History of Pickleball in Timeline

Pickleball is a racket sport played with paddles and a perforated plastic ball over a net. It can be played indoors or outdoors by two or four players. The game originated in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, as a children's backyard activity. It has since grown in popularity and was named the official state sport of Washington in 2022.

1965: Pickleball invented

In 1965, Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge Island, Washington State, as a children's backyard game.

1965: Introduction of Pickleball

In 1965, pickleball was first introduced and became popular in the Pacific Northwest.

1967: First Dedicated Pickleball Court Constructed

In 1967, the first dedicated outdoor pickleball court was constructed at the residence of Bob O'Brian, a friend of Joel Pritchard.

February 1968: Formation of Pickle Ball, Inc.

In February 1968, Pickle Ball, Inc. was formed by Joel Pritchard, David McCallum, and two other friends to promote and sell the sport of Pickleball.

1972: Pickle-ball Trademarked

In 1972, Pickle Ball, Inc. filed its first annual report, around the same time they trademarked the name Pickle-ball.

July 1976: First Pickleball Tournament

In July 1976, the first formal pickleball tournament, "The World's First Pickleball Championship", was held at the Southcenter Athletic Club in Tukwila, Washington and received a mention in Tennis magazine.

1984: USA Pickleball becomes the de facto governing body

In 1984, USA Pickleball became the de facto governing body for all pickleball because it was the first and only organization to step into the role when it was founded as the United States Amateur Pickleball Association. It also published the first official rule book that same year.

1984: Formation of the United States Amateur Pickleball Association

In 1984, the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (U.S.A.P.A.), now known as USA Pickleball or USAP, was formed. In the same year, they published the first official rulebook for the sport, and held their first organized tournament, the National Doubles Championships, in Tacoma, Washington.

1984: USA Pickleball published the original rulebook

USA Pickleball published the original rulebook in 1984 while it was still operating as the United States Amateur Pickleball Association.

2001: Pickleball Included in Arizona Senior Olympics

In 2001, pickleball was included as a demonstration sport in the Arizona Senior Olympics (ASO) with 100 participants.

2003: Pickleball played at the World Senior Games

Since 2003 pickleball has been played at the World Senior Games, held annually in St. George, Utah.

2008: Pickleball included in the United States Senior Olympics

In 2008, pickleball was included in the United States Senior Olympics.

November 2009: First USA Pickleball National Championships

In November 2009, USA Pickleball held its first regular USA Pickleball National Championships in Buckeye, Arizona.

2010: USA Pickleball helps establish the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP)

Recognizing the growth of pickleball outside of the United States, in 2010 USA Pickleball helped establish the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), now the International Pickleball Federation (IPF), to serve as a world-wide governing body. USA Pickleball would continue as the national governing body for pickleball in the United States.

2013: Pickleball played at the National Senior Games

Pickleball was first played at the National Senior Games, in the United States, in 2013.

2016: Pickle Ball, Inc. Acquired by PickleballCentral.com

In 2016, Pickle Ball, Inc. was purchased by PickleballCentral.com, which operates under the corporate name Olla, LLC.

2016: First U.S. Open Pickleball Championships

In 2016, the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships was first held at the East Naples Community Park in Naples, Florida.

2016: Wheelchair pickleball officially recognized by USA Pickleball

Wheelchair pickleball, sometimes called adaptive pickleball or para pickleball, was officially recognized as a competitive form of pickleball by USA Pickleball in 2016. The modified rules that pertain to wheelchair pickleball are incorporated throughout the Official Rulebook.

2017: Establishment of Pickleball Hall of Fame

In 2017, the Pickleball Hall of Fame was established by Seymore Rifkind.

2018: Establishment of the World Pickleball Federation (WPF)

In 2018, a second international governing body, the World Pickleball Federation (WPF) was established challenging the IPF.

2019: Formation of pro pickleball tours

In 2019, the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) were independently formed.

2019: Establishment of Professional Pickleball Tours

In 2019, two professional pickleball tours were established in the United States.

2019: Professional Pickleball Tours Formed

In 2019, two professional pickleball tours were formed independently: the Association of Pickleball Professionals (now the Association of Pickleball Players) and the Pickleball Professionals Association.

2020: USA Pickleball National Championships Cancelled

In 2020, the USA Pickleball National Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 2021: USA Pickleball Establishes Hall of Fame

In September 2021, USA Pickleball established its own hall of fame named the USA Pickleball Hall of Fame and Museum.

2021: Major League Pickleball (MLP) was formed

In 2021, Major League Pickleball (MLP) was formed.

2021: Major League Pickleball Established

In 2021, Major League Pickleball was established, attracting investors such as LeBron James, Drew Brees, and Gary Vaynerchuk, increasing the sport's visibility and popularity.

2021: Bill proposed making pickleball the official sport of Washington state

In 2021, State Senator John Lovick proposed a bill making pickleball the official sport of Washington state.

2021: Pickleball named fastest-growing sport

In 2021, pickleball was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.

March 28, 2022: Pickleball declared official state sport of Washington

On March 28, 2022, pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington, and the legislation was signed by Governor Jay Inslee on the original Pritchard family court.

July 2022: Pickleball accepted as a demonstration sport at the Maccabiah Games

Pickleball was accepted as a demonstration sport at the July 2022 Maccabiah Games, considered the third largest sporting event in the world. This marked the first time pickleball appeared at an event sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.

October 10, 2022: Longest pickleball volley rally

On October 10, 2022, Angelo and Ettore Rossetti set the record for the longest pickleball volley rally, consisting of 10,532 consecutive shots, lasting 2 hours and 44 seconds.

2022: Sports Illustrated article on Olympic inclusion

A 2022 article by Sports Illustrated concluded the game would not likely be seen at the Olympics before 2032.

2022: Competitive college pickleball begins in the US

Competitive college pickleball began in the United States in 2022 when DUPR held their first DUPR Collegiate National Championship.

2022: Increase in fracture injuries

Fracture injuries associated with pickleball reportedly experienced a 90-fold increase from 2002 to 2022, with a majority of injuries among players aged 60 to 69.

2022: USA Pickleball withdraws from the IPF

In 2022, USA Pickleball, and several other member nations, withdrew from the IPF.

2022: Pickleball named official state sport of Washington

In 2022, pickleball was officially named the state sport of Washington.

2022: National Pickleball League of Champions Pros (NPL) was formed

In 2022, the National Pickleball League of Champions Pros (NPL) was formed.

2022: Estimate of court infrastructure investment needed

The 2022 SFIA report, released in 2023, estimated that approximately 900 million dollars of court infrastructure investment is needed to keep up with the fast growth of the sport.

April 2023: Unification of Pickleball Hall of Fame Organizations

In April 2023, USA Pickleball reached an agreement to unify the two Hall of Fame organizations after significant pushback from the pickleball community.

July 2023: Pickleball Surpasses Tennis in Apple Heart and Movement Study

In July 2023, the Apple Heart and Movement Study found that the number of pickleball players surpassed tennis for the first time among Apple Watch users.

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September 2023: MLP Expands to Australia

In September 2023, Major League Pickleball, in partnership with the Pacific Pickleball League (PPL) of Australia, announced an expansion to Australia, rebranding the PPL as MLP Australia and holding its inaugural event.

November 2023: Pickleballtv (PBTV) Launched

In November 2023, Pickleballtv (PBTV), an ad-supported pickleball streaming channel, was launched by the Tennis Channel and the United Pickleball Association.

2023: Establishment of the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and the Pickleball International Committee (PIC)

In 2023, USA Pickleball established a third international governing body, the Global Pickleball federation (GPF). Also in 2023 a fourth organization, the Pickleball International Committee (PIC), was established claiming to be the global governing body for pickleball.

2023: USAP publishes equipment specifications document

In 2023, USAP began publishing a separate document that describes specifications related to equipment, such as nets, balls, and paddles.

2023: USA Pickleball statement on developing quieter options

In 2023, the American governing body of the sport, USA Pickleball, stated that “working together with manufacturers and the entire industry, we can develop quieter options that benefit everyone."

2023: Formation of the National Collegiate Pickleball Association

In 2023, the National Collegiate Pickleball Association was formed by Noah Suemnick. Also in 2023 the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) announced it would also begin holding the APP U.S. Collegiate Championships.

2023: PPA and MLP merged under the United Pickleball Association (UPA)

In 2023, the PPA and MLP merged under one umbrella organization, the United Pickleball Association (UPA).

2023: Noise issues raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Similar noise issues were raised in 2023 by residents of an apartment building adjacent to a pickleball court in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

2023: SFIA report released

The 2022 SFIA report was released in 2023.

2023: Pickleball as a demonstration sport at the African Games

The 2023 African Games, also sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, included Pickleball as a demonstration sport. The event was held March 11-15th at the University of Ghana campus in Accra.

2023: Pickleball grew 223.5% over three years

The 2023 report by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), released in February 2024, states that pickleball grew 223.5% over three years in the United States. The report also states that 13.6 million people played pickleball in 2023.

February 2024: SFIA Report on Pickleball Growth Released

In February 2024, the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reported that pickleball grew 223.5% over three years in the United States, with 13.6 million players in 2023.

April 2024: UPA announces PPL and MLP expansion to India

In April 2024, the United Pickleball Association, in cooperation with Global Sports of India, announced an expansion of the PPL and MLP to India, planning sales for the 2025/2026 season.

April 2024: UTR-P scores used by APP and USA Pickleball

Prior to April 2024 the APP and USA Pickleball used the USA Pickleball Tournament Player Rating (UTPR) system to calculate player scores for USAP sanctioned tournaments. Beginning in April 2024, UTR-Pickleball (UTR-P) scores are now used.

May 2024: Increase in Outdoor Pickleball Courts

In May 2024, CNBC noted, citing a report from the Trust for Public Land, that the number of outdoor pickleball courts in major cities went up 650% in the last seven years.

July 2024: Launch of Pickleball World Rankings (PWR)

In July 2024, a new international professional pickleball organization, the Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), was launched by Pranav Kohli, in collaboration with the Times Group of India and Pickleball Asia. Players will earn points to improve their PWR ranking by participating in PWR World Tour tournaments, with top point earners participating in the PWR World Series, each event offering $500,000 to $1 million in prize money.

November 2024: IPF and WPF announce merger agreement

In November 2024, the IPF and WPF announced that they had agreed to merge their two organizations.

November 2024: UPA announces PPA Tour Asia and MLP Asia formation

In November 2024, the UPA announced the formation of the PPA Tour Asia and MLP Asia under the UPA Asia banner. The PPA Tour Asia is expected to launch in 2025, and the MLP Asia is expected to launch in 2026.

2024: Pickleball Participation Reaches 19.8 Million

By 2024, it was estimated that there were 19.8 million participants in the United States, representing a 311% growth since 2021.

2024: Controversy over pickleball court construction

During a press conference at the 2024 Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the number two seeded men's singles player, Novak Djokovic, was quoted as saying about the construction of pickleball courts in public spaces when the new court replaces existing tennis or basketball courts.

2024: USA Pickleball rule change regarding player positions

In 2024 USA Pickleball changed the rule regarding player positions during serving and returning. Though not a fault, player positions should be corrected as soon as they are noticed.

2024: UPA launches UPA of America (UPA-A)

In 2024, after the PPA and MLP merged into the UPA, the UPA announced the launch of UPA of America (UPA-A), a competing governing body to USA Pickleball. With the expansion of the UPA to Australia, India, and Canada, the UPA has become a transnational organization, resulting in the UPA-A becoming an international governing body through UPA events.

2024: U.S. Open Pickleball Championships

The 2024 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships, which ran from April 13 to 20, had over 3,250 competitors and 50,000 spectators.

2024: USA Pickleball includes rules for mini-singles

USA Pickleball first included rules for mini-singles in the 2024 Official Rulebook. Mini-singles, sometimes called "skinny singles", follow basically the same rules as regular singles, except only half of each player's court is considered "in play" during each rally. The half of the court that is in play is determined by each player's score.

February 2025: Recommendation for merged entity headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland

In February 2025, it was announced that the transition team was recommending that the newly merged entity of IPF and WPF be based in Lausanne, Switzerland, home of the International Olympic Committee.

June 2025: Member nations affirm IPF and WPF merger

In June 2025, the member nations voted to affirm the merger of IPF and WPF. The merged organization will operate under the World Pickleball Federation name, and adopt the IPF's core mission of "No country left behind".

June 2025: No official recognition from International Olympic Committee

As of June 2025, no pickleball organization has received recognition from the International Olympic Committee or any other international sports oversight body as the official worldwide governing body for the sport of pickleball. However, there are several organizations vying to be the global governing body for the sport.

2025: Collegiate Pickleball Tour and National Championships

In 2025 DUPR, in collaboration with the United Pickleball Association, rebranded the DUPR Collegiate National Championship as the Collegiate Pickleball Tour and National Championships. A Collegiate World Championship will also be held.

2025: Information based on the USA Pickleball 2025 Official Rulebook

Rules-related information found in the sections below; Court and equipment, Order of Play, and Manner of Play, are based on the USA Pickleball 2025 Official Rulebook or the Equipment Standards Manual.

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