Pickleball for all in Oceanside, new facility set to open on September 8

A new hub for pickleball enthusiasts is set to open soon in Oceanside, promising to bring the community together with the fun, fast-growing sport.

Pickleball XPO, spearheaded by resident David Ring and his family, is gearing up for a Sept. 8 grand opening, at 3573 Maple Court, featuring a fully catered event and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the Oceanside community. The location previously was home to the Turf Island Indoor Sports Facility and will now be home to the racket sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and whose popularity is exploding.

The new facility, which has been under construction for five months, boasts multiple indoor pickleball courts with premium surfaces, providing players with optimal conditions for both casual games and competitive play. The courts are designed to accommodate players of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced athletes. It will also include a smoothie and iced coffee bar providing a convenient spot for players and visitors to refresh and socialize.

Ring, the owner and driving force behind the center, has made it a priority to support local businesses throughout the development process.

“Everything we’re doing is local,” he said. “The sign company, the catering for the grand opening, even the support from the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce — it’s all from within the community. I had opportunities to go outside for a few bucks more, but I felt it was best to stay local.”

Ring is a retired executive with extensive experience in consumer electronics, including senior roles at retail stores, such as the now-defunct Nobody Beats the Wiz for 20 years, until 1998. He then moved on to Best Buy for 18 years, holding multiple senior roles and founding Best Buy Mobile. In 2018, he joined Samsung, and was responsible for all of mobile sales in the tristate area, serving as senior market development manager.

After retiring, Ring, a 25-year Oceanside resident who now lives in Island Park, said he decided to open the pickleball facility after identifying a growing demand for the sport, particularly on Long Island’s South Shore. He added that he was inspired by his and his family’s love for pickleball and wanted to create a space where people could come together and enjoy the increasingly popular sport.

His wife and son are avid pickleball players, and they recognized a lack of local indoor facilities.

“I knew there was an unmet need, and there’s a tremendous demand for pickleball,” Ring said. “I started to think, if I can get a place, maybe be a good idea to get into this business. If I could do something for my family and the community, it’d be a home run, and everybody was complaining that they had a drive out.”

The closest pickleball facility is Pickleball Plus in West Hempstead.

“It’s quite a bit of a drive, and the only other place that people could play was either outdoors, which you can’t do in the winter time, or some of these parks when there was good weather,” Ring said. “There’s such a demand, and you had to just wait.”

Pickleball XPO will employ a team of 11 staff members, including five coaches for all age groups and skill levels, ensuring everyone from children to seniors can improve their game.

Ring’s partner in this endeavor, Frank Milillo, a 68-year-old Rockville Centre resident, will be one of the coaches at the center. Milillo launched his own business, Long Island Pickleball Pros, in 2020, capitalizing on the growing interest in the sport during the Covid-19 pandemic. When Milillo learned about Ring’s plan to open a pickleball center in Oceanside, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine his passion with a larger vision.

“I realized that with my contacts, experience and love for pickleball, I could be a great fit for this venture,” Milillo said.

Now, as a full-time head pro at the Pickleball XPO, Milillo is eager to help others, of all ages, discover and enjoy the sport.

“Pickleball is not only just a competitive sport, it’s probably the most social sport you’ll ever play,” Milillo said. “You all have pickleball friends, and all you do is talk about the pickleball with your friends. We intend to promote this among everyone, from the second graders, all the way up to 80-year-olds.”

Ring’s son, Sam, 31, who’s handling the marketing and operational end of Pickleball XPO, has a background in events planning and sustainability from Johnson and Wales University and is also passionate about pickleball.

“We’re going to have a lot of tournaments,” Sam Ring said. “We’re gonna be hosting a lot of events in the new event space that we’re building. Event space is the biggest part of the business.”

David Ring’s daughter, Rachel, 23, an Oceanside High School alumna and a current teacher in East Rockaway, has been involved in the staff management side of the business.

“I will have to take a step back a little bit, but once I get kind of the swing of things, I’ll be back,” she said.

Pickleball XPO will also feature dedicated areas for socializing and is equipped to host various events, including tournaments, corporate outings, charity events and community gatherings.

The center’s grand opening will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with Chamber of Commerce members expected to attend, and the event will feature catering from Long Island Bagel in Oceanside.

David Ring expressed hope that the center could become a cornerstone of the community — a place where locals could come together to enjoy the sport, support local businesses and foster connections. He added that he also hopes to support the community in other ways.

“With Best Buy and Samsung, I got involved with some programs where we gave to inner city schools to help out,” he said. “These are the kinds of things we’ll introduce, whether it’s via charitable work or anything we could do potentially down the road with schools through summer camp programs. Where there’s an opportunity to get back, we will try to show some people through sports and leadership that they can make an impact in their communities.

“I have to open the front doors and get business going, but it’s a story I want to tell because I think it’s an important one,” he added.