Students all over the UK are back into the swing of university – and getting into the swing of pickleball too.
That’s certainly the case in Exeter, where the University of Exeter Pickleball Club has burst into life in a few short weeks.
Co-presidents Joe Perera and Izzy Drakard had both tried out pickleball before and wanted to give the game its own space at Exeter rather than tagging on to any other racquet sport.
“We decided to take the risk and start a pickleball club as opposed to joining with other existing clubs – this was partly to do with allowing us some creative freedom with sessions,” they explain. “It was also clear to us after talking to a number of students that if we delivered on everything we promised, we would have members that would commit exclusively to pickleball.”
And the figures certainly bear that out.
“Two uni weeks in, we have 130 committed members, twice-weekly sessions, regular socials and still looking to expand!”
They have been quick to thank the support they have received from equipment providers including Frameworks and Fox Pickleball plus the Exeter Pickleball Club.
Get in touch if pickleball is catching the imagination of students at your college or university!
Congrats to this team. There are a growing number of University clubs – we could soon have enough demand for an Inter-University tournament!