The best pickleball programming doesn’t just happen — it has to be managed. Every ladder league, tournament and team event adds another layer of scheduling and communication that creates more work for staff and more opportunities for something to go wrong. Good Game Sports was built to help clubs offer more engaging events without creating more operational headaches.
Founded by former competitive tennis player and software engineer Dinakar Talluri, Good Game Sports is an event management platform designed specifically for racquet sports facilities. The software is intended to streamline the entire event experience while giving operators the flexibility to offer more organized play without dramatically increasing staffing needs.
The idea came from Talluri’s own experiences running tournaments. After years of competing in tennis and helping organize UTSA events, he discovered pickleball during the pandemic. He began hosting tournaments around the Washington D.C. area because there weren’t enough competitive opportunities available.
As participation grew, he found himself answering the same questions over and over. Players wanted to know who they were playing next, when their next match started and where they needed to go. Managing brackets and schedules became time consuming, prompting Talluri to build a simple application that automated much of the process. Before long, local facilities began asking to use it, eventually leading Good Game to begin licensing the software to clubs.
Today, Talluri sees the platform as a way for clubs to make organized programming a bigger part of their business without adding operational complexity.
“We’re seeing some stats with some of our facilities based on research that almost 90% of the registrations come from event registrations per single facility,” said Talluri. “Our goal is to really be helping them in terms of being more event-focused and running a lot of these events with less staff.”
Good Game is also built around the idea that players can take on some of the routine tasks that traditionally fall to club staff.
Instead of relying on employees to enter every score or answer every scheduling question, players can submit scores from their phones, check standings and see where they’re playing next. Staff members only need to step in when exceptions occur such as injuries or player withdrawals.
“It gives a lot of powers to the players,” said Talluri.
The software is also designed to adjust automatically when those unexpected situations arise, allowing brackets and schedules to continue without requiring operators to start over. For clubs already operating with smaller teams, that flexibility can make a difference in how much programming they can support.
The types of events players are looking for are changing, meaning technology needs to keep up as well. Talluri said clubs are moving beyond traditional open play and simple round robins as players seek more structured competition and ways to measure their improvement. Ladder leagues, MLP-style competitions and other creative formats are becoming more popular because they give participants something to work toward while encouraging repeat play.
To support those evolving expectations, Good Game offers more than 20 event formats that clubs can tailor to their own programming, giving operators the ability to experiment with different types of leagues and competitions while keeping the administrative side manageable.
For Talluri, the real value is giving clubs the capacity to turn organized programming into a larger driver of engagement and revenue.
His advice to operators is to embrace technology that allows players to participate in the event management process.
“That little switch unlocks so much additional revenue and the ability to run so many more events because now your staff can manage two to three events,” he said.
Rather than replacing staff, Talluri believes technology should allow existing teams to accomplish more. By reducing the administrative burden associated with organized play, clubs can devote more attention to creating new programming and delivering better member experiences.
“We all have the same goal in mind,” said Talluri. “We all want to help pickleball grow. We all want to encourage more people to play — whatever we can do to help.”
As clubs continue looking for ways to differentiate themselves, organized programming is shifting from just another amenity to a competitive advantage. Good Game Sports is betting that by making those events easier to manage, operators can create better experiences for players while building a stronger, more efficient business in the process.
Prefer to listen? The full interview can be found on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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Jordan Meek is a staff writer for Pickleball Innovators, where she covers the rapidly evolving business of pickleball — from facility growth and technology to player experience and industry strategy. A graduate of Denison University with a degree in Journalism, she joined Peake Media in 2025 and brings a passion for storytelling and curiosity to every piece. Jordan is driven to spotlight the leaders shaping the sport and uncover insights that help operators thrive in the fastest-growing game in America. Reach her at jordan@peakemedia.com.
