Pickleball is rapidly growing in Canada from
coast to coast to coast. Pickleball Canada
membership has risen from 7,500 in 2017 to
22,000 in 2020.
Pickleball in Canada has enormous potential and is
celebrated as:
• a sport for all, for life
• a key part of an active lifestyle and personal fitness
• a way to build social connections
• a singles, couples and family sport
• an intergenerational activity
• a sporting pursuit that is inexpensive, that can share
courts with other sports
• a contributor to economic and tourism
development, and a builder of healthy communities.
In Canada, people choose to move to communities
that have courts. People vacation in communities that
have pickleball courts and drive by those that do not.
The Joy of Recreational Ball
To help the sport of pickleball embrace and support
players of all ages, abilities and interests, Pickleball
Canada is placing a special focus on recreational
pickleball over the coming years.
Best Practices From Those Who Know Best
A key Pickleball Canada focus and strategy is tapping
into the experience of front-line pickleball leaders.
Approaches and tactics, successes and challenges will be
gathered and profiled.
Collect and Share
Pickleball stories, insights and advice will be collected
from recreation centres, schools, clubs and other
settings and then shared with other leaders. Many
will benefit as leaders in local communities transfer
knowledge and share perspectives. As more groups
get organized in local communities, tools and support
for leaders will be provided.
What We’ve Heard So Far
Best Practices are emerging in the following areas:
• Smart advocacy with municipal decision-makers to
acquire more courts
• Strong local organizational structures —
visionary leaders
• Sustainable, strategic partnerships with other sports
• Deliberate strategies for inclusive pickleball—
providing opportunities for a variety of
demographic groups
• Pickleball instruction and court time within schools
• Promotion and marketing of pickleball as a benefit
for people and their communities.
Putting Best Practices into Practice
To apply best practices from front-line leaders,
Pickleball Canada will be supporting local communities
and schools.
Community
Organizations
Through pickleball NETworks and a Hub system, local
channels will be set up to promote pickleball, advocate
for courts, connect players with places to play, and create
pathways that assist players to transition and further
develop their game.
Ready-to-use policies, guidelines, lesson plans and
other best practice resources will be fed into the local
hub by Pickleball Canada and provincial pickleball
associations.
A Best Practices Guide will be created and a set of
discussion boards, webinars and other online exchanges
put in place so as to connect front-line leaders. Access
will be provided to National Resource Centre.
Moving Forward
It is estimated that over 80 percent of pickleball
players participate at the recreational or social level.
Pickleball Canada is focused on better understanding
both the challenges and successes being experienced in
local communities and to share the news. It is our intent
to recognize and support new and improved initiatives
that will allow pickleball to continue on the path of being
welcoming, inclusive and accessible in communities and
schools across the country. •
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020 | MAGAZINE 51