You never know who could find across the court from you in Canada's fastest growing sport. According to Pickleball Canada, more than a million Canadians play pickleball at least once a month. In two years the sport tripled the number of pickleball players.
Brandon Mackie is the co-founder of Pickleheads.com, a website tracking the growth of the sport across North America.
According to Mackie, searches on the site for pickleball courts in Pelham have increased 42 percent since June of 2023. In Niagara-on-the-Lake, the searches had a 68 percent growth rate while searches in Thorold were up a whopping 219 per cent.
Mackie attributed the growth to two factors: how easy the sport is to learn and the social aspect of the play.
Leah Letford, communications specialist for the Town of Pelham, echoed these comments, attributing the growth in popularity of pickleball to its “easy point of entry.”
“It's quick for people to learn how to play and the costs is limited to just having a set of running shoes, a pickleball paddle and a pickleball ball,” she said. “It allows for a very social activity while also being active.”
Letford said outdoor and indoor pickleball are offered in Pelham five days a week from April to June.
There are sessions for beginners, all-level and competitive players, she said.
“Those run as early as 7 in the morning and we have some that go until 10:30 at night,” said Letford, adding, “There is lots of pickleball.”
The outdoor courts in Centennial Park will open this week, weather permitting, she said.
Pelham hosted pickleball clinics at the MCC earlier this year for both beginner and more experienced pickleballers.
Find more more information about outdoor pickleball courts in Pelham here.
More about pickleball in the MCC here.
