\u201cI wasn\u2019t a tennis player before and had no prior racket experience. No tennis, badminton, table tennis. I was just straight pickleball from the start,\u201d says Robertshawe. <\/p>\n
His path to the game is not uncommon \u2013 and according to national pickleball coach Chris Palmer, it\u2019s part of the attraction. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe number one thing about pickleball is, fundamentally, it is a simple game where people can pick it up very, very easily. The benefit there is people who maybe have not played a lot of sport in their youth can get involved and start to participate and start to join in really quickly,\u201d says Palmer, potentially explaining the \u201celderly participation\u201d element of the sport.<\/p>\n
Prebbleton Pickleball club player Shae Manarangi agrees \u2013 though he came to the sport from tennis two years ago. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t really take much skill, I would say, not compared to tennis. But pickleball is quite fun, you know? You can see everybody\u2019s enjoying themselves,\u201d says Manarangi, pointing at the 50-strong group behind him on a Thursday night in spring. <\/p>\n
Pickleball\u2019s explosion<\/p>\n
The sport\u2019s boom has echoed across the globe and been felt by its economy. Recent research suggests the amount being spent each year on equipment alone is over US$1.6 billion ($2.78b). That figure is projected to almost double by 2032 to a whopping US$3.1b.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis substantial growth reflects the sport\u2019s unprecedented popularity surge, driven by its accessibility across age groups, the establishment of professional leagues, and significant investments in sports infrastructure development worldwide,\u201d reads the report recently published by Meticulous Research. <\/p>\n
The overall numbers are much humbler in New Zealand \u2013 but the growth rate is similar. Officials believe participation numbers have doubled annually since 2019. <\/p>\n
Pickleball New Zealand Association (PNZA) currently has over 80 playing locations listed, with one source estimating a player base of over 5000 people. To put that into context, New Zealand has around 400 tennis clubs with almost 150 years\u2019 head start. <\/p>\n
PNZA\u2019s official numbers indicate an \u201cactive\u201d player pool of over 1000. They say the discrepancy is most likely down to how active each player is, from the seriously competitive to the casual participant. Both the number of players and the number of venues are growing rapidly. Played on the same size court as badminton, pickleball has slotted into existing infrastructure, enabling its accelerated popularity. <\/p>\n
While the sport\u2019s value in New Zealand is measured in millions of dollars rather than billions, the serious players still spend some serious cash. PNZA says there\u2019s not yet direct data on the economic value or total spending on pickleball here \u2013 but by using spending estimates, the association is able to work out approximate figures. Court hire, equipment, membership and coaching all contribute to the multimillion-dollar turnover from the sport. <\/p>\n
In the US, across casual, intermediate and advanced players, spending ranges from US$200 per year to US$7000. PNZA estimates their active players spend on average $1000 per year, with casual players averaging $500. A \u201crough estimate\u201d suggests the total turnover in New Zealand could be as much as $3.5 million. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople love the sport. Once you play it a couple of times, it\u2019s very addictive, partly because of how easy it is to start with and therefore you see progress very quickly,\u201d says Palmer. <\/p>\n
Dedicated outdoor public pickleball courts recently opened in Timaru \u2013 a sign the sport is slowly being catered for \u2013 but Palmer thinks facilities are the sport\u2019s biggest handbrake in this country. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are not enough dedicated pickleball facilities. Therefore, pickleball is always having to find a location and usually converted badminton courts is the main first step, but that also means that whenever you want to play, there\u2019s a fee to play,\u201d says Palmer. <\/p>\n
Comparing it with tennis, where players would simply join a club with an annual membership fee, Palmer says pickleballers are often paying for each session. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, from that regard, it\u2019s reasonably expensive as a sport.\u201d <\/p>\n
The cost of equipment is more consistent with other racquet sports, says Robertshawe. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re looking at a top-of-the-line pickle paddle, it\u2019s up there with tennis and badminton and table tennis where you\u2019re looking at maybe $500 to get the top piece of equipment.\u201d <\/p>\n
Robertshawe has a sponsor who provides his equipment for him.<\/p>\n
Affordability is the number one driver for the Prebbleton Pickleball Club near Christchurch. They\u2019ve outgrown their facilities twice and have now expanded session times to cater to the growing numbers they\u2019re attracting. Founders John Tan and Graeme Gemmell are proud of the fact they\u2019ve kept session fees to just $5 (for three hours) \u2013 they think they must be one of the cheapest clubs operating. <\/p>\n
Their Thursday night session at the Lincoln Events Centre feels like a perfect microcosm of the global movement. Sweaty enthusiasm meets social interaction. There are as many smiles as there are pickleball paddles. Manarangi says he knows everybody there. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome of them are from church, some of them from tennis, some of them are from work, so quite different environments all come together. That\u2019s the good thing about pickleball \u2013 you get to meet new people,\u201d says Manarangi. <\/p>\n
World Cup <\/p>\n
Robertshawe and Palmer lead a New Zealand team competing at the World Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which seems like it should be the game\u2019s birthplace. It\u2019s not. That honour belongs to Bainbridge Island in Washington State, where it was recently recognised as the state sport. <\/p>\n
Still, from October 28 – November 2, Fort Lauderdale will host the finest players in the world \u2013 and among them, the Kiwi team will arrive with high hopes. <\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, we made it to the quarter-finals, which I was really, really proud of. I think this year we can at least get to the semis,\u201d says Robertshawe. <\/p>\n
The World Cup is a team event that includes male and female players with a series of singles, doubles and mixed-doubles matches. <\/p>\n
Palmer is slightly more circumspect in his assessment of the team\u2019s chances. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d hope to get into the round of 16 at the minimum, so getting out of our pool and then going through the knockouts, that would be our hope,\u201d says Palmer. <\/p>\n
The tournament is short and sharp but Robertshawe is anticipating an electric environment. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about four days long, but I\u2019m super excited. The atmosphere that\u2019s gonna be there is, I know it\u2019s gonna be incredible, from the experience I had going to the same event last year,\u201d says the Kiwi captain. <\/p>\n
The hosts will start as favourites, according to the coach. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Americans are far and above the best in the world,\u201d says Palmer, explaining that US players are exposed to the highest level without having to leave home. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the States especially, and in Europe and Asia, there are professional tournaments where the top players are 100% professional and are living off earnings from that. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not earning millions, but they\u2019re probably earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when they\u2019re performing well,\u201d says Palmer. <\/p>\n
Robertshawe wants a cut of that prizemoney \u2013 and Palmer is frank in his assessment of the Kiwi number 1. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s very good.\u201d <\/p>\n
Robertshawe\u2019s ambition to turn his passion into a career will likely take him away from our shores. <\/p>\n
\u201c[I\u2019m] Looking to possibly move to a place where there\u2019s a bit more pickleball infrastructure. That\u2019s probably a longer-term goal. At the moment, it\u2019s likely to be Aussie,\u201d says Robertshawe. <\/p>\n
New Zealand having its first professional pickleballer could soon be a reality, while there remain thousands who enjoy a casual, social hit every week. <\/p>\n