In this issue, we take a deep dive into the pickleball market, from a retail, vendor and consumer point of view.

“The sport has grown so rapidly because of ease of access,” Tom Webb, CMO, Association of Pickleball Players, tells us in our Pickleball Sport Report. “There is a low cost of entry, you can get quite good very quickly, and there is a low barrier to feeling a sense of accomplishment with the sport. It’s a very social game and people are smiling.”

Take a look at this issue’s Trend Insight consumer survey for further confirmation of those sentiments. We asked consumers “What do you most like about the sport of Pickleball?”

A sampling of their comments, categorized by age group:

20s: It’s accessible and fun for all skill levels. I can play with my friends who are really good and I can play with my friends who are just getting started and I’ll have equally fun times.

30s: It’s more approachable than tennis for most people and it’s easier to find people willing to play or give it a shot

40s: That everyone can play it. Even if the person never played it before.

50s: I like that is attracts a wide variety of players and levels. It’s social and fun. It can be as competitive as you want it to be.

60s: It’s fun and easier on the body than tennis as we get older.

We surveyed 492 men and women aged 18-60.  60% responded that they played pickleball. 26% responded no, but they plan to play. As Webb tells us in our feature story, “There is a huge opportunity coming to retailers who embrace the pickleball market… the caveat is that you have to know the sport and understand what pickleball players want and need.”

Back to our survey, for those who are playing the sport, only 22% go into a store with a specific paddle brand in mind. And for footwear? Only 30% go into a store with a footwear brand in mind. Would they like a store associate to recommend a brand of footwear designed for pickleball?  78% said yes.  

Also in this issue, we talked with Christine DiVito, CFO and buyer at Runner’s Edge/Tennis Anyone?, a retailer in Boca Raton, FL. DiVito states, “Footwear and paddles are our strongest pickleball categories, especially since many of our tennis customers are also getting pickleball shoes.”

And then there is the “eatertainment” aspect of pickleball. Chicken N Pickle, Electric Pickle, Pickleball Kingdom, and Bosse, just to name a few.  All are pickleball event venues building on the highly social aspect of the game.

There is also growth in collegiate competition, bigger and better pickleball facilities, and greater media and marketing coverage. NCAA sport? “It’s inevitable. At its roots, pickleball is about equality—it’s not a power game. Mixed doubles is a showcase sports” states Webb.

Will pickleball be an Olympic sport? 75% of our consumers responded on our survey that it should be. So don’t dink around.  Our pickleball coverage begins on page 24.