The Background and Growth of Pickleball

Pickleball has existed for decades in the United States. Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell created the sport in Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965. Since then, the sport of pickleball has grown in popularity in the US, leading to the formation of the USA Pickleball Association USAPA.

Moving on from the US-based history of pickleball, the sport is attracting an international fanbase. It’s one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. As of January 2023, there were around 20,000 people playing pickleball in the country. This growing interest led to the creation of the National Pickleball League, which launched its first season in March 2024. As pickleball enthusiasts aim to secure its position as one of the most played racquet sports in Australia, we are unveiling more details of the sport, and looking at its history and future in Australia.

What is pickleball?

The name pickleball comes from the “pickleboat,” which was used by rowers who did not make the cut for the main rowing teams. The sport was given this name to reflect its patchwork nature, as it’s a mix of ping pong, badminton, and tennis.

The rules and equipment for pickleball are similar to ping pong, with additions from other ball sports. The game is played using plastic balls with holes that are similar to a Wiffle ball. Players use a pickleball paddle that has a similar design to ping pong paddles but is larger and has a more rectangular shape.

A pickleball court is a similar size to a double’s badminton court, with a length of 13.41 metres and a width of 6.09 metres. The height of the net is 36 inches.

The courts are much smaller than a tennis court, making pickleball a social sport with players in close proximity to each other. Aside from the social aspect, pickleball is also easy to learn, so it’s an excellent choice for beginners. Most importantly, it’s a fast-paced sport that is a lot of fun to play.

The history of pickleball in Australia

Pickleball has been played in Australia for around eight years, but its popularity has soared in recent years. Pickleball Australia launched in 2020 to create playing opportunities across seven state and territory associations. The organisation’s work includes,

•  Introducing pickleball into communities
• Developing pickleball as a sport in the country
• Enabling recreational play
• Creating a competitive pickleball landscape

The number of members in Pickleball Australia is increasing at a dramatic rate. At the start of 2023, there were just over 4,000 members. This number grew by 99.7% to reach just over 8,000 members by the end of 2023. By 12 March 2024, there were 10,447 members of the organisation. Comparing this figure with other countries, there are 78,766 official pickleball association members in the US, 50,000 in Canada, and 8,000 in England.

These figures suggest that Australia has some way to go to become one of the world’s top pickleball-playing countries, but the growing number of enthusiasts suggests a bright future for the sport, although there are some potential hurdles to overcome.

The future of pickleball in Australia

The National Pickleball League (NPL) is a leading force in the future of the sport in the country. The organisation runs the professional pickleball league in Australia. Its headquarters are in Melbourne, and it arranged the first Australian Pickleball Championships in Marrickville in 2018.

Future NPL events include the NPL Championships Melbourne, from 19 July 2024, 7:30 a.m. to 21 July 2024, 8:00 p.m., and the NPL Championships Sydney, from 13 Dec 2024, 8:00 a.m. to 15 Dec 2024, 8:00 p.m.

While the NPL is taking professional pickleball forward in Australia, it’s also helping enthusiasts develop the sport at the grassroots level. The main obstacle to this is the availability of pickleball courts. In the US, the tennis world has often been reluctant to give up court space to pickleball. However, takeovers have happened, with around 40% of tennis courts converted to pickleball courts for commercial reasons.

This conversion activity has caused clashes between the pickleball and tennis communities in the US. Pickleball fans in Australia do not want any such controversies to happen. They are working with Tennis Australia to put agreements in place and ensure there is room for both sports in the country. So far, Tennis Australia has agreed to integrate pickleball at existing tennis centres only when courts are underutilised.

This could mean that there is a lack of pickleball facilities as the sport continues to grow in popularity. If you want to provide pickleball courts and facilities for your community, we can help ensure players are safe and comfortable by designing a bespoke shade structure for you. To begin the design process, contact us to discuss your pickleball court requirements.