Opening weekend underway for new athletic facility in St. Pete

New athletic center opens in St. Pete

As we’re heading into mid-January, many of us have fallen off on our New Year’s resolutions already. But that’s OK, we can get back on track with a brand-new health space that is celebrating its opening weekend in St. Petersburg. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As we’re heading into mid-January, many of us have fallen off on our New Year’s resolutions already. But that’s OK, we can get back on track with a brand-new health space that is celebrating its opening weekend in St. Petersburg.

The backstory:

We’ve heard it all before: new year, new me. But as the second week of January comes to a close, that may not be the case anymore. By this time every year, a majority of us quit our New Year’s resolutions due to lack of motivation, goal structure and enthusiasm.

But if you’re not wanting to have 2026 start and end like every other year, the new St. Pete athletic facility may be just the spark you’re missing.

What they're saying:

"The public are able to enjoy the food and beverage, the restaurant, bar spaces, the pro shop, and then be able to rent all of the different courts that we have. Huge shot, so. And then the members, anybody from the public can play on a court," Rueben Pressman, managing partner for St. Pete Athletic, said.

Dubbed as St. Pete’s urban country club, in its opening weekend to the public, this 50,000-square-foot facility has 14 pickleball courts, six table tennis courts, a gym, sauna, three bars, restaurants and more. Memberships are sold out, but you can come wine and dine any day, or pay for a day pass to enjoy many of the club's amenities.

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"It's amazing to be able to build something like this as like a amenity and gift to the city, of course, but it's really all about bringing the community together and so having a space that's so multifaceted," Pressman said.

In fact, pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport for four consecutive years. Close to 20 million players joined in 2024, and with that number expected to significantly increase this year, St. Pete Athletic hopes the popularity keeps growing in the area, keeping the community motivated on the health goals they want to achieve.

"Now all the work starts to build the programming, bring the community here, make sure the experiences are top notch and what we want it to be. But yeah, I mean, it feels amazing to finally have the project like open for people to see it and be able to experience it," Pressman said.

Memberships are sold out, but this is still open to the public, seven days a week from 5 a.m. to midnight. Many people join for the social aspect as well.