A few years ago, Maggie Zheng moved to Los Angeles knowing almost no one.

Like so many adults trying to find their footing in a new city, she was looking for connection. She picked up a pickleball paddle simply as a way to meet people.

What she found was much bigger than a new hobby.

“It was an incredibly easy way to connect with people,” Maggie told us. “You can show up to open play by yourself and within an hour you’ve met ten new people.”

That feeling stuck with her.

As she started playing with recreational players, semi-pros, and pros, she noticed something missing. The energy she felt on the courts—the friendships, the personalities, the creativity—wasn’t reflected in what people were wearing.

“Most people showed up in black, white, or navy because that was all that was available,” she said. “The culture of the sport wasn’t being represented in the clothing.”

Instead of accepting it, she decided to do something about it.

Despite having no background in fashion or manufacturing, Maggie booked a flight to Guangzhou, China, by herself. She spent a month visiting factories and learning the apparel business from scratch. Then she poured another six months into product development before launching Court & Crew’s first collection.

It’s easy to look at where Court & Crew is today and assume it all came together effortlessly.

But Maggie laughs at that idea.

“The messy middle,” she said, “is what people don’t always see.”

“We had so much momentum from the launch, and then it was time to figure out where to go from there. Navigating tariffs and repeated global uncertainty for our second launch was tough. You fixate on everything that’s not working—the endless list of what needs fixing. But you keep going because the community keeps showing up.”

And that’s really the heart of this story.

Because before there were sold-out apparel collections, there was community.

Community Before Product

Maggie started hosting pickleball events in May 2024.

At first, around 30 people showed up.

Within weeks, that number grew to more than 150.

“Community before product has always been my approach,” she said. “I wanted to build the community first, then launch a product into an audience that already cared.”

What helped Court & Crew grow wasn’t some viral social media moment.

“It was consistently showing up and serving our community,” Maggie said, “not just selling to them.”

That mindset has shaped everything Court & Crew has become.

Since launching, they’ve hosted tournaments, pro clinics, dating nights, and a Halloween party that brought together more than 400 people. They’ve designed uniforms for Major League Pickleball teams, outfitted several top-10 pros, and even introduced the first-ever pickleball activation at TwitchCon.

But ask Maggie about her favorite event, and she doesn’t hesitate.

The Event That Changed Everything

For Lunar New Year, Court & Crew hosted an event called Ni Howdy.

It wasn’t just pickleball.

There was line dancing.

There was mahjong.

Local vendors filled the space.

“I’m from Arizona, I love line dancing, I’m Asian, and it’s the Year of the Horse,” Maggie said. “I just had a gut feeling that it would be a sick event.”

The event drew 500 attendees, with hundreds more joining the waitlist. Online, it generated nearly 10,000 shares.

More importantly, it reminded Maggie that community doesn’t have to look one specific way.

“We want to create shared experiences where people feel like they belong,” she said.

Why Pickleball Is Different

One of the reasons Maggie believes pickleball has exploded isn’t just because it’s fun.

It’s because of what happens around the game.

“You don’t need years of training to have a good time,” she said. “The court size means you’re physically close enough to actually talk and joke around while you play.”

She’s watched parents introduce their kids to the sport.

She’s watched adult children teach their parents.

She’s watched friendships form.

“I’ve seen people meet their partners on the court,” she said. “It breaks down a lot of barriers.”

It’s something many of us in the pickleball community recognize immediately.

People come because they want to play.

They stay because they find their people.

More Than Customers

When we asked Maggie what has been most rewarding about building Court & Crew, she didn’t talk about revenue.

She talked about impact.

Introducing people to new hobbies.

Creating experiences they’ll remember.

Watching strangers become friends.

Sometimes even watching those friendships turn into relationships.

“Trust and connection over time is what builds into a following,” she said. “People come for the pickleball, but they stay for the friendships.”

That philosophy also guides the partnerships Court & Crew chooses.

“We’ve partnered with Equinox, The Ritz-Carlton, and hydration brands because those are things our community actually uses and cares about,” Maggie said. “It has to feel like a natural extension of what we’re already doing.”

Even their design philosophy reflects that intention.

“Colorful without being chaotic, elevated without being stuffy,” she explained. “We focused on colors and pieces that people could mix and match with friends. At our events, people tell us they finally found an outfit that feels like them.”

What’s Next for Court & Crew?

Long-term, Maggie sees Court & Crew becoming something much bigger than an apparel company.

“The goal is to build community around the sport through events and eventually dedicated spaces where people can play, meet, and hang out,” she said.

She hopes to repurpose underutilized spaces into gathering places centered around pickleball and connection.

And for anyone hoping to build something of their own in this industry, her advice is simple.

“Don’t wait to feel ready,” she said. “I had zero experience in fashion or production before starting Court & Crew. Discomfort is a muscle, and the more you strengthen it, the more opportunities you’ll find. Focus on serving your community first.”

Before we wrapped up our conversation, we asked Maggie who in pickleball deserves more recognition.

She didn’t name a celebrity.

She didn’t mention a top-ranked pro.

Instead, she talked about the people setting up nets before sunrise. The open-play hosts who remember newcomers’ names. The organizers making sure everyone has a place to play.

“The local organizers and open play hosts,” she said. “They are the actual backbone of the sport’s growth.”

In a lot of ways, that answer says everything you need to know about Maggie Zheng.

Court & Crew may have started as an idea for better pickleball apparel. But at its core, it’s always been about something much simpler.

Helping people find connection.

Helping people find joy.

And helping people find their crew.