Pickleball, this mix of tennis, ping-pong and badminton, which is mainly played in doubles, is gaining more and more momentum in France. More than just a sport, it is above all a fun physical activity suitable for everyone and a socializing leisure activity, and that is why it is so popular.
A North American passion coming to France
In the United States, where the sport was born in 1965, it is a true passion: more than 9 million play it regularly and in Canada, 1.4 million people have also died. In France, the sport arrived in 2014, but has grown more and more in recent years. In 2023, there will be around thirty clubs throughout France, such as in Nantes, Nice or Biarritz. If pickleball was originally a sport for American retirees who wanted to practice physical activity, but not too much, today, this leisure activity appeals to all generations.
According to Jean-Paul Bagot, member of the Pickleball France association, “there are between 2,000 and 3,000 players in France to date with a majority of players aged between 41 and 60, but also increasingly young people. between 11 and 20 years old.
A French craze is born
After the advent of padel, pickleball is gaining ground in the French country and today even has two tournaments, created over the last four years. In May 2023, the European Pickleball Federation was created and has 25 members, and the first European Pickleball Championship is even in preparation. Proof that the game of rackets is making a place throughout Europe.
At Ivry-sur-Seine club, the closest to the capital which opened its doors only 6 months ago, around twenty players, beginners or seasoned, meet on Thursday evening and Sunday morning to exchange balls. Here, no pressure, we play with all levels and all ages! Sarah, 24, discovered the sport during an exchange in the United States and immediately looked for a club where she could practice it back in France. “The locals with whom I lived introduced me to it and I really enjoyed it because it’s really a friendly sport, we have the opportunity to meet lots of people, it’s a real moment of sharing,” confides- she said.
The young woman plays with Max, 30 years old, who heard about pickleball for the first time the day before her first session, at the Ivry sports forum, but also with Denise, an American almost 60 years old and the Brazilian Mauricio , true fans of this racquet sport. Other players also come with their children, because young and old can easily compete against each other.
A sport accessible to all
Pickleball requires little equipment and infrastructure and only requires a small, smooth surface. Rackets, a small ball with holes, a net and let’s go! The sport is therefore, from a financial point of view, very affordable. In Ivry, membership is 110 euros per year and 40 euros only for those already registered at the Tennis club.
“Whether we want to get back into sport, whether we want to come and have fun in addition to another sport to find other sensations, to come and seek out competition and give it our all, or simply “Fun is for everyone,” explains Vincent de Geoffroy, founder of the pickleball section of the Ivry-sur-Seine tennis club (USI Tennis). Indeed, sport does not necessarily require great physical condition.
The Olympics in sight
Benjamin Vigneux, player at the Ivry-sur-Seine club and teacher of adapted physical activity in hospitals, offers this sport to psychiatric patients, those suffering from obesity, or even victims of heart attacks. “When I discovered pickleball in the Vexin club for the first time, I saw players of all ages and all physical types, I found this diversity to be great. I decided to test this sport in a professional setting, with my patients and by adapting the activity according to the pathologies. I tested several activities and pickleball shows very good results.”
Keep your eyes open, given the evolution of this sport in France, a club could well open in your region soon…! Pickleball would also be well on its way to integrating new sports into the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.