IN THE
CLUB
Rally
CHARLOTTE , NORTH CAROLINA
Rally Round by DREW WATHEY
Pickleball has often been called the most social of all sports and games played , and the club Rally in Charlotte , North Carolina , has taken it one step further . Calling itself , unabashedly , “ Where Pickleball and Craft Cocktails Collide ,” Rally is where active people go to socialize , and social people go to move . More than 230,000 pickleballers moved on these courts last year alone !
Featuring indoor and outdoor courts , Rally promotes off-court fun and frivolity with craft cocktail bars , elevated cuisine and a specialty coffee program that makes it the place to be whether you want to hit dinks or just rub elbows with friends and family away from the action .
And to think it all started six years ago with a fourday festival of fun called Picklefest in Charlottesville , Virginia .
“ It was an experience that combined food , drink , live entertainment and pickleball , and we immediately saw the demand for curated social experiences that embraced an active lifestyle and started to dream up a hospitality concept that could bring that to communities in a more permanent way ,” says Barrett Worthington , who is co-founder of Rally along with her life and business partner Megan Charity . They continue to infuse life into the concept .
“ We raised funds and spent two years working on our first Rally venue in Charlotte , renovating an old warehouse and brewery into an incredible highdesign venue with eight courts ( indoor and outdoor ), a restaurant , two bars , and an espresso bar and café .”
Not to be outdone with simply libations , these two are foodies as well . “ Our food is awesome , and that was very much part of our plan from day one . Most of our marketing to date has been primarily focused on sport and community events , but we ’ ve been quietly building the best menu in town ,” adds Worthington , who earned an MBA from the University of Virginia .
“ It ’ s one of the things we hear time and time again from our guests . No one expects the food at ‘ a pickleball place ’ to be worth traveling for , but those who try it inevitably come back for the food alone .”
Working and living together can be difficult at best for any couple , but this dynamic duo makes it work . “ We honestly can ’ t imagine not working together . Our lives revolve around Rally , and we love having each other to brainstorm ideas , solve problems , and share in the joys of when we see small ( and big !) wins ,” says Charity , who started playing the sport in 2015 and became one of the top players in the mid-Atlantic .
“ In the early days , we worked on everything together , but as the business and our roles evolved , we found our own lanes . Now , we rarely work on the same vertical , which allows us the freedom to own decisions and responsibilities independently .”
Rally is currently running nine weekly leagues , each with a different focus and vibe . It also hosts regular tournaments and round robins , many of them thematically tied to a cultural event or holiday .
One of the club ’ s bestselling programs is Courts & Coffee , an early morning event hosted weekly on Tuesday , Friday and Sunday that draws an excitable crowd , notwithstanding the added caffeine ! The program is a fusion of guided open play , with an emphasis on mixing and matching players so that they can meet different people and compete in short , fast-paced games .
An added bonus — everyone who plays gets a complimentary cold brew or drip coffee from the café , which adds to the overall social atmosphere .
At Rally , whether you ’ re winning , wine-ing or unwinding , it ’ s got you covered . •
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