Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by three dads—Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum—looking to entertain their bored kids. Using a badminton court, ping-pong paddles, and a perforated plastic ball, they created a game that blended fun and accessibility. The name "Pickleball" is said to have come from the Pritchard family’s dog, Pickles, who would chase after the ball, although some say it was inspired by a “pickle boat” in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers. Either way, the game quickly caught on and has grown into a beloved sport across generations.

History of Pickleball

1965: The Birth of Pickleball

In the summer of 1965 after playing golf Congressman from Washington State Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell came home to Bainbridge Island. They found that their family had nothing to do and felt bored. They couldn’t find a proper badminton set, so they decided to improvise a new kind of game using an old badminton court on their property. This game was played with ping-pong paddles and a plastic ball with holes. The net height they placed at first was 60 inches (which is standard badminton net height), and they volleyed the ball over the net. But as they progressed, they lowered it to 36 inches since the pickleball bounced well on the asphalt surface. After that, they introduce it to Barney McCallum. They created pickleball rules based on badminton and kept their original purpose: providing a game for families to play together.

1967-1972: Early Development and Growth 

By 1967, pickleball had gained enough attention for the first permanent pickleball court to be built in the backyard of Bob O’Brian, a neighbor and friend of Joel Pritchard. As interest in the sport grew, a corporation was formed in 1972 to protect its creation and oversee its development. This paved the way for the sport's future growth.

1975-1984: Pickleball Gains Recognition

Pickleball gained national notice in 1975 when The National Observer published an article about it. A year later, Tennis magazine described it as “America’s newest racquet sport.” The first-ever pickleball tournament was held at Tukwila, Washington's South Center Athletic Club in the spring of 1976 as a result of this increased exposure. Many participants were competitive tennis players unfamiliar with the game, practicing with large wooden paddles and a plastic ball the size of a softball. David Lester won the Men’s Singles title, with Steve Paranto finishing second.

Pickleball's visibility in the sports world increased after it was featured in The Other Racquet Sports in 1978. And by 1982, Sid Williams began organizing tournaments in Washington state. Two years later, in 1984, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) was formed to support the sport’s national activity. In that same year, the first official rulebook was published, basically laying out benchmark for competitions to follow. Sid Williams was the first Executive Director and President of USAPA until 1998, then Frank Candelario managed the organization until 2004.

Also in 1984, Boeing Industrial Engineer Arlen Paranto created the first composite paddle. Using fiberglass and graphite honeycomb panels, similar to those found in commercial airplane floors, he produced around 1,000 paddles before selling the business to Frank Candelario. These advancements helped shape pickleball into the fast-growing sport it is today.

1990s-2000s: Pickleball Goes Nationwide

Pickleball had officially spread to all 50 states by 1990, proving that what began as a backyard pastime had evolved into a nationwide sensation. Two years later, Pickle-Ball, Inc. expanded the sport's equipment production by producing pickleballs in-house with a custom drilling machine.

In 1997, co-founder Joel Pritchard passed away at the age of 72. While he had a distinguished political career as Washington State’s Lieutenant Governor from 1988 to 1996, he remains best known for his role in creating pickleball. Two years later, in 1999, the sport gained even more visibility with the launch of Pickleball Stuff, the first-ever pickleball website that provided players with information, products, and equipment.

In 2001, Through the effort of Earl Hill, the first appearance of pickleball was in the Arizona Senior Olympics. Then there was the tournament, which took place at Happy Trails RV Resort in Surprise Arizona gained 100 participants making it the largest pickleball tournament ever had at that moment. The number of people who attended the event continued to increase, eventually reaching nearly 300. By the year 2003, pickleball was entering the Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, confirming its place in competitive sports. In that same year, there were 39 known places to play pickleball across North America, covering 10 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and around 150 individual courts.

In 2005, the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) was formed to oversee and develop the sport on a national level. Mark Friedenberg was the organization's first president. In March, it launched its first website, which significantly increased online engagement as pickleball's popularity grew. USAPA became a nonprofit corporation on July 1 and worked to consolidate all “Places to Play” listings into a single, reliable database, which is currently known as places2play.org.

USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) 2005

USA Pickleball. (n.d.). History of the game. USA Pickleball.

Bill Bell, one of the pickleball founders passed away in 2006 at the age of 83. Two years later, in 2008, the USA Pickleball Association Official Tournament Rulebook was released by the USAPA Rules Committee, which was directed by Dennis Duey. In that same year, pickleball was added to the National Senior Games Association (NSGA), marking a milestone in the sport's competitive history. By then, according to the USAPA website, there were 420 places to play pickleball in North America, which represent 43 States, 4 Canadian Provinces and about 1500 individual courts. (This does not take into account the locations where courts are being installed in private homes.)

Also, pickleball received its first major public exposure when ABC's Good Morning America aired a live in-studio feature with a brief demonstration of the sport.

In 2009, nearly 400 players from 26 states and several Canadian provinces participated in the first USAPA National Tournament for players of all ages in Buckeye, Arizona. By the end of 2013, over 1,400 new pickleball facilities had been built as a result of USAPA's Grant Program, which was created to help in the creation of new facilities.

2010s: The Sport Booms

Pickleball became extremely popular in the 2010s. The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) was founded in 2010, and it has helped to spread the sport around the world. By 2013, with over 4,000 members, USAPA underwent a rebranding with a new logo and color scheme. The sport’s first professional media group, Pickleball Channel, launched in 2014, and by 2015, USAPA membership had surpassed 10,000 players.

USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) 2013

USA Pickleball. (n.d.). History of the game. USA Pickleball.

Television recognition arrived in 2016 when the first nationally televised pickleball event aired on CBS Sports Network during the US Open Pickleball Championships. Pickleball Magazine debuted as the sport's first full-color print and web publication. The USAPA membership continued to grow, surpassing 22,000 by the end of 2017.

In 2018, the sport celebrated its pioneers with the establishment of the Pickleball Hall of Fame. That year also marked a major milestone as the USAPA teamed with Desert Champions, LLC, to relocate the National Championships to California's world-class Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Over 2,200 participants competed in the competition, and 17 hours of live-streamed footage was shown to ESPN3 and ESPNEWS audiences.

With 3.3 million players by 2019, pickleball was one of the sports in the United States that was growing the fastest. UUSAPA membership skyrocketed to over 40,000, a remarkable 1,000% increase from 2013. The Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships, the sport's largest event, continued to break records, drawing nearly 28,000 spectators and solidifying pickleball's status as a mainstream sport.

2020s: Pickleball Takes Over the World 

The 2020s marked a new era for pickleball as the sport solidified its status as a mainstream sporting sensation. In 2020, the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) rebranded as USA Pickleball, aligning itself with other national sports regulatory organizations. The rebranding includes a new logo, a redesigned website, and a renewed emphasis on increasing the sport's global visibility. In December, Stu Upson was appointed as the organization's first full-time CEO.

USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) 2020

USA Pickleball. (n.d.). History of the game. USA Pickleball.

By 2021, membership had surpassed 50,000, a 43% increase over the previous year and the single-year growth to date. With over 2,300 participants, the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships set a new world record for the largest tournament. Pickleball gained even more visibility through national media exposure on NBC’s The Today Show, CNBC, BBC News, Live with Kelly and Ryan, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Forbes, and Sports Illustrated, among others.

The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) declared pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for the second consecutive year in 2022. The 2022 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships continued to break records, with 2,300 players and a record-breaking 5,522 fans on Championship Sunday. The sport received unprecedented media coverage, making "pickleball" one of the hottest trends in the United States.

Pickleball's spectacular rise continued in 2023, with USA Pickleball membership surpassing 70,000 in February. For the third year in a row, the SFIA ranked pickleball as the sport with the fastest growth in the United States. This year, there were nearly twice as many players as there were the year before. The 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships have been announced for Dallas, confirming the event's status as a premier competition.

The Future of Pickleball:

Pickleball is now experiencing extraordinary growth. USA Pickleball's Places2Play map now lists approximately 11,000 pickleball venues nationwide, including courts in community centers, PE programs, YMCA facilities, and retirement communities. With global expansion, pickleball is expected to remain one of the most dynamic and accessible sports for players of all ages as participation rises.

Are you ready for the fun? Check out PickleballGoats Gear

If you’re excited by the rapid rise of pickleball and want to get in on the action, check out our pickleball products on PickleballGoats. We have everything you need to get started, including paddles, backpacks, t-shirts, and accessories!

For more information, refer to the history of pickleball on the USA Pickleball website:
USA Pickleball. (n.d.). History of the game. From https://usapickleball.org/what-is-pickleball/history-of-the-game/