From the age of six, Mollie Knaggs thought she’d be a professional tennis player.
Now she’s one of the leading lights in British pickleball – and more importantly, she says, she’s encouraging more people into the sport.
She has a two-pronged strategy for this: through FemPickle – her women- and girls- only initative, giving them a chance to play in a safe and supportive environment – and through Spicy Pickleball Performance Coaching Academy, rolling out great coaching to young talent.
“The very first FemPickle [event] that I did was one of the biggest highlights probably in my life,” she told Pickleball 52, “because so many of those women came along that had never been to another event before, and they felt so safe and so empowered.
“Another thing about me is I’m autistic, and I had about 10 to 15 autistic women come [to the event], that felt safe in that environment, and felt encouraged;[it was] just a place where they could come and play. They wouldn’t go to other [sport] festivals, necessarily, and they came to that one, and that was really special.”
It’s the fulfilment of a dream Mollie has had since discovering pickleball.
“Basically, I first took up pickleball as a hobby. I just found it a really fun thing to do. I’m a performance psychologist coach, and I always had a passion for empowering young girls, and women in general. I’ve done that in other ways, in other forms, before I started playing pickleball.
“So when I found pickleball, because it’s so accessible, that’s what I saw it as – that was almost my priority to do that. I thought, ‘Wow, this is another way to get girls and women in sport and to feel empowered, because anyone can play this sport.’
“That came first – before the playing!”
That’s a big statement bearing in mind the amount of success Mollie has had as a player – notably this year as a silver medallist in the women’s doubles at the English Nationals, a gold medallist in the women’s singles at the English Open, and of course as part of the victorious England team at the European Pickleball Championship.
“The week before the European Champs, I went away on a pickleball trip, and I coached about 25 people on a pickleball holiday, and that was one of the best weeks my entire year: just meeting all those amazing people. About eight to 10 of them came to watch at the European Championships after that, and that made it even more special, the fact that everyone was there, supporting. When I first got into pickleball, I would never have expected to be playing for my country two years later.”
The opportunities that pickleball can offer is something Mollie is keen to emphasise – and she sees its developing professionalism as the route to a bright future. One of her young coaching charges has received offers of university scholarships based on her pickleball performances, meaning she has the chance of pursuing a degree that she may not have been considering prior to getting involved in the sport.
“That’s why I started the [Spicy Pickleball] performance academy, because playing the way that I play, it is where the sport is going. I believe the biggest way to grow the sport is to really highlight the professional side of it, and to highlight the opportunities available to the young people coming through: yes, professional contracts are available to you, scholarships are available to you.”
And though Mollie will definitely be on a court near you in 2025 – and defending that English Open crown, for one – she’ll also be putting a lot of energy into coaching and supporting the next generation.
“[The sport]’s moving forward, so it’s figuring out the best way to help people and just grow it as much as possible. So next year, I will try and coach as many women as possible. I will do the festivals. I also want to [stage] a big competition as well.
“I think the coaching side is really important going into next year. I think that’s where the demand is.”
