Pickleball was invented in 1965, combining elements of tennis, racketball, and badminton. Over the past few years, it has become very popular in the US.
According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), there are 36.5 million pickleball players in the US as of January 20231. This is a huge increase from the 4.8 million players reported by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 20212.
The SFIA also found that pickleball participation has grown an average of 158.6% over the last three years, making it the fastest-growing sport in America for the past three years.
Pickleball is especially popular among young adults and seniors, as it is easy to learn, fun to play, and can be enjoyed well into one’s later years.
Pickleball is also social, as players can mix and match with dozens of others in a session.
Some additional facts about pickleball are:
- There are currently 10,320 pickleball courts in the US2.
- The pickleball paddle market size is estimated at $152.8 million in 2021 and is forecasted to grow at 7.7% CAGR through 20282.
- The 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships drew nearly 2,300 registered players and offered $150,000 in prize money.
- The 2022 USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championship was the first-ever championship for amateur players and saw 1,193 registrants from all over the country.
Who is Playing Pickleball
Pickleball is a sport that attracts players of different ages, genders, and regions in the US. According to various sources, some of the demographics of pickleball players in the US are:
- The average age of pickleball players in 2021 was 38.1 years, down from 41 years in 20201. This shows that pickleball is gaining traction among the youth.
- The average age of core players (those who play more than eight times a year) was 47.5 years, and the average age of casual players was 33.6 years.
- 33% of the core players were over 65 years of age.
- 27.8% of players were in the age bracket 18-34, which was the highest among all the age groups1. But this age group also had the most number of casual players (33.9% of the total)1.
- 60% of players were men and 40% were women.
- The south-Atlantic region was the home to most pickleball players (around 1 million)1.
- The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) estimated that there were 36.5 million pickleball players in the US as of January 20232. This is a huge increase from the 8.9 million players reported by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 20211.
- The SFIA also found that pickleball participation had grown an average of 158.6% over the last three years, making it the fastest-growing sport in America for the past three years1.
The advantage of a small footprint
One of the advantages of pickleball is the smaller footprint needed to set up a court. Because of this, multiple pickleball courts can be ‘temporarily’ installed over basketball or tennis courts. This has provided easy access to pickleball to a growing number of players.
It also allows facilities to repurpose courts that may have otherwise been left unused. For homeowners, athletic facilities, and HOAs, permanent conversions of tennis courts to pickleball courts can be done quickly. This easier access has allowed more people to participate in the sport.
