A new, premier sports facility is expected to open in the City of Justin in the fall on Sam Reynolds Road.
For now, the project is being called the Justin Sports Arena and will have ten indoor pickleball courts that can also be used for badminton, according to Sandeep Aswadati, one of the facility investors.
“We are still planning what exactly the name will be, but we want to represent the City, so for now, we are calling it Justin Sports Arena,” he said. “It will be primarily designed for pickleball, but it will also be equipped to accommodate badminton.”
Aswadati moved from Frisco to Justin to escape from the big city feel and congested traffic for a place with more nature and a small-town feel.
He played badminton and volleyball back in Frisco, but didn’t seen any facilities near his new home where he could play. That gave him and his partners the idea to build a sports facility they could share with the community they live in.
The rest of the project is still in the works. Aswadati said they chose pickleball because it is a fast-growing sport and badminton for their personal love.
“Pickleball has exploded in popularity because it’s easy to learn fun to play and incredibly social,” he said. “We wanted to bring a place where people can compete, stay active and enjoy the sport in a professional, well-designed environment.”
He said he wants to share that passion for badminton with the community and hopes it can be a place to learn about the sport, including for local schools.
In order to accommodate the entire community, Aswadati said the team hopes to build a kid zone where children can stay entertained while adults play on the courts and host some food trucks, but a lot of things are still in the design phase.
“We want to engage everyone,” he said. “Whether you’re a casual player or a seasoned athlete, Justin Sports Arena will be a go-to destination for both sports under one roof.”
The group did a lot of research before starting construction on the facility. They visited other sports facilities in Dallas, Austin, Houston and California to see how each one operated, what amenities they and what lighting, air conditioning and flooring they used.
Aswadati emphasized the importance of the flooring they chose because it will help prevent back, hip and knee pain even over a long period of use.
“We want to provide a high-quality game for people,” he said. “Pickleball is meant to be fun and energizing, not something that sends you home with pain.”
In the future, the facility could also have basketball courts and volleyball courts, but for now the facility remains on pickleball.
Aswadati said the plan is to be open for about 12 hours per day and have memberships available as well as open play.
