By Justin Maloof
USAPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WHAT A
DECADE FOR
PICKLEBALL!
M
any in the pickleball community
may be surprised to learn that USA
Pickleball (USAPA), the national
governing body for the sport in the
U.S., only launched in 2005—a mere
15 years ago. The first years were led by pickleball
Hall of Famer Mark Friedenberg and a dedicated
core group of volunteers who worked tirelessly to
establish an official rule book, equipment standards,
a national membership program, tournament
sanctioning, an association website and, of course,
USAPA’s ambassador program. While the early years
didn’t bear much fruit, key foundational elements
were established in the first five years and we will
be forever grateful to the USAPA “pioneers” who
positioned the organization for long-term success.
In January of 2010, the USAPA was still very much
a fledgling association. The transition from a game
to a sport had yet to materialize and most of the
general public had never heard the term “pickleball”
much less played it. At that time, USAPA had 1,978
members, and there were only 777 known places to
play in the USAPA database. Most equipment was
sold by a handful of vendors who set up shop at local
tournaments and the first USA Pickleball National
Championship was still two years away. My, how times
have changed!
Fast-forward 10 years to 2020. USAPA added nearly
9,000 new members in 2019 and, as of early January,
just surpassed 40,000 members—representing a
1,000 percent increase since 2013! The Places2Play
database has reached nearly 8,000 known locations.
Equipment is now being produced by nearly 130
manufacturers and is available globally through retail
giants such as Amazon, Walmart and Target. The USA
Pickleball National Championships are now played
at the world-renowned Indian Wells Tennis Garden,
one of the world’s premiere sports venues, with a cash
payout last year of $80,000!
Yes, the past decade was monumental for pickleball.
The Sports and Fitness Association estimates there are
now 3.3 million players in the U.S. and tournament
play has skyrocketed, much to the success of
large tournaments such as the USA Pickleball
National Championships, the US Open Pickleball
Championships, the Tournament of Champions and
other high-profile events. The sport has even been
broadcast to a nationwide audience on ESPN and CBS
Sports Network. The past decade also witnessed the
launch of Pickleball Magazine and Pickleball Channel,
two outstanding media sources that have contributed
greatly to the promotion of the sport.
As we look ahead to a new decade, USAPA has
invested substantially over the past year to bolster
staff infrastructure and position the organization for
long-term, sustained growth. While the organization
was built on volunteers who will remain a vital
element of our strategic plan, the addition of
experienced staff will provide much-needed direction
and leadership. Seeing firsthand how much was
accomplished with so little over the past 10 years, I
can’t wait to see where pickleball will be in 2030! •
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2020 |
MAGAZINE
11