Former NFL players invest in new Charleston-area pickleball attraction

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A Super Bowl champion and his brothers are the latest investors in a pickleball attraction coming to Mount Pleasant, which has also added to its executive staff.

Crush Yard has added former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski and his brothers, and other NFL greats including AJ Green and Brian Dawkins, as investors and brand ambassadors, according to a Crush Yard news release.

Matt “McNasty” Manassee, pickleball coach to the stars who recently finished training Emma Watson in CBS’s celebrity tournament “Pickled,” has also been appointed Crush Yard’s chief brand ambassador, the release stated. Those visiting Crush Yard can expect to see and work with him in Mount Pleasant next year.

IPTPA Certified Level II Pickleball Pro Dan Levine has been selected as Crush Yard’s director of pickleball and head pro, and will be offering private and group lessons, facilitating leagues and tournaments and assisting guests with equipment fittings to their custom USA Pickleball pro and tournament certified TMPR paddles, available for rent and purchase on-site, the release stated.

Crush Yard, 3365 S. Morgans Point Road, Mount Pleasant, is expected to open this winter, according to its website. The attraction will feature “elevated pub fare,” according to the site, along with beer from a self-serve tap system, wine and mixed drinks — and of course, pickleball.

Speaking of beer, Crush Yard has partnered with North Charleston-based Holy City Brewing and Summerville-based One Nation Coffee. Holy City has created a micro brew for Crush Yard called Dinker’s Delight, a wheat variety hopped with citra and fermented with orange purée, according to the release. Crush Yard will be pouring custom One Nation coffee in house and selling grounds to take home.

The pickleball club and restaurant features two membership options, the release stated:

• Yard Membership: includes discounts on court reservations, equipment rentals and certain retail purchases, in addition to unlimited soft drinks and the ability to earn credit when purchasing food.
• Crush Membership: includes everything the Yard Membership offers plus free unlimited rentals, bigger discounts, access to daily members-only open play hours and early access to all court reservations and clinic, tournament and camp registrations.