Pickleball expanding in Pukekohe

Pickleball is exploding in popularity across the country, with the Pukekohe Pickleball Club now adding a larger venue for matches to meet demand.

Described as a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis or even as a big version of schoolyard patter tennis, pickleball has become the ‘in’ sport for growing numbers of people.

Seniors, in particular, have found it an ideal way to maintain fitness and enjoy socialising, especially when winter outdoor sports have been ruled out. That’s because it is mostly played indoors and gives a solid, but not unrealistic, workout.

Pukekohe midweek organiser and committee member Jeff Carr said while senior players dominate the daytime sessions, players of all ages regularly play the sport.

“I’ve got a 10-year-old granddaughter who’s been playing for two years, and she’s now capable of playing fairly confidently against a lot of adults. She comes out here in the school holidays and plays in our league … she’s fairly competitive.”

Carr said the club has more than 100 players, mostly adults but also some teens and children.

He became hooked on the sport three years ago after checking out the local group at the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre. They are now adding outdoor games on Monday and Thursday evenings, with the option to add Friday evening when the netball league finished on December 9.

“We’ve had to expand because we have so many players coming along, so we went to the netball club. They’ve been absolutely fantastic.”

Maree Bernasconi, of the Pukekohe Netball Centre, said the group was excited to have pickleball using the courts.

“It seems to be very popular everywhere. The other great thing is that it’s for any age; they’ve got young people coming through as well. We’ve painted lines for pickleball on two of our courts.”