Pickleball in Canada

Pickleball in Canada
Pickleball courts at Parc des Moissons, L'Assomption, Quebec
Governing body	Pickleball Canada Organization
Registered players	82,682 As of 3 December 2024^[update][1]

Pickleball, a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis,[2] was invented in the United States in 1965, on Bainbridge Island, Washington. In 2023 Pickleball Cananda commissioned a report on pickleball participation in Canada and it was found that 1.37 million Canadians played pickleball at least once per month. Picklebal Canada's membership numbers increased from 31,312 in 2022, to 53,143 in 2023,[3] and in 2024 surpassed 82,000.[1]

Governing body

The Pickleball Canada Organization (PCO), originally the Canadian National Pickleball Association, was formed in April 2009. Although not yet recognized by Sport Canada, it has become the de facto national governing body for the sport.[4]

The PCO has Provincial & Territorial associations with the following regional organizations:

• Yukon - Yukon Pickleball Association
• British Columbia - Pickleball BC
• Alberta - Pickleball Alberta
• Manitoba - Pickleball Manitoba
• Ontario - Pickleball Ontario
• Quebec - Pickleball Quebec
• New Brunswick - Pickleball New Brunswick - Pickleball Nouveau-Brunswick
• Nova Scotia - Pickleball Nova Scotia
• Newfoundland and Labrador - Pickleball Newfoundland and Labrador

Professional tours & leagues

Canadian National Pickleball League: The CNPL was announced on February 1, 2023, and held its inaugural season in the same year.[5] A team format, similar to the MLP team format, is used, but with six players per team.

Canadian Pickleball Association: the CPA was established in 2024 and announced the CPA Pro Pickleball Tour in May 2024. The 2024 Tour held four events with a $15,000 prize pool for each event. As a partner of the Pickleball World Rankings, CPA events are part of the PWR World Tour where players can earn points to attend the PWR World Series.[6]

References

1. Vollmin, Val. "Message from the President" (PDF). pickleballcanada.org. Pickleball Canada Organization. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
2. "The Essential Rules of Pickleball: A Quick Overview". Team Pickleball. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
3. "Pickleball Canada Celebrates 70,000 Members". Pickleball Canada. Pickleball Canada. July 18, 2024. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
4. Houpt, Simon (August 27, 2023). "Pickleball in a pickle: Plan to form national organization thrown into disarray". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, Inc. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
5. Howarth, Adam (May 2, 2023). "Canadian National Pickleball League Announces Inaugural Season". Pickleball Union. Pickleball Union. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
6. Ngabo, Gilbert (June 5, 2024). "Professional pickleball is coming to Canada. It has some players reconsidering their day job". TheStar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.

External links

Media related to Pickleball in Canada at Wikimedia Commons