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Counties Manukau Sport is running pickleball matches at Bruce Pulman Arena in Takanini to keep the community moving.
Jonathan Southey, programmes manager for Counties Manukau Sport, said they are new to the sport, but they see it as a great way to engage the community regardless of age or gender.
“It’s just a good activity we can implement to get everyone moving and provide a bit of health and well-being.”
The event they ran in mid-October lasted two hours, from 6pm to 8pm. They had 10 courts that they set up and ran. It was a free, open-play format where people paired up with anyone who wanted to play.
“It’s not really a tournament scenario; it’s just open play. You’ve got 10 minutes to play a round and learn the rules. At the same time, if you’re partnered up with someone more competitive or more experienced, there’s an opportunity for them to coach new people and teach them about the skills and strategy.
“We do get a few competitive players, but the vibe is relaxed, and it’s a social type of scenario,” Southey said.
Counties Manukau Sport launched its pickleball initiative on October 5, after its community impact team sent out surveys to gauge community interest in different activities. They received almost 200 expressions of interest for a pickleball league.
The games have now been running for several weeks, and the response has been extremely positive. Their main goal is to improve the quality of the game as much as possible for players of any age or skill level.
The Friday and Sunday sessions run from 6pm to 8pm, attracting between 40 and 50 people.
They also run a smaller session on Mondays from 10am to 12pm.
