A 20-court pickleball complex is rising near Mooresville's cluster of NASCAR race shops, and it's bringing cornhole lanes, GellyBall battles and drone racing along with it. SportX is heading to 16 Cornelius Road in Mooresville, with founder Bill Lyons promoting the outdoor sports and entertainment destination as a spot where visitors can play, eat and hang out well beyond match point.
According to WhatNow, the venue will feature 20 pickleball courts and 20 cornhole lanes, along with a clubhouse, green space and guest food trucks. Per SportX, the goal is to create a place where people can compete, socialize and spend time outdoors, with activities designed for both casual visitors and competitive players. The complex is expected to open near Mazeppa Park this fall, per Mooresville Now.
The location is no accident. Lyons spent four years searching more than 50 properties before landing on the site near Mazeppa Road, which sits close to NASCAR Cup race shops including Penske Racing, Trackhouse Racing and Spire Motorsports, according to SportX. That industrial stretch has long earned Mooresville its Race City USA nickname thanks to the density of racing team headquarters clustered along the corridor.
A National Pickleball Boom Meets a Local Buildout
SportX's bet on 20 courts lines up with a national surge in demand. U.S. pickleball participation hit 24.3 million players in 2025, a 22.8% jump from the year before and a 171.8% increase over three years, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The sport has now held the title of America's fastest-growing sport for five consecutive years.
The same 2026 report found that core players — those hitting the courts eight or more times a year — grew from 1.4 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2025, with teens and young adults aged 13 to 24 posting the highest participation rates of any age group. Female participation also climbed to 42.9% of all U.S. pickleball players last year, the association reported.
Pricing, Membership and What's Beyond the Courts
SportX will run on an open-play system that doesn't require membership: $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends, with court reservations running $20 to $25 per hour. Optional memberships start at $9 a month and come with reservation discounts and account perks through the clubhouse's payment system.
Beyond the courts, the venue's centerpiece social space is called The Gather — an open-air area with seating, drinks, outdoor games and live music situated next to the clubhouse and food truck zone. WhatNow reports SportX will include a gameday hangout spot and is being promoted for tournaments, parties, corporate events and casual outings alike.
GellyBall, one of the venue's more novel draws, uses battery-powered blasters that fire hydrated, non-toxic polymer beads made of roughly 90% water. Per GellyBall, the beads disintegrate on impact without staining clothes and dehydrate into tiny specks that require minimal cleanup, making the activity a soft-impact alternative to paintball or airsoft that's suitable for kids as young as five.
Fitting Into Mooresville's Growing Sports Corridor
SportX won't be the only game in town when it comes to court access. Mooresville Parks & Recreation already manages public pickleball courts across the town, including eight dedicated outdoor lighted courts at the War Memorial Recreation Center and multi-use courts at Bellingham, Edgemoor and Cornelius Road Parks. Those municipal courts run on a first-come, first-served basis and are supplemented by seasonal indoor open gym play.
The private venue also sits directly next to Mazeppa Park, Mooresville's largest municipal park complex at 163 acres, which includes six lighted soccer fields, four lighted baseball and softball fields, playgrounds and nearly five miles of mountain bike trails built in part with a North Carolina Recreational Trails Program grant. In July 2025, the town unveiled major renovations at the nearby 69-acre Cornelius Road Park, adding three artificial turf fields, LED field lighting, a food truck plaza and nearly 250 new parking spaces — infrastructure that reflects the broader growth pressure reshaping South Iredell County, a dynamic Hoodline has previously reported on.
Lyons has framed the venue's identity around its tagline, “Fun. Well Done.,” describing an open-air community environment built around multiple activities, according to WSIC News. SportX also plans to host model airplane flying and sanctioned cornhole leagues alongside its pickleball and drone racing offerings.
