Southampton plays host to first European Pickleball Championships

“Champions of Europe” is the title teams from 24 countries competed for last weekend, in a sport you may not have heard of, pickleball.

The European Pickleball Championships were held at the Southampton Tennis Centre and many people paid a visit to enjoy the weekends action.

Two gold and four silver medals saw Team England crowned overall winners of the European Pickleball Championships.

Pickleball is a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.

It is played on a badminton-sized court, with a lower tennis net and an extra-large table tennis-like ball.

The event included an opening ceremony where teams entered the venue alongside their country’s flag.

Pickleball England 18+ Coach, Sam Basford said: “There are so many countries here. We didn’t even know where pickleball was being played. It’s really cool to see so many players here and the atmosphere has been amazing so far.”

Team Denmark player Jimmy Scherff said: “The atmosphere around the court, the people, the teammates, it’s wonderful”.

“Pickleball is a social game” and “it’s faster than any other sport” said Sanna Antikainen and Selma Suikkainen from Team Finland, on why they like the sport.

Mollie Knaggs, a winner with Team England said: “Just try it! Anyone can play whether that’s socially or competitively”.

Invented in the US in 1965, pickleball clubs started to form in the UK around 2011 and the sport has continued to grow ever since.

It is estimated that in 2023 there were around 270 pickleball venues and 7,000 players in the UK, with the game expected to grow further in the coming years.