Decathlon has installed two pickleball courts at its flagship store in London’s Surrey Quays which are the first dedicated pay-and-play indoor courts in the UK.
The sporting goods retailer’s three-storey store in south-east London features many sports facilities including a spectacular rooftop tennis court and an activity space on the second floor which has previously hosted roller-blading, skateboarding, parkour, table tennis and a golf simulator.
The idea to add two pickleball courts to the activity space belonged to Decathlon’s Marketplace Partnerships Manager, Oliver Rawlings.
Oliver is the founder of Central London Pickleball Club, which he started a year ago. Members play every Tuesday at a school in Camden. Oliver discovered the sport while on holiday in Florida three years ago and has been hooked ever since.
He told Pickleball52: “Before I put the courts in at Decathlon, nobody in the office had ever played pickleball before. Now, pretty much everybody at Decathlon is playing.
“I now really want to encourage members of the public to use it so that as many people get to experience the game as possible.”
Staff are already using them every day between 12-1pm and bookings are already busy up until the end of February.
The courts can be booked via the Decathlon Surrey Quays activities page
