What is pickleball?

A paddle sport played on a small court with a plastic ball full of holes. Easy to pick up, social, and growing fast in the UK.

Pickleball in a nutshell

• Court: 6.1 m by 13.4 m (20 by 44 feet), the same footprint as a doubles badminton court. That's roughly a third of the area of a tennis court.
• Net: a little lower than a tennis net, 86 cm in the middle.
• Equipment: a solid paddle (no strings) and a light plastic ball with 26 to 40 holes.
• Players: singles or doubles. Doubles is the most common way to play socially.
• Scoring: games usually go to 11 points, and you must win by 2.

Where it came from

Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle in the US. Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum improvised a game for their families on an old badminton court, using ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.

The name is often said to come from the Pritchards' dog, Pickles. According to USA Pickleball, that's a myth: Joan Pritchard named the game after "pickle boat" crews in rowing, and the dog came later.

How a game works

You serve underarm, diagonally across the court. The ball has to bounce once on each side before anyone can hit it out of the air. Next to the net on both sides is a strip called the non-volley zone, better known as the "kitchen", where you can't volley. Those rules keep rallies going and stop the game from turning into a smash-fest at the net.

For the details, see our guide to pickleball rules.

Why people like it

• Quick to learn: beginners can rally in their first session.
• Small court: less running than tennis, so it suits a wide range of ages and fitness levels.
• Social: doubles on a small court means lots of chat and short games, so people rotate partners.

Pickleball in England

Pickleball England, the sport's governing body in England, announced it had passed 20,000 members in August 2026. Sport England's Active Lives survey estimated around 74,800 players, and Pickleball England has said it believes the real figure is closer to 80,000. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own governing bodies.

The 2026 English Open at the NEC in Birmingham drew 3,509 players from 56 countries.

Pickleball or padel?

They're often confused. Padel is played in a walled glass court with a stringless racket and a pressurised ball, much closer to tennis. We compare them side by side in padel vs pickleball.

Last checked: 31 October 2026