Amanda Potter: Pickleball’s Urban Architect

Blending High Design with High Performance: Meet the Mastermind Behind Pickleball’s Most Anticipated Venue.

Pickleball has exploded in popularity, but while the sport has grown, the venues have remained largely the same—until now. Enter Amanda Potter, the woman redefining where and how we play.

Trained as an architect with an impressive career spanning luxury fitness clubs, high-end hospitality, and large-scale real estate development, Amanda sees spaces differently. She’s not just building courts; she’s crafting experiences. As the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Ballers, she’s spearheading a game-changing multi-sport venue that blends pickleball, padel, squash, tennis, golf, and soccer with the energy of a high-end social club.

But what truly sets Amanda apart is her ability to merge sport with culture. Ballers isn’t just about playing—it’s about immersing players in an atmosphere where competition meets creativity. Think industrial-chic courts housed in a historic power plant, DJ nights, fashion pop-ups, art installations, and a roster of local tastemakers curating the experience. It’s a pickleball venue unlike anything the sport has ever seen.

“Our design ethos at Ballers is simple,” Amanda says. “The best spaces feel personal.” This philosophy is woven into every corner of Ballers’ first location in Philadelphia, housed inside the legendary Delaware Power Station. With towering 80-foot concrete ceilings, vintage industrial elements, and Amanda’s signature eclectic design touches, it’s not just a place to play—it’s a destination.

With their Boston location set to open after the Fishtown location, Amanda isn’t just bringing pickleball to new spaces—she’s bringing it into an entirely new era.

Here’s how she’s doing it.

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Titles/Roles

Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Ballers

Location

Philadelphia, PA

What sets your brand apart in the growing pickleball market?  

"Ballers is a multi-sport venue featuring padel, squash, golf, soccer, tennis and pickleball. We like to say we're bringing country club sports to the city. But Ballers is more than a sports facility—we are a hospitality-driven hub for fashion, art, culture and community. 

For our first location in Philadelphia, we've assembled a board of local creatives who will meet quarterly to help curate unique experiences at Ballers such as DJ nights, art exhibits, and fashion pop-ups, adding a whole other layer to our core sports offerings. We believe that by tapping into the local creative community in every Ballers city (Boston location opening later this year), we can craft experiences that feel one-of-a-kind, personal, and transcend 'brand' altogether."  

The new sports complex in Fishtown is housed in a historic industrial building—what influenced the design, and how did you balance preserving its history with modern functionality?  

"Our space in Fishtown was once the main 'turbine hall' within the magnificent Delaware Power Station which was built one hundred years ago to generate electricity for the city of Philadelphia. The building's immense scale, harmonious proportions, and situation overlooking the Delaware River make it a true architectural marvel. But by the late 1960's newer more efficient technologies like nuclear energy began displacing coal-burning plants. So the turbines were decommissioned and the building sat vacant for fifty years. 

The first time we toured the space was nearly five years ago, before Lubert Adler's visionary transformation began. We were blown away to see this abandoned architectural gem overtaken by weather, vandals, and some rather talented graffiti artists! The building was in an oddly beautiful state of decay. This state inspired the Ballers aesthetic, which is rooted in industrial minimalism with overlays of vintage nostalgia, and is meant to evoke both a sharp edge and a timeless sense of comfort." 

With 80-foot-high stone concrete ceilings, this venue has a truly unique aesthetic. Beyond the architecture, what other elements will make it stand out?  

“The interior design ethos at Ballers is driven by our belief that the most compelling spaces are somehow 'personal.' For instance, a truly great home is more than nice furniture and luxe materials; it is a collection of tokens built over generations - reflections of specific lives lived and memories made. Based on this, personal touches from the founding team have been woven throughout the design. For instance, the copper objects on our bar shelves were inspired by my mom, who sold copper for extra cash before I was born. The neon yellow metal accents were inspired by my random love of Gianni Versace when I was a teenager in the 90's. 

Our interior design aesthetic could be labeled as ‘eclectic,’ and might even be interpreted by some as haphazard. But we believe the personal touches which intentionally do not fit neatly into an architectural category will inspire curiosity, and hopefully evoke a sense of comfort. Similar to a great home.”

What’s a common misconception about pickleball that you wish more people understood?  

“Pickleball is a real sport. It's not just a silly game or a hobby. And it's NOT just for old people! It's a pursuit for established and aspiring athletes of all generations and all backgrounds.”  

If you had to describe your pickleball style in three words, what would they be? 

"Way too tennis-y"  

If pickleball had walkout songs, what would your anthem be?  

The National Anthem - Radiohead 

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The Female Pickleball Titans of the Northeast is a Lindsey Leigh Creative storytelling series celebrating the women who are shaping the future of the sport. 

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