Pickleball’s DIY Spirit

Richard Shaw CEO SAPCA

All sports have a culture beyond the rules of the game, an agreed acceptance of what is or isn’t part of how those rules are interpreted. Ultimate frisbee is a sport where, even at international level, there are no referees, while in football “I’m not the referee” is a common term used by players and managers in an effort to make as much advantage as possible from a situation. Both say a lot about the culture of the two sports, the products of the origins of the games and their development.

At the recent Pickleball English Open at Telford I saw a culture of a sport for the first time – and it wasn’t necessarily the one I was expecting. Having seen the rise of padel within the UK for the past four years, I was expecting a similar culture, where private investment looks for opportunities to invest in – and gain a return from – private padel/lifestyle clubs.

Instead, I witnessed a culture that was much closer to a “DIY” attitude. It seems that the development of pickleball has been reliant upon committed individuals that have progressed the game forward – building their own courts and facilities largely outside of the mainstream sports construction industry, while utilising existing facilities, such as badminton and tennis.

From family game to a sport attracting huge numbers, the future of pickleball looks bright

I couldn’t help but detect a wind of change, however. As the sport continues to grow and develop, the need for regularity and reliable performance will increase, as players look for consistency. Like with padel, the sport will no doubt be influenced by countries further down the pickleball development journey. I note that there are already plans for high-end pickleball clubs, for example.

Nevertheless, I walked away from the Telford International Centre in awe of people who had taken disused tennis courts and turned them into a place to play the game they love, as well as those who had painted their own courts without lines. It is individuals like that who have taken pickleball from a family game to a sport attracting the large numbers seen at Telford. With that culture of making it work, the future of pickleball seems very bright indeed.