Rockville, Maryland-based pickleball and table tennis equipment maker JOOLA has a new agreement with national fitness club chain Life Time to serve as its official sponsor.
JOOLA launched its first pickleball line and signed a sponsorship deal with professional pickleball player Ben Johns last year.
JOOLA will be the primary pickleball paddle sponsor across all Life Time athletic country clubs with indoor and outdoor pickleball courts.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
As part of the partnership, Life Time members will have access to JOOLA paddles, which will also be for sale at Life Time pro shops and online.
JOOLA will also host pickleball clinics at Life Time locations with pro players and coaches.
“We are not just the largest provider of pickleball, but also the best, and now we’re thrilled our members will have access to JOOLA’s paddles and other offerings,” said Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi.
In the past year, Life Time said it has built indoor and outdoor pickleball courts at a rate of five each week, many with stadium seating. It now has 500 courts at its locations across the country with a goal of 1,000 by the end of 2024.
JOOLA (pronounced YO-lah) is one of the lead manufacturers of table tennis equipment and was founded in 1952.
Johns, who was last year’s number one-ranked pickleball player in the world according to the Pro Pickleball Association, wears JOOLA athletic wear and uses JOOLA equipment as part of the sponsorship. The 24-year-old is a Montgomery County native.
