NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY
PLANET
Pickleball
NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL PICKLEBALL COMMUNITY
Greg Rusedski Loves Pickleball !
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By KAREN MITCHELL
NATIONAL DIRECTOR , PICKLEBALL ENGLAND ( PBE )
Former # 1 British tennis players Johanna Konta and Greg Rusedski were the stars of Pickleball England ’ s first pop-up Pickleball SLAM event in Kingston , London . Press and media were invited , along with the PbE board , county representatives and volunteers . There were 130 tickets made available to sell to PbE members .
Around 230 attendees enjoyed Greg ’ s on-court antics . Greg and Johanna were joined on court by top PbE players Thaddea Lock and Louis Laville for the first match , and Pei- Chuan Kao and James Chaudry for the second match .
Then the top four went on to play men ’ s singles , women ’ s singles , and mixed doubles , plus the highlight of the evening , the “ Battle of the Sexes .” The audience members were rooting for Pei and Thaddea to win , and they pulled it off !
The event was a smash hit , with everyone enjoying the atmosphere , the games , and seeing friends within the pickleball community .
Neil Rodford of MCMX , former Fulham Football Club chairman and pickleball fan , had been searching for a site to establish an indoor pickleball club . With a lease signed , Neil checked with the landlord on whether PbE could stage an event at the chosen site . Event license approval was received the 3rd of June , giving us just nine days to organize due to the availability of the players !
We managed to deliver a great experience for everyone attending , showcase our stars appropriately , and create a fun , exciting atmosphere . There wasn ’ t time to get sponsors for the event . However , since MCMX had agreed to Franklin Sports having club naming rights , we were able to support one of our valued partners by promoting the brand — and of course we used the X40 ball for the event .
It had turned into both a PbE popup and a pre-launch party for the proposed club . Subject to planning , this will be the first club in London and the second in the country , as Mike Lynch ’ s Telford Pickleball Club has been successfully operating since last year . More indoor facilities are expected to be announced in the coming months . •
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