Vlad Bunoan

Sherry Ann Cu, chairman for tournaments of Philippine Pickleball Federation. Handout

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ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764933376480IMG_2171.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Sherry Ann Cu, chairman for tournaments of Philippine Pickleball Federation. Handout"/>Sherry Ann Cu, chairman for tournaments of Philippine Pickleball Federation. Handout</div>Pickleball may have been born in 1965, but its boom in the Philippines is very much a story of today — a post-pandemic hobby that has quietly grown into a full-blown national movement. What began as a curiosity on cruise ships and makeshift street courts has turned into one of the country’s fastest-rising sports, attracting kids, seniors, and weekend warriors.Pickleball took off locally around 2017, according to Sherry Ann Cu, tournament chair of the Philippine Pickleball Federation (PPF). “I’ve spoken to some, they started playing pickleball on a cruise ship,” Cu said. “Then they brought the sports to Manila and started playing pickleball here.”In 2018, a U.S. pickleball pro flew in with paddles and nets, taught early adopters, and convinced a badminton group to give the sport a try. “The plastic ball they were using looks like a toy, with wooden paddles,” Cu recalled. “The sport looks like a child’s game, but when one starts playing it, it looks fun. You feel happy and it becomes addicting later on.”From those small beginnings, the sport spread quickly. “We started forming community clubs,” Cu said. “Today, we have 320 clubs, but the number keeps adding exponentially. We have over 21,000 amateur players registered.”What makes pickleball stick, she said, is its inclusivity. Children as young as six can play, as well as seniors in their 80s. There’s even wheelchair pickleball, with rules adapted for accessibility. The game fits onto a badminton-size court, and portable nets make it easy to set up anywhere — even on a village basketball court.<div> </div><div>The Philippines on the global pickleball map</div>The PPF recently hosted the two-day Global Pickleball Congress, themed “One Global Family, Sharing Stories, Sharing Purpose,” with Global Pickleball Federation president Javier Regalado giving the keynote and secretary general Jen Ramamurthy as guest speaker.“The Philippines is very much in the heart of pickleball in the world,” Cu said. As a charter and founding member of the sport’s international governing body — now 76 member countries strong — the Philippines plays a key role in its global growth.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1764933528480IMG_2142.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="International and local participants in the recently-held two-day Global Pickleball Congress. Handout"/>International and local participants in the recently-held two-day Global Pickleball Congress. Handout</div>The year 2025 will mark pickleball’s 60th year, and talks are underway to get the sport into the Olympics. “We are targeting for pickleball to make it to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics,” Cu said. The Philippines is currently the first country in the world recognized by its national Olympic committee and the IOC as a national sports association for pickleball.The Manila congress gathered 35 participating countries onsite (with more streaming online) to discuss accreditation pathways and federation standards — the first time the global summit was held outside North America.“We’re pitching for the first Global Pickleball Championship to be held in the Philippines,” Cu said. <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/2025/7/30/asia-s-first-tournament-grade-pickleball-center-to-rise-in-bridgetowne-1440">Helios — the event co-presenter and title sponsor — is set to rise at Robinsons Bridgetown in Pasig</a>. It will be the first indoor, multi-story pickleball facility in Asia, Cu shared. The complex will house 25 championship courts and a 2,000-seat stadium, slated for completion in two years.The PPF is aiming to host the first Global Pickleball Championship in 2027, with backing from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee. PSC chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio is an avid pickleball player and had courts built across Metro Manila as part of the government’s sports tourism initiative.<div> </div><div>An accessible sport with grassroots reach</div>Despite its global ambitions, pickleball remains one of the most accessible sports in the country. “Pickleball is not an elite sport,” Cu said. Renting a court can cost as little as P100 per hour, shared among four players.The federation runs grassroots programs and donates secondhand paddles and portable nets to communities nationwide. “Anywhere in the Philippines, there’s a basketball court. You can line the courts and get three pickleball courts and make them multi-purpose courts,” Cu said. “We conducted clinics in multi-purpose courts. We just paint the floor with pickleball lines and teach the children and adults. Our goal is to spread pickleball across the country to all ages, all economic brackets and all athletic abilities.&quot;Many late bloomers also find their sporting confidence through pickleball. “My friends who never played sports in high school or college can play pickleball now,” Cu added. “It could be a life-long sport that you acquire. There are senior and masters division and you can play professionally.”New dedicated courts are popping up across the country, with proper hard acrylic surfaces. Metro Manila alone has Dink and Shot in Marikina, Brittany in Fairview, Telapark in Las Piñas, Pickleball Hub in Sucat, and courts at Solaire Manila and Solaire North.Outside the capital, Dumaguete now has more than 100 courts; Cebu has eight; and courts are available in Cagayan and Davao. Even exclusive clubs are joining in: Valle Verde converted its badminton courts, Quezon City Sports Club turned its tennis court into a pickleball venue, and Manila Golf, Wack Wack, and Manila Polo Club have opened — or are opening — dedicated courts.From makeshift street setups to world-class indoor arenas, pickleball’s rise in the Philippines looks unstoppable. And if Cu’s optimism is any clue, this small-court sport is set for an even bigger future on the world stage.

Once a niche pastime, pickleball is now drawing full courts, new clubs, and a growing community in Manila. Here’s what’s fueling the sport’s rapid rise — and why more Filipinos are picking up a paddle.

Once a niche pastime, pickleball is now drawing full courts, new clubs, and a growing community in Manila. Here’s what’s fueling the sport’s rapid rise — and why more Filipinos are picking up a paddle.

Why pickleball is becoming the new go-to sport in Manila

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Why pickleball is becoming the new go-to sport in Manila

ABS-CBN Lifestyle

Published December 06, 2025 02:00 PM PHT

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