PRESS RELEASE 19.2.24
Get Fit for Free this 29th February with Pickleball England and Better
Fancy trying one of the fastest growing sports in the world for free this February? Want to put the leap year to good use by getting active and meeting new people?
As part of a partnership with Better, the charitable social enterprise that operates leisure centres across the UK, Pickleball England has announced that they will be offering free pickleball taster sessions this February 29th, as part of a nationwide campaign to encourage the public to get active on the extra day of the year.
A hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball is a fun, exciting game for people of all ages and abilities. It is played on the same size as a badminton court, using a shorter tennis-style net. Games are in singles or doubles and players use paddles to hit a plastic ball between one another, usually playing up to 11 points.
Loved by celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian, pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport, with 36.5 million Americans playing during the past year. The sport is growing rapidly this side of the Atlantic too, with Pickleball England reporting a 65% increase in membership in 2023.
With over 50 Better Leisure centres currently offering pickleball at their venues, including Belfast, Cardiff and London, Pickleball England and Better are encouraging the public to sign up to a free taster session near them. Equipment is all provided, so all you need is a bottle of water and you’re ready to go.
Pickleball England has also opened up the initiative to their clubs and venues across the country too, making it easy for everyone to find a free local session near them.
Commenting on the campaign, Andrew Clark, Head of Sport at Better said: ‘We are seeing significant interest in Pickleball amongst our members and as a result are offering Pickleball sessions at an increasing number of the leisure centres we operate. Its popularity stems from the fact it is easy to master, fun and sociable to play. We hope this Leap Year initiative will see even more Pickleball converts take to the court.’
Karen Mitchell, Chair & Co-founding Director of Pickleball England added: ‘We’re thrilled to be working with Better Leisure centres for our Leap Year initiative. Pickleball is a fun, accessible sport for any age and ability and the rapid growth we’ve seen in our sport to date is testament to that. We want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved with the sport by coming along to one of the free taster sessions at their local Better leisure centre or nearest club!’
For further information and to book a free Pickleball taster session on 29th February visit https://www.better.org.uk/what-we-offer/activities/pickleball. For more information about pickleball or to book a session at a local venue, head to the ‘Club Locator’ section on the Pickleball England website www.pickleballengland.org.
Leap Year Day Free Taster Session Participating Venues
GLL and Pickleball England announce new partnership to mark World Pickleball Day
GLL has announced – on World Pickleball Day 2023 – a new partnership with Pickleball England, which will see more pickleball courts, club sessions and the introduction of competitions and festivals, hosted at Better facilities over the coming 12 months.
Fast becoming one of the most popular racket sports in the world, pickleball brings together some of the best elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and is a fun, exciting game for people of all ages and abilities. It is played on a court the same size as a badminton court, using a shorter tennis-style net. Players use paddles to hit a plastic ball between one another across a net.
Loved by celebrities from Leonardo DiCaprio to Bill Gates and Kim Kardashian, pickleball is America’s fastest growing sport* 2023 with 36.5 million Americans having played Pickleball during the past year** that’s 14% of the population. The fastest growing age bracket for participants is the 18yrs – 24yrs group.
Commenting on the new partnership, Andrew Clark, Head of Sport at GLL said: “Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Its popularity stems from the fact it is easy to master, fun and sociable to play and suited to all ages and levels of fitness. We’re delighted to be working with Pickleball England to bring this fantastic game to more people across the country and expect to see its popularity grow rapidly within the UK as it has done in other countries.”
Karen Mitchell, Chair & Co-founding Director of pickleball England added: “We’re thrilled to announce our new partnership with GLL. Pickleball is a fun, accessible sport for any age and ability and the rapid growth we’ve seen in our sport to date is testament to that. GLL is the perfect partner to further increase pickleball participation across the UK, and we want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved with the sport by coming along to one of the upcoming sessions at their local Better leisure centre.”
To celebrate World Pickleball Day, Better leisure centres across the UK will be running Pickleball taster sessions for anyone who wishes to give the game ago.
Participating locations include:
• Bartholomew Sports Centre, Witney Oxfordshire
• Brook Leisure Centre, Belfast
• Carterton Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire
• Didcot Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire
• Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub, Chiswick London
• Henley Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire
• Kendal Leisure Centre, Cumbria
• Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast
• Moss Side Leisure Centre, Manchester
• Olympia Leisure Centre, Belfast
• Peter May Sports Centre, Waltham Forest London
• Tadworth Leisure Centre, Epsom
• The Hive Leisure Centre, Ely Cambridgeshire
• The White Horse Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire
• Wantage Leisure Centre, Oxfordshire
*The 2023 Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s (SFIA) Topline Participation Report
**The 2023 APP Pickleball Participation Report