favorite season. They hope to eventually spend their winters down south. In the meantime, they don’t mind harsh weather. “Now we pray for rain, wind and snow because in drives people in here,” Gary said with a grin.
About Picklers Pickleball Club
6 indoor pickleball courts:
Tennis surface with permanent nets
Specialized lighting
Temperature controlled
Website: https://picklerspickleball.club/
Court Reserve portal: https://app.courtreserve.com/Online/Portal/Index/11878
90 Broadway Ave, Menands NY 518-729-2022
Source: https://www.pickleball518.com/owners-of-new-pickleball-club-in-menands-motivated-by-a-love-for-sports/