Pickleball in the 1960s
1965
Pickleball was invented by Joel Pritchard, who went on to be a US congressman from Washington state, and Bill Bell, a businessman. After returning from a golf trip, they had nothing to do, so they attempted to find badminton equipment to use on the court at Pritchard’s house. As there was no badminton equipment, instead they played with ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball.
At first the net was at the badminton height of 60 inches, but with the ball bouncing well on the surface, they eventually lowered the net to 36 inches, and created a set of rules heavily based on badminton.
Contrary to popular belief, Joan Pritchard, Joel Pritchard’s wife, says the game was named after it reminded her of the ‘pickle boat’. The family did have a dog named Pickles, but the dog came after the invention of the game and was named after the game rather than the other way round.
1967
The first permanent pickleball court is built in the back garden of Joel Pritchard’s friend and neighbour, Bob O’Brian.
Pickleball in the 1970s
1972
A corporation is formed to protect the creation of the new sport.
1976
The first known pickleball tournament takes place in Tukwila, Washington. The first ever winner was David Lester, who beat Steve Paranto in the final of the men’s singles. Few of the participants knew anything about the sport, with many using oversized paddles and balls to practise.
Pickleball in the 1980s
1982
Sid Williams, a pioneer of the sport began playing and organising tournaments in Washington state.
1984
The first ever governing body of the sport is established, with the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) formed.
The USAPA publishes a first ever rulebook this year, and Sid Williams is appointed as the first President, holding the position until 1998.
Also in 1984, Boeing engineer Arlen Paranto manufactures the first composite paddles for the sport. Paranto used fibreglass honeycomb panels used for aircraft to produce around 1000 paddles before selling his new company.
Pickleball in the 1990s
1990
Pickleball is now being played in all 50 states in the USA.
1992
Pickle-Ball, Inc. manufactures pickleballs in-house with a standardised drilling machine.
1999
The first known Pickleball website, Pickleball Stuff, launches this year, helping to provide information on equipment, products and how to start playing.
Pickleball in the 2000s
2001
Earl Hill successfully introduces the sport to the Arizona Senior Olympics, drawing 100 players. This makes it the largest event ever played at this point.
2005
The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) is launched, with the new corporation becoming a non-profit in July of that year.
2008
The sport is shown on ABC’s Good Morning America. This included a short demonstration of play and can be considered the first mass media exposure for the sport. At this point there are around 1,500 individual public courts scattered around the US and Canada.
2009
The first USAPA National Tournament is held in Arizona. Almost 400 players from 26 states and several Canadian provinces are in attendance.
Pickleball in the 2010s
2010
The first international pickleball organisation is founded, when the USAPA create the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP)
2015
The USAPA surpasses 10,000 members, and the total number of pickleball players worldwide is estimated to be over two million. The number of public courts logged on the USAPA database surpasses 10,000 this year.
2016
The first US Open Pickleball Championships are held in Naples, Florida. This includes the first ever nationally televised broadcast of pickleball, on CBS Sports Network.
The first national referee certification programme is launched.
2017
The USAPA National Championships set a record for participation, with over 1,300 players. A two-hour long broadcast of the event goes out nationwide on CBS Sports Network.
The IFP holds the inaugural Bainbridge Cup, a team event which pits North America against Europe. North America win comfortably, 201-119.
2018
USAPA partners with Desert Champions and moves the National Championships to Indian Wells. Over 2,200 people take part in the tournament, and over 17 hours of footage is livestreamed on ESPN3, with a one-hour segment broadcast nationally on ESPNEWS. This event features a $75,000 prize pool, the largest in the history of the tournament.
Karen Mitchell and Frank Arico found Pickleball England, a volunteer organisation established to help organise and manage the sport within England.
2019
Just four years after hitting two million active players, there are now estimated to be 3.3 million. The National Championships draw in 28,000 spectators, and the USAPA now has 40,000 members.
Ken Herrmann forms the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP). The 2022 edition of the tour includes 32 tournaments in five countries, and averages around 800 players per tournament. Total prize money is expected to be around $2 million.
The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) is also founded, although they do not align with USA Pickleball. The 2022 edition includes 20 tournaments, and a total prize fund of roughly $2.5 million.
Pickleball England hold the English Open for the first time.
Pickleball in the 2020s
2021
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association names pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, a title it will retain in 2022 and 2023.
Major League Pickleball (MLP) is founded, consisting of eight teams, with players being drafted in a snake draft format. The league will expand to 12 teams in 2022, and to 16 teams in 2023.
2022
The 2022 USA Pickleball National Championships draw 2,300 competitors, all battling it out for a share of $150,000 in prize money.
2023
The massive growth continues, with over 8.9 million players over the age of six in the U.S. alone.
The new expansion teams in MLP attract a range of investors from the American sports world, including NFL players Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, NBA stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kevin Love, alongside tennis player Naomi Osaka.
Over 1,000 competitors take part in the largest English Open to date, hosted in Telford.
