Pickleball enthusiasts worry Australia will be left behind the rest of the world

ABC NEWS (Australia)

As a fast-growing sport, pickleball is giving traditional tennis a run for its money. As the sport expands clubs in towns and cities across the country are struggling to keep up with demand leaving enthusiasts worried Australia could be left behind the rest of the world.

Transcript

00:00David Grady is a defense veteran who loves working up a sweat.

00:08A skilled powerlifter and jiu-jitsu fighter, he's now set his sights on something new.

00:14It's just like a different challenge.

00:16Like it's good to have like the jiu-jitsu gets me really thinking and really like physical side of things.

00:22And then pickleball gives me like different like hand-eye coordination, a bit more active moving around.

00:29He started playing pickleball six months ago but believes the lack of facilities is leaving the tail trip behind.

00:36Just looking at other like other states and like looking to the US and then all the emerging places like Vietnam.

00:45Jonathan Lee transferred from squash to take up pickleball.

00:50He says the sport which is a combination of tennis, badminton and table tennis presents a unique set of challenges.

00:58It does make it harder especially you need a tennis court type surface.

01:01You can't just play on the grass or uneven surfaces because the ball won't bounce properly.

01:06The rally to make pickleball the next big thing in the territory is well and truly underway.

01:11But without proper services the sport could lose its footing just when it's starting to hit its stride.

01:18Our infrastructure is old, it's failing, the court surfaces are cracking, lifting.

01:23So long term we were looking to put shade over hopefully five courts, redo the surface.

01:30Some see this as an opportunity to grow tennis too.

01:34I think that it's really important as we look to resurfacing and repainting projects that we get that support as well.

01:41Recognizing that we're bringing a more diverse community of people into tennis clubs.

01:46A sport hoping to dink a few points in new communities.

01:50A sport hoping to dink a few points in new communities.

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