Pickleball in Australia#History
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox sport overview
| title = Pickleball in Australia
| image = File:This_is_the_logo_for_Pickleball_Australia_Association.png
| caption =
| union = Pickleball Australia Association
| country =
| sport = Pickleball
| noncountry =
| nickname = PAA
| first = 2010
| registered = 16,729 {{As of|2025|02|05}}{{cite web |title=Who Are Pickleball Australia |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/ |website=PickleballAus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=21 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241121002419/https://www.pickleballaus.org/ |archive-date=November 21, 2024}}
| clubs = 267
| national_list =
| club_list =
| intl_list =
| Name =
| match =
| league =
| fan_org =
}}
Pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis,{{Cite web |title=The Essential Rules of Pickleball: A Quick Overview |url=https://www.teampickleball.com/blogs/the-playbook/essential-rules-of-pickleball |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Team Pickleball |language=en}} was invented in the United States in 1965, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Labeled the fastest growing sport in the United States since 2021, the sport is rapidly gaining popularity in Australia.{{cite web |last1=McMahon |first1=Neil |title='It's a bit addictive': why the sport of pickleball is surging in Australia |url=https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/it-s-a-bit-addictive-why-the-sport-of-pickleball-is-surging-in-australia-20230113-p5cccw.html |website=theage.com.au |publisher=The Age |access-date=22 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716030537/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/it-s-a-bit-addictive-why-the-sport-of-pickleball-is-surging-in-australia-20230113-p5cccw.html |archive-date=July 16, 2024 |date=January 14, 2023}}
In September 2024 AusPlay, a report issued by Australia's Clearinghouse for Sport, in coordination with the Australian Sports Commission, found that as of June 2024 over 92,000 Australians had played the sport in the previous year.{{cite web |title=AUSPLAY RESULTS - from July 2023 onwards |url=https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results#data_tables_br_july_2023_june_2024 |website=clearinghouseforsport.gov.au |publisher=Australian Sports Commission |access-date=15 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211094859/https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results#data_tables_br_july_2023_june_2024 |archive-date=February 11, 2025}} Trilogy Funds, the title sponsor for the 2024 Australian pickleball championships, declared pickleball as, "Australia's fastest growing sport".{{cite web |last1=Larkin |first1=Mitch |title=Australia's fastest growing sport – Pickleball |url=https://trilogyfunds.com.au/blog/news-media/australias-fastest-growing-sport-pickleball/ |website=trilogyfunds.com.au |publisher=Trilogy Funds |access-date=22 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241031044725/https://trilogyfunds.com.au/blog/news-media/australias-fastest-growing-sport-pickleball/ |archive-date=October 31, 2024 |date=September 3, 2024}}
History
The first time pickleball is known to have been played in Australia was in 2010 in the Sunshine Coast Region of Queensland, but it wasn't until 2015 that the sport started to be taken more seriously. The first purpose-built Australian pickleball courts were installed in 2016, in Caboolture, Queensland, with the first pickleball association, the Pickleball Association of Australia (PAA), formed in 2017. The original Pickleball Association of Australia was renamed the Pickleball Association of Queensland (PAQ) in 2020, when a new Pickleball Association of Australia was formed to act as the national governing body for Australia.{{cite web |title=About |url=https://pickleballqueensland.org/about |website=pickleballquensland.org |publisher=Pickleball Association of Queensland, Inc. |access-date=21 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317035903/https://pickleballqueensland.org/about |archive-date=March 17, 2024}}
From January 24th to the 26th, at the end of the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, the Australian Open (AO) held its first AO Pickleball Slam tournament with one hundred thousand dollars in prize money.{{cite web |title=AO Pickleball Slam A global stage for a growing sport |url=https://ausopen.com/pickleballslam#!?videoId=6316333239112 |website=ausopen.com |publisher=Tennis Australia |access-date=6 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127105718/https://ausopen.com/pickleballslam#!?videoId=6316333239112 |archive-date=January 27, 2025}}
Governing body
The Pickleball Australia Association (PAA), a not-for-profit organization, was formed in 2020 to act as a nationwide governing body for pickleball. The PAA held its first Pickleball Australia State Member Strategy Conference in February 2025.{{cite web |title=Pickleball Australia Charts Bold Strategic Future at Inaugural State Member Conference |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/pickleball-australia-charts-bold-strategic-future |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=17 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250217154605/https://www.pickleballaus.org/pickleball-australia-charts-bold-strategic-future |archive-date=February 17, 2025 |date=February 11, 2025}}
The PAA state members include the following subnational organizations:{{cite web |title=Our State Members |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/m/19731/p/1297323 |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=21 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113210114/https://www.pickleballaus.org/m/19731/p/1297323 |archive-date=November 13, 2024}}
- Australia Capital Territory - Pickleball Association of the Australian Capital Territory (PACT)
- New South Wales - Pickleball Association New South Wales (PANSW)
- Queensland - Pickleball Association of Queensland (PAQ)
- South Australia - Pickleball South Australia Association (PSAA)
- Tasmania - Pickleball Association Tasmania (PAT)
- Victoria - Pickleball Victoria (PV)
- Western Australia - Pickleball Association of Western Australia (PAWA)
The following reflects the pickleball-related statistics reported in Pickleball Australia's Annual Reports.{{cite web |title=Annual Reports |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/annual-reports |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=18 February 2025}}
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| width=10%|Report Year
! width=10%|PAA Members ! width=10%|Female Members ! width=10%|Male Members ! width=10%|Avg Member Age ! width=10%|Players Nationwide |
|---|
| 2019/2020
| 967 | | | | |
| 2020/2021
| 2,000+ | | | | |
| 2021/2022
| 3,800+ | 57% | 42% | 59 | 12,000+ |
| 2022/2023
| 7,300+ | 55% | 44% | 57 | 25,000+ |
| 2023/2024
| 15,166 | 53.7 | 45.8% | 56 | 92,641 |
=Rating system=
A rating system assigns each player an individual score based on their skill level. Their skill level can be assessed by evaluating the player against a standard table of progressively harder skills, or assigned using an algorithm based on actual game results. In March 2025 the PAA announced that the Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating system (DUPR), would be the official rating system for all PAA sanctioned tournaments.{{cite web |title=DUPR Named Official Rating System of Pickleball Australia |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/dupr-named-official-rating-system-of-pickleball-au |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=26 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426235039/https://www.pickleballaus.org/dupr-named-official-rating-system-of-pickleball-au |archive-date=April 26, 2025 |date=March 21, 2025}}
=Ranking system=
A ranking system lists all players, or teams, in a hierarchical order based on accumulated points they earn at each tournament they play. In 2024 the PAA implemented its first nation-wide pickleball ranking system and revised it in 2025. Each PAA sanctioned tournament is assigned a tier level, 1 through 6, and each tier level awards points to players based on their placement in the tournament. The higher the tier, the more points that are available.{{cite web |title=2025 Australian Rankings |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/rankings |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=27 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226162416/https://www.pickleballaus.org/rankings |archive-date=February 26, 2025 |date=January 2025}}
Professional pickleball tours and leagues
=National Pickleball League Australia=
The National Pickleball League Australia (NPLA) was established in January 2023, with its inaugural tournament held in July 2023 on the Gold Coast.{{cite web |title=NPL CEO Ron Shell Chats State of Pickleball in Australia Ahead of 2024 Season 1 Launch |url=https://hauspickleball.com/npl-ceo-ron-shell-chats-state-of-pickleball-in-australia-ahead-of-2024-season-1-launch/ |website=Haus Pickleball |publisher=Haus Pickleball Media |access-date=23 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005015042/https://hauspickleball.com/npl-ceo-ron-shell-chats-state-of-pickleball-in-australia-ahead-of-2024-season-1-launch/ |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |date=October 1, 2023}} The NPLA's first full season started in March 2024 with 18 teams across 3 states, each team having 6 players (3 men and 3 women). The competitions consisted of a specialized team format called NPLeague with a total prize of $100,000.{{cite web |last1=Wiggins |first1=Holly |title=National Pickleball League bringing the world's buzziest sport to Australia in $100,000 competition |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/streamer/national-pickleball-league-bringing-the-worlds-buzziest-sport-to-australia-in-100000-competition-c-13491610 |website=The West Australian |publisher=West Australian Newspapers Limited |access-date=23 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240419194627/https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/streamer/national-pickleball-league-bringing-the-worlds-buzziest-sport-to-australia-in-100000-competition-c-13491610 |archive-date=April 19, 2024 |date=February 6, 2024}} The finals for season 1 were held in June 2023 with the Jalapenos of Victoria winning the $50,000 top prize.{{cite web |title=PRESS RELEASE: National Pickleball League Season 1 Champions – The Jalapenos, Win $50,000 As Australia's Inaugural Professional Pickleball League Winners |url=https://getthewordout.com.au/press-release/press-release-national-pickleball-league-season-1-champions-the-jalapenos-win-50000-as-australias-inaugural-professional-pickleball-league-winners/ |website=Get The Word Out |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123234749/https://getthewordout.com.au/press-release/press-release-national-pickleball-league-season-1-champions-the-jalapenos-win-50000-as-australias-inaugural-professional-pickleball-league-winners/ |archive-date=November 23, 2024 |date=June 5, 2024}} The Season 2 NPLA finals was won by the Queensland Caterpillars in November 2024.
On October 23, 2024, it was announced that the NPLA would be the exclusive Oceania league and tournament provider for Pickleball World Rankings (PWR). NPLA tournaments will be incorporated into the PWR World Tour where participants can earn points to qualify for the PWR World Series.{{cite web |title=PWR (Pickleball World Rankings) Announces NPL Australia as their Exclusive & Official Oceania Tournament & League Provider for 2025 |url=https://www.nplpickleball.com.au/news-1/pwr-(pickleball-world-rankings)-announces-npl-australia-(national-pickleball-league%2C-australia)-as-their-exclusive-%26-official-oceania-tournament-%26-league-provider-for-2025 |website=nplpickleball.com.au |publisher=National Pickleball League |access-date=28 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241029152850/https://www.nplpickleball.com.au/news-1/pwr-(pickleball-world-rankings)-announces-npl-australia-(national-pickleball-league%2C-australia)-as-their-exclusive-%26-official-oceania-tournament-%26-league-provider-for-2025 |archive-date=October 29, 2024 |date=October 23, 2024}}
=Major League Pickleball Australia=
Pacific Pickleball, and the Pacific Pickleball League, were founded by Adam Thompson and Anthony Liveris.{{cite web |last1=Samios |first1=Zoe |title=Pickleball is about to go major league in Australia |url=https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/pickleball-is-about-to-go-major-league-in-australia-20230907-p5e2s7 |website=Financial Review |publisher=The Australian Financial Review, Nine Entertainment Co. Pty Ltd |access-date=26 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715203625/https://www.afr.com/companies/sport/pickleball-is-about-to-go-major-league-in-australia-20230907-p5e2s7 |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |date=September 8, 2023}} In September 2023, shortly after the Pacific Pickleball League was established, the organization worked out a cooperative agreement with Major League Pickleball in the United States, and the Pacific Pickleball League was rebranded Major League Pickleball Australia (MLPA). All games are played following the MLP team format established by the MLP in the United States. Pacific Pickleball continued to operate the Australian Open and Masters pickleball tournaments following the traditional tour format.{{cite web |last1=Howarth |first1=Adam |title=G'Day, Mate: Major League Pickleball And Pacific Pickleball Announce Partnership |url=https://pickleballunion.com/major-league-pickleball-pacific-pickleball-partnership/ |website=PickleballUnion.com |publisher=Pickleball Union |access-date=5 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241103220902/https://pickleballunion.com/major-league-pickleball-pacific-pickleball-partnership/ |archive-date=November 3, 2024 |date=September 8, 2023}}
=PPA Tour Australia=
In February 2024 the Pacific Pickleball organization was itself rebranded as the PPA Tour Australia after reaching an official partnership with the Professional Pickleball Association Tour in the United States.{{cite web |last1=Carter |first1=Sange |title="PPA Tour Australia" Brings Elite Pro Pickleball Tour Down Under through Partnership between PPA Tour and Pacific Pickleball |url=https://ppatour.com.au/partnership-with-pacific-pickleball-and-ppa-tour/ |website=ppatour.com.au |publisher=PPA Tour Australia |access-date=5 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241023115325/https://ppatour.com.au/partnership-with-pacific-pickleball-and-ppa-tour/ |archive-date=October 23, 2024 |date=February 22, 2024}}
Other tournaments
=Australian Pickleball Championships=
The Australian Pickleball Championships (APC) have been held since 2018, except 2020 and 2021, when the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |title=Past Champions |url=https://www.pickleballaus.org/apc-past-champions |website=pickleballaus.org |publisher=Pickleball Australia Association |access-date=26 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312155418/https://www.pickleballaus.org/apc-past-champions |archive-date=March 12, 2025}}
=AO Pickleball Slam=
Professional pickleball made its first appearance at the Australian Open in 2025 with a $100,000 prize purse. The invitational tournament had a total of 24 players, including many of Australia's top pros, as well as select international players. A team-based format with two men and two women on each team was used, with a total of six teams. Team names were selected from Melbourne's most popular laneways.{{cite web |title=AO Pickleball SLAM 2025: Highlights, Results & Key Takeaways |url=https://www.aussiepickleballbros.com/playing-pickleball/ao-pickleball-slam-2025/ |website=aussiepickleballbros.com |publisher=Aussie Pickleball Bros |access-date=7 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250407143714/https://www.aussiepickleballbros.com/playing-pickleball/ao-pickleball-slam-2025/ |archive-date=April 7, 2025 |date=February 8, 2025}}
Popular culture
In 2024 Australia-owned Moose Toys began selling Pickleball Blast, a table-top game inspired by the sport of pickleball.{{cite web |title=Pickleball Blast |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/425646/pickleball-blast |website=boardgamegeek.com |publisher=Board Game Geek |access-date=15 February 2025}} The two-player children's game requires players to use a hand-held mechanical paddle to hit a plastic pickle back and forth over a net while trying to flip the lids of the opponent's pickle jars.
Pickleball Rules In Australia
Pickleball in Australia is governed by the Pickleball Australia Association (PAA), which aligns its rules and regulations with the Global Pickleball Federation's standards. The official rules are detailed in their Pickleball Rulebook, accessible through the PAA's website. You can also find a more simple [https://pickleballcollective.com.au/pickleball-rules/ guide to pickleball rules in Australia] on the PAA's website.
References
{{reflist}}