π Guide
The history of pickleball
Pickleball started as a summer game for bored kids and became one of the fastest-growing sports in North America. Here is the short story.
Who invented pickleball, and when?
Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle in Washington State. Three dads, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, wanted a game for their families. They found an old badminton court but no full set of rackets, so they used table tennis paddles and a perforated plastic ball. They lowered the net, wrote simple rules, and the game was born.
Why is it called pickleball?
There are two stories. The one the Pritchard family tells: Joel's wife Joan said the game reminded her of the pickle boat in rowing, the crew made of leftover rowers from other boats, just like the game was made of leftover parts of other sports. The other story says the name came from the family dog, Pickles, who chased the ball. According to the early players, the dog arrived a few years later and was named after the game.
How pickleball grew
- 1967: the first permanent pickleball court is built, in a neighbor's backyard on Bainbridge Island.
- 1972: a company is formed to protect the new sport.
- 1984: the national association (today USA Pickleball) is founded and publishes the first official rulebook.
- 2022: pickleball becomes the official state sport of Washington.
- Today the sport is played in parks, clubs and indoor centers across the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and far beyond.
Why it caught on
It is easy to learn, gentle on the body, very social, and the small court means you can fit four courts on one tennis court. Kids, retirees and former tennis players can all play together.
Quick answers
When was pickleball invented?
In the summer of 1965, on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Who invented pickleball?
Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum.