They say everything is bigger in Texas.
BATL opened its doors in Houston, Texas this past spring – setting the stage for axe throwing to take over. The Houston metro area has long been known as a hub for creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, as well as a thriving hub for arts, culture, and dining. Naturally, all of those factors make BATL a perfect fit – and we’re excited to make Houston the home of our first BATL venue in the Lone Star State, serving the entire area of Greater Houston including The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Baytown, and Conroe.
The Houston Chronicle recently had a feature on BATL Houston, and they summed it up nicely:
Who We Are
It’s been almost 13 years since the Backyard Axe Throwing League brought urban axe throwing to the masses, using the axe as a tool to bring people together. Back in 2006, a group of friends were bored at a cottage outside of Toronto and decided to throw an axe at a stump. Little did they know that this innocent way to pass the time would soon evolve into the creation of a worldwide sport.
Upon returning home to Toronto, BATL founder and CEO Matt Wilson decided to set up a target in his backyard and invite some friends over to show them just how cathartic throwing a sharp axe into wood could be. A point system was created, and soon enough a group of 8 friends would meet every week and engage in some friendly competition. 8 friends quickly grew to 16, and 16 quickly grew to 32. Before he knew it, Matt was hosting 2 full leagues of a total of 60+ per night in his backyard, not including all the spectators that would stop by to catch a glimpse of our exciting new sport. Before long, we had to move our operations indoors – which led to opening 10 locations across Canada between 2015-2018. That was just the beginning.
Expansion Into The US
In 2017, BATL stepped across the border to open our very first location in the United States. We partnered with Throw Nashville to bring BATL’s brand of urban axe throwing to Music City, now BATL Nashville, and that would mark the beginning of our US growth. Shortly after, we teamed forces with Thunderbolt Axe Throwing to bring BATL’s brand of urban axe throwing to the Chicago Masses. It instantly caught on in the windy city, and BATL Chicago has been a driving force in the community or Irving Park ever since. In 2018, we opened the doors to BATL Novi, bringing axe throwing to metro Detroit. Finally, in December of 2018, BATL Scottsdale opened to the public, bringing axe throwing to the Valley of the Sun. The Phoenix greater area now as the ability to experience the unique thrill provided by axe throwing, and we’re excited to begin to grow the sport. Recently, BATL Houston and BATL Orlando opened in 2019.
