Pickleball has experienced significant growth in New Zealand, with player numbers doubling every year over the past five years. But just what is this new billion-dollar sport that is attracting people of all ages and abilities? Mike Thorpe reports.
Conor Robertshawe is a 21-year-old Wellingtonian with a dream of playing professional pickleball.
It’s a realistic goal, which shows two things. Firstly, Conor is an exceptionally good player. Secondly, pickleball has come a long way from being a slower form of tennis for elderly participants – if that was ever true.
Pickleball has become a multimillion-dollar sport here and Conor is one member of New Zealand’s growing list of semi-professional athletes in a sport that now has roots in seemingly every corner of the country. Ten years after its New Zealand debut in Rotorua, pickleball is clearly here to stay.
Robertshawe, who regularly travels to Australia to play on the country’s pro circuit, first picked up a paddle at 14.
“I wasn’t a tennis player before and had no prior racket experience. No tennis, badminton, table tennis. I was just straight pickleball from the start,” says Robertshawe.
His path to the game is not uncommon – and according to national pickleball coach Chris Palmer, it’s part of the attraction.
“The number one thing about pickleball is, fundamentally, it is a simple game where people can pick it up very, very easily. The benefit there is people who maybe have not played a lot of sport in their youth can get involved and start to participate and start to join in really quickly,” says Palmer, potentially explaining the “elderly participation” element of the sport.
Prebbleton Pickleball club player Shae Manarangi agrees – though he came to the sport from tennis two years ago.
“It doesn’t really take much skill, I would say, not compared to tennis. But pickleball is quite fun, you know? You can see everybody’s enjoying themselves,” says Manarangi, pointing at the 50-strong group behind him on a Thursday night in spring.
The sport’s boom has echoed across the globe and been felt by its economy. Recent research suggests the amount being spent each year on equipment alone is over US$1.6 billion ($2.78b). That figure is projected to almost double by 2032 to a whopping US$3.1b.
“This substantial growth reflects the sport’s unprecedented popularity surge, driven by its accessibility across age groups, the establishment of professional leagues, and significant investments in sports infrastructure development worldwide,” reads the report recently published by Meticulous Research.
The overall numbers are much humbler in New Zealand – but the growth rate is similar. Officials believe participation numbers have doubled annually since 2019.
Pickleball New Zealand Association (PNZA) currently has over 80 playing locations listed, with one source estimating a player base of over 5000 people. To put that into context, New Zealand has around 400 tennis clubs with almost 150 years’ head start.
PNZA’s official numbers indicate an “active” player pool of over 1000. They say the discrepancy is most likely down to how active each player is, from the seriously competitive to the casual participant. Both the number of players and the number of venues are growing rapidly. Played on the same size court as badminton, pickleball has slotted into existing infrastructure, enabling its accelerated popularity.
While the sport’s value in New Zealand is measured in millions of dollars rather than billions, the serious players still spend some serious cash. PNZA says there’s not yet direct data on the economic value or total spending on pickleball here – but by using spending estimates, the association is able to work out approximate figures. Court hire, equipment, membership and coaching all contribute to the multimillion-dollar turnover from the sport.
In the US, across casual, intermediate and advanced players, spending ranges from US$200 per year to US$7000. PNZA estimates their active players spend on average $1000 per year, with casual players averaging $500. A “rough estimate” suggests the total turnover in New Zealand could be as much as $3.5 million.
“People love the sport. Once you play it a couple of times, it’s very addictive, partly because of how easy it is to start with and therefore you see progress very quickly,” says Palmer.
Dedicated outdoor public pickleball courts recently opened in Timaru – a sign the sport is slowly being catered for – but Palmer thinks facilities are the sport’s biggest handbrake in this country.
“There are not enough dedicated pickleball facilities. Therefore, pickleball is always having to find a location and usually converted badminton courts is the main first step, but that also means that whenever you want to play, there’s a fee to play,” says Palmer.
Comparing it with tennis, where players would simply join a club with an annual membership fee, Palmer says pickleballers are often paying for each session.
“So, from that regard, it’s reasonably expensive as a sport.”
The cost of equipment is more consistent with other racquet sports, says Robertshawe.
“If you’re looking at a top-of-the-line pickle paddle, it’s up there with tennis and badminton and table tennis where you’re looking at maybe $500 to get the top piece of equipment.”
Robertshawe has a sponsor who provides his equipment for him.
Affordability is the number one driver for the Prebbleton Pickleball Club near Christchurch. They’ve outgrown their facilities twice and have now expanded session times to cater to the growing numbers they’re attracting. Founders John Tan and Graeme Gemmell are proud of the fact they’ve kept session fees to just $5 (for three hours) – they think they must be one of the cheapest clubs operating.
Their Thursday night session at the Lincoln Events Centre feels like a perfect microcosm of the global movement. Sweaty enthusiasm meets social interaction. There are as many smiles as there are pickleball paddles. Manarangi says he knows everybody there.
“Some of them are from church, some of them from tennis, some of them are from work, so quite different environments all come together. That’s the good thing about pickleball – you get to meet new people,” says Manarangi.
Robertshawe and Palmer lead a New Zealand team competing at the World Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which seems like it should be the game’s birthplace. It’s not. That honour belongs to Bainbridge Island in Washington State, where it was recently recognised as the state sport.
Still, from October 28 - November 2, Fort Lauderdale will host the finest players in the world – and among them, the Kiwi team will arrive with high hopes.
“Last year, we made it to the quarter-finals, which I was really, really proud of. I think this year we can at least get to the semis,” says Robertshawe.
The World Cup is a team event that includes male and female players with a series of singles, doubles and mixed-doubles matches.
Palmer is slightly more circumspect in his assessment of the team’s chances.
“We’d hope to get into the round of 16 at the minimum, so getting out of our pool and then going through the knockouts, that would be our hope,” says Palmer.
The tournament is short and sharp but Robertshawe is anticipating an electric environment.
“It’s about four days long, but I’m super excited. The atmosphere that’s gonna be there is, I know it’s gonna be incredible, from the experience I had going to the same event last year,” says the Kiwi captain.
The hosts will start as favourites, according to the coach.
“The Americans are far and above the best in the world,” says Palmer, explaining that US players are exposed to the highest level without having to leave home.
“In the States especially, and in Europe and Asia, there are professional tournaments where the top players are 100% professional and are living off earnings from that.
“They’re not earning millions, but they’re probably earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year when they’re performing well,” says Palmer.
Robertshawe wants a cut of that prizemoney – and Palmer is frank in his assessment of the Kiwi number 1.
“He’s very good.”
Robertshawe’s ambition to turn his passion into a career will likely take him away from our shores.
“[I’m] Looking to possibly move to a place where there’s a bit more pickleball infrastructure. That’s probably a longer-term goal. At the moment, it’s likely to be Aussie,” says Robertshawe.
New Zealand having its first professional pickleballer could soon be a reality, while there remain thousands who enjoy a casual, social hit every week.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.