Spackman and McNamara recently returned home from a trip to the United States where they discovered the sport, and have since decided to start a pickleball club based at the Rotorua Badminton Hall in Tawera Pl.
Spackman said a free introductory night would be held on Monday from 7pm to 9pm at the hall for anyone keen to give it a go.
"We are going to make Rotorua New Zealand's pickleball capital," she said.
The sport had become popular in the United States during the past 10 years with clubs all over the country.
"The people who play it over there just love it.
"It is a good chance to play and chat to people."
McNamara said he and Spackman came across the sport when he was approached to make an iPad app for scoring pickleball.
"I work for a company based in the States called SAS Institute," he said. "I had previously made an app for the iPad for scoring badminton and someone approached me and asked if I could do the same for pickleball.
"I thought, 'What on earth is pickleball'?"
When they had travelled to the US earlier this year for a business trip, they had taken time out to learn more about the sport.
"While we were over there, we looked up a few clubs, and we played a couple of times while we were there," he said.
On returning to Rotorua, the two brought home a full bag of gear so they could play with friends.
McNamara said after talking with the local badminton club in Rotorua, an opportunity came up to use the premises for a pickleball club.
"We play badminton and one of the things about badminton here is the hall is sitting there idle during the days," he said. "And pickleball was so much fun we wanted to keep playing it, and maybe give people who may not otherwise get out and play a sport the opportunity to come and play."
Pickleball is considered good exercise and suits people who may not be able to play sports that are harder on the body like tennis.
The sport's name is thought to have come from the people who invented it.
They had named it after their dog, Pickles.
