As International Participation grows, pickleball could end up in the Olympics!
Check it out! Linda Scott’s interview with the Chesterfield Observer.
Hopefully, she made the case for more courts!!
Preview a new Pickleball song, got a Dinkin’ Problem by the Cow Cats
High Temperatures Caution
Be very careful when playing pickleball on the outside courts during hot summer days. Take note of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and stroke, and if you or someone else is experiencing symptoms, act quickly.
Guide to Rating Yourself for Pickleball
Rate yourself as a pickleball player. Prem Carnot “the Pickleball Guru” shares a guide to determine rating and goals to move to the next level. Click here
Pickleball Facts from USA Pickleball
Pickleball grew in 2020 to 4.2 million players in the US, an incredible growth rate of 21.3% from 2019 per the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) 2021 Topline Participation Report, released in Feb. 2021. SFIA formed in 1906 and is the premier trade association for top brands, manufacturers, retailers and marketers in the American sporting goods and fitness industry.
In their 2020 Pickleball Participant Report (which includes data through 2019), the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reported pickleball currently had 3.46 million players in the US. Below are a few details from the 2020 SFIA Pickleball Participation Report – the anticipated
2021 Pickleball Participation Report should be released later this year:
- Of the 4.2 million players, 2.8 million were “Casual” players who play 1-7 times a year
- 1.4 million were “Core” players who play 8 or more times a year
- The Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) for all players from 2017 to 2020 was 10.5%, for a total growth rate of 34% over three years
- 61% of participants are men and 39% are women
- The average age for all players is 38.1 years old
- The average age for Core players is 47.5 and Casual players 33.6 years old
- 60% of Core players are 55 or older
- 79% of Casual players are 54 or younger
- From 2016-2020:
- the percentage of Core players ages 54 and younger grew from 40% to 46%
- the percentage of Casual players ages 54 and younger grew from 79% to 80%
- these increases in the percentages of both Core and Casual players less than 55 years of age reflect faster growth among younger players
- The percentages by age of Total, Core, and Casual participants are:
| AGES | TOTAL | CORE | CASUAL |
| 6-17 | 20.1% | 13.3% | 23.4% |
| 8-34 | 27.8% | 15.4% | 33.9% |
| 35-54 | 21.1% | 17.3% | 22.8% |
| 55-64 | 12.6% | 20.3% | 8.9% |
| 65+ | 18.4% | 33.7% | 11.0% |
- The 4.2 million participants represent 1.38% of the US population of 304M people ages 6+; the 1.4M Core players represent 0.33% of that population: demonstrating the tremendous potential for further growth of the sport.
- The SFIA US regions with the largest number of Core participants were:
o South Atlantic (FL, GA, SC, NC, VA, WV, DC) = 283,000
o East North Central (WI, MI, IL, OH, IN) = 262,000
o Pacific (CA, OR, WA) = 255,000
o Mountain (AZ, NV, NM, UT, CO, ID, WY, MT) = 155,000
o These four regions account for 80% of Core players
- 56% of Core players live east of the Mississippi River
Any citation of this data should reference the SFIA report as its source.
USA Pickleball Association usapickleball.org
USA Pickleball was formed in 2005 to promote the sport. It maintains the official rules, sanctions tournaments, provides player rankings and produces the annual USA Pickleball National Championships Tournament. It is run by a Chief Executive Officer, staff and a volunteer board
of directors supported by an all-volunteer Ambassador corp. and thousands of dues-paying members.
USA Pickleball Ambassador Program
USA Pickleball currently has a network of over 1,900 volunteer ambassadors who have pledged to promote both the sport of pickleball and USA Pickleball in their local area. They serve as local representatives for USA Pickleball for all activities related to pickleball within the area they represent. Ambassadors support and abide by all official rules, assist with local clinics/tournaments and look for opportunities to add/grow the game in their community. The USA Pickleball Ambassador Search feature can be found on the USA Pickleball website. Click here.
Community Grant Program
A USA Pickleball Community Grant will provide current USA Pickleball members a maximum of $250 reimbursement for the purchase of qualified pickleball equipment dedicated to a specific location. Special considerations will be given to locations with written “new player” training programs, areas with few pickleball locations in the vicinity, and individuals and groups that USA Pickleball deems most in need of financial assistance. For more information, please Click here.
High School Grant Program
The High School Grant Program will award a maximum of $350 in reimbursement to USA Pickleball members for the purchase of start-up pickleball equipment for regular high school physical education classes and after-school programs. The grants funding will be equally targeted to every defined USA Pickleball region and, when feasible, awarded to different communities within the region. Considerations will be given to schools and districts where pickleball is being introduced into the high school physical education curriculum and to schools that USA Pickleball deems most in need of financial assistance. For more information, please click on the following link: Click here.
USA Pickleball Social Media
USA Pickleball social media followers support the sports steady growth. In December 2020, followers on Facebook numbered 26,527, almost double from two years ago. Instagram was added as a new channel in 2019 and ended the year with 12,383 followers. In November of 2020, USA Pickleball added an official Twitter account. USA Pickleball Social Channels saw 42% year over year growth from 2019 to 2020.
- USA Pickleball@usapickleballassociation
- USA Pickleball Juniors@usapickleballjuniors
- USA Pickleball@usapickleball
- USA Pickleball Juniors@usapickleballjuniors
YouTube
- USA Pickleball@usapickleball