World Pickleball Day Date in the current year: October 10, 2024

Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor sport that combines elements of three racket/paddle sports: a pickleball court resembles a doubles badminton court, a pickleball net resembles a tennis net, and paddles used by pickleball players resemble those used in ping-pong but are larger. Interestingly, the ball used to play this game has holes in it similar to a Wiffle ball.

The person credited with inventing pickleball is Joel Pritchard, a then member of the Washington House of Representatives and future congressman. One Saturday afternoon in 1965, Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell found their kids bored and suggested they play badminton, but it turned out the shuttlecock was lost. The children and adults ended up devising their own game that would later develop into pickleball.

Later on, Pritchard, along with his friend Barney McCallum, McCallum’s son David and two other friends, established Pickle Ball, Inc. The company trademarked the name of the sport and started manufacturing pickleball equipment to popularize the game.

Since its inception, pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in North America. The COVID-19 pandemic really gave a boost to its popularity because pickleball can be played outdoors in public parks, allowing people to stay physically active and socialize while social distancing.

World Pickleball Day was inaugurated by the World Pickleball Federation (WPF), an international organization dedicated to promoting the growth of pickleball on a global level. It unites six pickleball confederations from different parts of the world: the African Pickleball Confederation, the Asian Pickleball Confederation, the European Pickleball Confederation, the North American Pickleball Confederation, the Oceanic Pickleball Confederation, and the South American Pickleball Confederation.

The main goal of World Pickleball Day is to raise awareness of this amazing game and make the number of players grow exponentially with each year. World Pickleball Day events include demonstrations, workshops, tournaments, social media campaigns, and other events and activities that help spread awareness of pickleball among a wide audience from around the globe.

You can celebrate World Pickleball Day by picking up a racket and playing a game or two of pickleball. If you’ve never played pickleball before, this is your chance to learn; if you’re an accomplished player, introduce someone to the game and teach them the basics! Other ways to celebrate include donating to an organization that promotes pickleball, hosting a neighborhood tournament, giving free lessons to kids, and, of course, spreading the word on social media with the hashtag #WorldPickleballDay.

World Pickleball Day should not be confused with National Pickleball Day, which is celebrated in the United States on August 8 and in Canada on the second Saturday of August.