Pickleball has proven to be a huge hit for Brighton-based active holiday company Neilson which has added the sport to its resort activities.
Neilson is proud of the statistic that seven out of 10 guests return to re-live their holiday experience with them again and again – and the addition of pickleball is helping add to their customers’ loyalty.
Neilson Operations Manager Ally Blacklock told Pickleball 52: “We wanted to add pickleball as we get really excited about sports that are accessible.
“Once you learn the rules you can simply pick up a paddle and play. It is such an enjoyable game and it’s so accessible for such a wide range of ages and interests.”
Neilson has added two pickleball courts to its resorts in Messini and Buca, southern Greece. They ran introductory pickleball sessions and a tournament alongside the resort’s usual tennis tournament. They plan to add further pickleball courts by this summer.
In the weekly guests’ customer service questionnaire, pickleball scored 91% positive feedback – and the only negative feedback was that guests wanted more courts!
The statistics showed:
– 1,314 guests (42%) at Messini and Buca took part in pickleball
– 75% of these guests said that they played ‘a lot’ of pickleball on their holiday
– Pickleball was seventh most popular activity out of 13 (“Considering we only had two courts available, this is pretty high up on the list,” Ally commented)
Ex-professional tennis player Mark Petchey, former coach of Andy Murray, now works for Neilson to bring a professional tennis experience to resort guests. Even he has been converted and is now an advocate for pickleball. He attended a Level 1 IPTPA (International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association) training course last year.
Celebrity chef and recent I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here contestant Fred Sirieix is also a brand advocate for Neilson. The firm was also a sponsor at the English Open in Telford last year.
If you would like to visit one of Neilson’s resorts and give pickleball a go in warmer climes, visit: https://www.neilson.co.uk/
So pleased Neilson ( and Mark Warner ) have jumped on Pickleball. They have also had the best tennis programmes and have lost count how many Neilson holidays myself and the kids have been on. Looking forward to meeting Mark Petchey in Rhodes in May ..there is no official PB there just tennis and padel but I expect some paddles will be sneaked in my suitcase ( having set up a PB court in Lemnos at Mark Warner last year 😜)