Just a year or two ago, you might never have heard of pickleball. But the very on-trend American sport with the quirky name is experiencing a proper boom in Australia.

But what even is pickleball? “Everyone describes it differently,” says Ron Shell, CEO of Australia’s National Pickleball League (NPL). “I’d say it’s either big ping-pong or small tennis.”

Shell first encountered pickleball while living in Denver, Colorado, where he worked in marketing at a sports betting company. He witnessed its rise first-hand when Americans emerged from lockdown and, seemingly overnight, discovered this fun, low-stakes physical activity that’s both inclusive and casual.

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“Suddenly you could play a sport with pretty much anyone you knew, [including] people who didn’t necessarily love sport before,” he says. “At the end of lockdown, people were seeking a lot more social interaction. They were looking for a sport where you could be social – you could still talk and be close to each other. It’s only gained popularity since then.”

Here are the basics: you play on a hard outdoor court the size of a badminton court (20 by 44 foot, or roughly 6 by 13.5 metres) using a carbon-fibre paddle (similar to a beach-tennis racket) and a light plastic wiffle ball. You can also play it on a tennis court, but you stick to a smaller area and the net hangs slightly lower. The scoring is simple: the first team to 11 points wins, but you can only win points on your serve. It can be played in singles or doubles, but doubles is much more popular as each player only has to cover half the court. Doubles also offers more chance for banter (and mutual trash-talking).

“In doubles especially, you gravitate towards the net and it becomes a game of strategy and placement – almost like a cat-and-mouse game,” Shell says. “And literally anyone can play. You might have a 10-year-old and a 50-year-old on the court, and they’re still able to have a [competitive] game. It’s become a real community driver in that way.”

It sounds like a happy hotchpotch of several existing sports – and that’s exactly how it started. That’s also where the name comes from, according to Shell.

“There’s an old wives’ tale that the name came from the inventor’s dog, Pickles,” he says. “But actually the dog came after the sport was invented. The real story is that the people who invented it – in Bainbridge Island, Washington, in 1965 – combined a bunch of different rackets and sports, and it reminded them of a pickle crew” (a rowing term for a crew made up of rowers left over from other teams).

Pickleball is huge in the United States. Drive around any city or town and you’ll see people of all ages repurposing tennis courts for this fresher, spunkier racket sport.

That’s what inspired Shell and his friends to get behind it when he returned to Australia in late 2022. The pickleball scene here at the time was niche and largely volunteer-driven, but they saw potential for it on a national level. With Shell’s background in sports-related marketing, the group saw an opportunity to elevate the sport’s profile across the country, bringing an approachable new activity to Australia in the process.

Part of that process was modernising the image of a sport that for decades had thrived primarily in retirement communities. Shell and his business partners began investing in venues and developing professional pathways, culminating in the launch of the NPL in December 2022. By 2024, the league had introduced two pro-level seasons running concurrently across the three eastern mainland states, and were exploring opportunities like streaming and TV rights.

“It’s got a long way to go to become a mainstream sport,” he says. “But there were 108 professional players and $100,000 prize money in each season.”

The NPL has a crucial partner in local health fund ahm, which joined up as its official sponsor in 2024. “We’re excited to find a partner that celebrates wellbeing,” says Shell, “especially one with such a fun, irreverent way of connecting with their community. ahm is all about making health insurance accessible and straightforward, which are the same kind of aspirations we have for pickleball. It was a match made in heaven.”

As part of a shared goal to grow the sport in Australia, eligible ahm members can score a free six-month membership to the NPL, with perks like goodies and discounts so they can give the fun and inclusive sport a shot.

Certainly pickleball has seen a steady rise since the emergence of the NPL. The latest estimate from the Australian Sports Commission suggests around 90,000 people are playing it here – a dramatic jump from 20,000 just two years ago. The NPL’s home venue in South Melbourne regularly organises events at schools, businesses and elsewhere. This Christmas, it hosted almost 100 holiday parties during the silly season.

Beyond institutional support and good branding, the sport's success comes down to accessibility: the fact that anyone can play, regardless of age, gender or fitness. If you’ve been looking for a level playing field in sport, pickleball is it.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with ahm health insurance. The free six-month membership to the NPL is available to eligible ahm members with hospital only, extras only, hospital and extras, or ambulance only cover. To find out more, visit ahm.com.au/pickleball.