DiNKR App Pickleball Dating Connections: Co-founders Dan Brooks and Steve Sebestyen launched the DiNKR app in January to help pickleball players find game partners and, more recently, romantic connections. The app now features an “open to dating” badge for singles, giving players a chance to meet potential partners while enjoying the fast-growing sport.
From Movie Script to Matchmaking
Dan Brooks said the idea for DiNKR started with a comedy movie script. “As we were working on the script, I ran into a friend who did app development. Steve and I were already playing a lot of pickleball and we had this dating app idea from the script. The first iteration of the app was conceived as a way to simplify all the communication mess that people have when trying to organize a game, but the idea of it having a dating app feature was always ingrained in its DNA,” said Brooks.
He added, “Once we got the core functionality figured out, we added the dating part into it because we know that it’s such a dynamic sport. There was always a sort of natural progression and insinuation of extending beyond just platonic matchmaking into a more romantic element.” Steve Sebestyen noted that the name DiNKR is also a playful nod to the dating app Tinder.
Pickleball as a Natural Connector
Both co-founders believe pickleball is the perfect way to meet people. “Pickleball is one of those rare sports where fundamentally the game is all about social exploration. Like a pick-up basketball game, you can just walk up to the court with a paddle and people welcome you in and you make friends with people 20 years your senior and junior,” said Sebestyen.
He continued, “And specifically, in regards to dating, pickleball takes away a lot of stress of what a traditional first date looks like.” Dan Brooks agreed, saying, “There’s a beauty and a brevity of the game that means there’s plenty of opportunities to socialize between games. In pickleball, every 10 minutes you have an opportunity to engage with someone. You’re meeting this vast array of people who want to play, and you have the ability to engage with them in a safe, comfortable environment.”
Moving Beyond Traditional Dating Apps
Dan Brooks believes more people are turning away from standard dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge in favor of interest-based platforms. “People want real connections, and when you go online and find someone you’re interested in, people want to get offline and meet out in the real world. On the pickleball court, you see them in their element, you get to see their character and their personality in a way that you don’t get to through a simple dating platform,” he said.
“Additionally, more people are getting catfished and people aren’t being their true selves. They can present how they want to be in a digital environment,” Brooks added. “Dating is algorithmic, and you’re more likely to get a good sense of who a person is on the pickleball court compared to a dinner date.”
Safety and Organic Connections
Steve Sebestyen explained that DiNKR’s dating feature is designed to protect users. “Additionally, with traditional dating apps, you have things like catfishing and sending unwanted DMs, so we’ve deliberately made the dating function discreet and you can hide invites and DMs if you have unwanted attention,” he said.
He also shared that the app’s social events often lead to natural connections. “We’ve hosted a couple singles events and there’s certainly a hunger and an appetite to combine the dating element with pickleball that initially centered around platonic relationships and the romantic side grows. It happens organically,” Sebestyen said. “No one feels like they’re forced into a speed dating round.”
Sebestyen recalled a recent example. “We had an event a few weeks back and there were two individuals who played a game together. You could instantly tell there was chemistry there. And then a few games later, they organically gravitated towards one another and played another match. It was very evident, lots of smiles back and forth and laughter. But it was so nice to see how these people, in a relaxed setting, are able to develop relationships or friendships that naturally expand into a romantic space,” he said.
Building Community Through Pickleball
Sebestyen emphasized the broader goal of the app. “This app, whether it’s looking for love or just looking for new people in your neighborhood to play with, it’s really about building that community and sharing this passion and joy of the sport,” he said.
News in Brief: DiNKR App Pickleball Dating Connections
Dan Brooks and Steve Sebestyen created the DiNKR app to connect pickleball players for games and dating. Inspired by a comedy movie script, the app features an “open to dating” badge and hosts singles events, allowing relationships to grow naturally while players bond over the sport in a safe, welcoming environment.
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