To mark World Pickleball Day 2023, Pickleball England is partnering with Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) to provide more pickleball courts and club sessions, along with the introduction of competitions and festivals at their Better leisure facilities over the next year.
There are 262 Better leisure centres across the UK, with facilities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The leisure centres will host the new events, opening up new opportunities for players around the country to play more of the sport.
This should also ease some of the pressure on surrounding venues, with many players and clubs struggling to find a place to play.
Players will also have the opportunity to cut their teeth in a more competitive environment, with tournaments and festivals allowing them to test their skills against other players in their local area.
Andrew Clark, Head of Sport at GLL said: “Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Its popularity stems from the fact it is easy to master, fun and sociable to play and suited to all ages and levels of fitness.
“We’re delighted to be working with Pickleball England to bring this fantastic game to more people across the country and expect to see its popularity grow rapidly within the UK as it has done in other countries.”
This sentiment was echoed by Pickleball England’s chair, co-founder and director, Karen Mitchell, who said: “We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with GLL. Pickleball is a fun, accessible sport for any age and ability and the rapid growth we’ve seen in our sport to date is testament to that.
“GLL is the perfect partner to further increase pickleball participation across the UK, and we want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved with the sport by coming along to one of the upcoming sessions at their local Better leisure centre.”
