Exclusive: New Pickleball England director on LTA threat

Pickleball England’s new National Director Martin Smith wants “to help the sport grow and flourish” – but is well aware that the start of his tenure coincides with the organisation facing a looming threat.

Pickleball England has governed the sport in England since 2019 and has submitted an application for pickleball to be officially recognised as a sport (for clubs to access central funding) and to be chosen by Sport England as the preferred national governing body (NGB).

However, the Lawn Tennis Association has submitted a rival NGB application of its own as it seeks to govern pickleball and replicate its takeover of padel five years ago. An online petition opposing the LTA’s efforts to annex pickleball in the UK is approaching 3,000 signatures.

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Martin steps into this fractious situation having been voted in as successor to Pickleball England’s long-serving National Director and co-founder Frank Arico, who leaves the role to focus on his position as President of the European Pickleball Federation.

Martin is stepping down as Chair of Fleet Aces Pickleball Club in Hampshire to dedicate more time to supporting Chair Karen Mitchell in leading Pickleball England. He knows he’s joining at a critical time for the organisation.

He told Pickleball 52: “Pickleball is a sport in its own right. It deserves its own governing body which will look after it, nurture and grow it in the best interests of that sport, not as a bolt-on to another sport. Look at women’s football which has been an adjunct to men’s football for many decades and has suffered until recent commercial investment.

“Pickleball will flourish under the governance of a dedicated and focused national governing body. It will be a very poor relation if it was under any other organisation, which in this instance just happens to be the LTA. Pickleball doesn’t have anything against the LTA per se, but we are a separate sport and should be respected as such.”

Martin brings a wealth of business acumen and pickleball-specific knowledge into his new role. He has an MBA from London Business School and has held numerous directorships since 2000. He is highly numerate, has good communication skills and is comfortable managing people, developing strategy and leading organisations. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees for a youth charity.

He has been Chair of Fleet Aces since 2019 and in that time the club has grown from 30 to 80 members (plus a 50-person waiting list), from two to six sessions per week and has established strong governance and admin processes.

He regularly plays external events including the English Open, English Nationals, SEPL, South East Doubles League, Irish Open and festivals. Martin is also a regular golfer and yoga practitioner.

He says: “I have always been involved in running organisations and with a sport you love, you really want to see it grow and thrive. I was tempted by the National Director role because I wanted to give something back. I’ve got the time, inclination and some skills which might be helpful.

“Karen and the Board have been doing a fantastic job to get the sport to where it is, so there’s a strong element of continuity. I’d be naive to go in and say, ‘This is my agenda.’ As a new kid on the block, I have to learn and understand the dynamics.

“I want to help get sustainable governance process and frameworks in place that allow the sport to flourish and grow from pro level down to grassroots level. That includes structures around regional and national leagues and allowing anyone to start their pickleball journey – particularly young people – by registering with us. For all that to happen, you need people to organise it. I want to help Karen and the Board continue to do that.”

Pickleball England Chair Karen said: “I am delighted to welcome Martin to the Board. I am sure he will bring new perspective and experience that will set us up for our next phase of growth. Pickleball England is at an important inflection point and I am excited to collaborate with our updated Board to chart our course for the next five years.”

Karen was also keen to pay tribute to Frank Arico with whom she founded Pickleball England five years ago. “Pickleball England would not exist if not for Frank,” she said. “Whilst we were co-founders, Frank was the one with the experience of sports governance and technology.

“Our strengths complemented each other; we learned from each other and became each other’s sanity and reality check. I was feeling bereft with Frank moving away from the Board but I know that he will make a great success of the European Pickleball Federation and wish him well. I also know that he will always be there if needed.”

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