The pickleball and padel courts that have popped up in the heart of Boston’s Seaport District are part of a new outdoor athletic complex that is intended to bring sports lovers together for a game, a bite and meaningful connections.
Ballers Boston softly opened on Dec. 3, 2025. The opening marks the second location of the social sports brand, which opened its first location in Philadelphia in September 2025.
Ballers Boston is a seasonal complex with activities rotating in and out over the course of the year.
Right now, Ballers’ winter activation includes a skating rink and igloos where guests can make a $100 reservation and escape the cold, listen to music and order food and beverage items from Ballers’ kitchen such as s’mores, grilled cheese, tomato soup and hot chocolate.
By April, Ballers will take down the igloos and replace the ice skating rink with pickleball courts and open its padel courts, which have already gotten a ton of interest from people visiting Seaport this winter.
“The community is very excited for a new sport,” Club Manager for Boston Ballers Leonardo Justus told MassLive, adding how Ballers is something “that you don’t see a lot in Boston, especially in the wintertime.”
Justus continued, “Everybody wants to be indoors, and we’re out here grinding our way through the snow, making sure people can come out, enjoy a little bit of the sun throughout the week and the weekends.”
Aside from bringing more padel courts to Boston, staff say that Ballers stands out from its competitors (i.e. PKL, PickleBOS and PADELHUB) because it heavily focuses on bringing people together around the shared love of sports.
“We are building a community. We are building a wellness center for people that want to be outdoors,” Justus said. “That’s sort of our motto. We want Ballers to become a lifestyle.”
Ballers was co-founded by David Gutstadt and Amanda Potter roughly three years ago. The duo, who shared a love for tennis, met while working at Equinox’s corporate offices in New York City.
Gutstadt and Potter eventually left Equinox to open their own private members club in Philadelphia called Fitler Club.
That concept eventually led to the inception of Ballers after a local developer showed interest in the business venture and helped Gutstadt open the first location inside the former Turbine Hall in Philadelphia.
Inspired by tennis rebels such as John McEnroe, Björn Borg and Andre Agassi, Ballers initially set out to bring country club sports to people living in cities. Now the company prides itself on having a little more edge than a typical country club.
To date, Ballers has raised more than $20 million for its expansion (mostly from investors) while earning the support of celebrities from former Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins to hip-hop artist Chill Moody.
The fast-growing company has big plans to become a national brand and is “looking at every major city in the U.S.,” staff told MassLive. Ballers is planning to open in Los Angeles at the end of 2026 and has its sights set on Miami and Chicago as well.
When it came time to choose cities that were an ideal fit for this expansion, the Ballers team was impressed with Boston’s emphasis on health and wellness.
“Boston, for me, has always been this wellness city, super healthy. I’ve seen run clubs in the snow, and it’s unbelievable,” Justus explained. “So bringing a new sport, padel, and bringing pickleball to the city is just fantastic.”
Ballers Boston also has onsite bathrooms, is dog-friendly and will host private events such as birthday parties and corporate outings.
While Ballers is open to the public, the complex follows a pay-to-play model.
For example, those who want to just show up and start a game of pickleball can pay $25 an hour during peak hours and $15 an hour during off-peak hours, which vary by day. Equipment can also be rented and prices vary.
Courts can be reserved via the Ballers app and onsite staff will assist with reservations. The app also shows upcoming clinics and fitness classes that users can sign up for as well.
Those who plan on using the courts more often are encouraged to buy a membership, which will be offered at Ballers Boston in the near future.
The team is still working on the exact pricing, but says it will be comparable to the second tier of Philadelphia’s memberships.
Ballers Boston is located at 25 Pier 4 Blvd., Boston. The complex is currently open from noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Hours will be adjusted for the spring, summer and fall as well. Ballers Boston will close for wet weather.
