Pickleball tournament doubles in size

Michael de Groot, West Midlands regional director for Pickleball England, will take part in the competition

A record number of people are competing at this year's Pickleball English Open, which begins on Thursday.

About 2,000 players from 42 countries are set to take part in the event, which is being held at the Telford International Centre.

It is a hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis, played with a lower net and specialist paddle.

"Last year it was 1,000 [competitors], can you imagine the growth over the next few years?" said Michael de Groot, West Midlands regional director for Pickleball England.

"This has to become an Olympic sport, all of the pickleball players around the world are already getting prepared for it to be an Olympic sport," he said.

The competition lasts for seven days, hosting singles, doubles, mixed, wheelchair, and junior events.

Participants are aged from seven to 70 years old, and it is the largest pickleball event outside of North America.

About 2,000 people will take part in the competition, double the amount of competitors in 2023

It is estimated there are currently 30,000 pickleball players in England, and there was a 40% increase in players from June 2023 to June 2024.

One of the areas to see a boom in players is Worcestershire.

"A couple of years ago, in Worcestershire, there was no pickleball at all," said Mr de Groot, who will take part in the competition.

"There’s probably about 500 people all around Worcestershire playing pickleball right now."

Rab McEwan, who will compete in the tournament, said he could see himself playing pickleball until he was 90

"It’s a great game, really accessible for everybody," said Rab McEwan, from Bewdley, who is also taking part.

He has played tennis since he was 14, and started playing pickleball in January.

"The reason I play is because I know, playing tennis, you’ve got a short shelf life," he said.

"I know this is a game that I could play until I’m 90."