Pickleball's Asian Push

More events, fostering of talent as region takes centre stage in sport's global boom

- Kimberly Kwek

The pickleball craze has swept across the United States, making it the fastest-growing sport in the country for the fourth consecutive year.

Its rapid growth is not just limited to the US, and Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP) – which come under the parent company United Pickleball Association (UPA) after they merged in 2024 – have identified Asia as a key market in their global expansion plan.

There are two main factors driving this, noted UPA Asia managing director Kimberly Koh.

She said: "Asia firstly is the most populous continent in the world and secondly, we're really good at racket sports, whether that's tennis, table tennis or badminton, there's really that natural affinity for the sport itself.

"So we started working to see how we could bring these two properties into Asia."

Koh was speaking on the sidelines of the Joola Legends Asia Tour's Ho Chi Minh event. The tour features coaching clinics, exhibitions and product demonstrations, with tennis' eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi among those involved.

The time is ripe for pickleball to bounce into the Asia-Pacific market, with Bonafide Research forecasting a compound annual growth rate exceeding 24.5 per cent from 2024 to 2029, fuelled by rising sports participation.