LEAH JONES( CENTER) WITH TWINS BOONE CASADY( LEFT) AND FORD CASADY. LEAH IS RANKED NO. 2 IN 14U GIRLS SINGLES AND NO. 3 IN DOUBLES. BOONE IS RANKED 10TH IN 16U BOYS DOUBLES AND FORD IS 11TH. PHOTO BY EDDIE ALVAREZ.
Pickleball isn’ t just your grandparents’ game anymore. More younger players than ever are picking up a paddle for the first time. The sport is seeing a surge in popularity among Gen Z( ages 13-28), with young adults( 18-24) showing the highest participation rates. This young generation is driving a new wave of energy and excitement in the game.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’ s( SFIA) 2025 Single Sport Report, the 25-34 age group had the most pickleball players last year at 3.175 million.
Seniors comprise the secondlargest group playing the game we love. According to the SFIA, 3 million players are now 65 and over.
However, young players are a fastgrowing demographic, with nearly 2 million teens playing in 2024.“ Pickleball participation among the 13-17 age group has more than doubled in the past two years,” says the SFIA’ s Alex Kerman.
A typical young pickleball rec player is 14-year-old Alerick Ashby of Weaverville, North Carolina. Alerick played several sports until he tried pickleball at a cousin’ s suggestion. Now he plays pickleball three times a week, and the only other sport he’ s stayed with is soccer, which he plays once weekly.
“ What attracted me to pickleball was the precise power and control [ required ]. I prefer the more fastpaced reactions that pickleball requires and that soccer didn’ t.” Alerick is trying to start a pickleball league in his high school.
Many young players not much older than Alerick are getting national attention on the
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JULY / AUGUST 2025 | MAGAZINE 29