Pickleball England have issued a thank you to all the volunteers who have made this year’s events possible.
As with most sports, pickleball is dependent on the dedication of volunteers, from governance and strategy to on-the-ground support on event days.
Pickleball England incorporated on 13th December 2018, launched on 3rd January 2019, and since then volunteers have driven forward the incredible growth of the game in the country.
Chair of Pickleball England Karen Mitchell – a volunteer herself – mentions the six regional directors plus county representatives as well as all the club committees and leaders who bring new people into the game and set them along the path to playing.
And she also highlights the work of event volunteers, often players who will be taking part on the court but who give up some time to make sure everything runs smoothly – with 76 volunteers helping out at the English Open and around 40 at the English Nationals.
“As the events have grown, we needed more volunteers and in 2024 we have had a Head of Volunteer role that Louise Stephens fulfilled for both the English Open and English Nationals,” says Karen. “We introduced some volunteer welfare as well making sure we provided sustenance for their shifts.”
Although there are too many invaluable volunteers to name, Karen gave some examples of people whose contributions make a real difference: “There are a number of London Pickleball players that volunteer to be court monitors – Emma Robins, Elaine Brown, Amanda Traylor, Lyn Jacobs to name some.
“From the north-west, Gordon and Judith Abernathy help with set-up, welcome desk and anywhere they are needed. David Seaman and Paula Harrison helped at the English Nationals and just a couple of weeks later were volunteering at the European Championships helping Head of Volunteers Jackie Arico, who had also volunteered at the English Open and the English Nationals!
“The European Championships had over 40 volunteers with some more local ones helping out including Val and John Dolan who started Moonrakers Pickleball Club, one of the first to be added to our Club Locator in 2019, and have been growing pickleball in the Salisbury area.”
Karen added: “We know there is more that can be done and we will be exploring how we might be able to reward this valuable group of people better going forward. In the meantime, we want to salute these people that are the lifeblood of Pickleball England.”
Do you want to share your story of why you volunteer in pickleball? Get in touch with us at Pickleball 52 – we would love to hear from you!
