Why Pickleball is the Fastest-Growing Sport and Why You Should Join the Fun!

If you haven’t heard about pickleball yet, you’re missing out on one of the most exciting and accessible sports out there. Pickleball has surged in popularity over the last few years, captivating players of all ages and skill levels. But what exactly is it, and why has it become so popular? Let’s dive into the world of pickleball and explore why this sport is here to stay.

What is Pickleball?
Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis. It’s played on a smaller court with a slightly modified net, making it less physically demanding than traditional tennis. Players use a paddle and a perforated plastic ball (similar to a whiffle ball) in both singles and doubles formats. This mix of ease, strategy, and fast-paced play has made it a hit across various age groups.

1. It’s Easy to Learn for All Ages
Pickleball is known for its low barrier to entry. The rules are straightforward, and the smaller court makes it easy for beginners to pick up quickly. It’s also much easier on the body than some other racket sports, making it ideal for seniors, families, and anyone looking for a less intense workout. Within a few sessions, most players are rallying, serving, and even strategizing their shots.

2. A Great Way to Get Active and Stay Social
One of the best parts about pickleball is the social aspect. The smaller court size brings players closer together, and games are quick, which means you can easily switch partners and meet new people. Pickleball communities are popping up in parks, recreation centres, and clubs around the world, fostering a friendly and inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.

3. It Offers a Full-Body Workout Without Overwhelming Intensity
Although it’s easier on the joints than tennis, pickleball still provides a great workout. It involves quick lateral movements, reflexes, and plenty of agility. Plus, it’s highly engaging—many players say they forget they’re exercising because they’re having so much fun.

4. A Sport for All Skill Levels
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or a casual weekend player, pickleball has room for everyone. The game can be as fast-paced and competitive or as relaxed and recreational as you want. And if you’re looking to up your game, there are countless resources, tutorials, and local clubs to help you sharpen your skills.

How to Get Started
Ready to give pickleball a shot? You don’t need much to start—just a paddle, some balls, and a space to play. Many communities offer free or low-cost courts, and you can also join local leagues or clinics to learn the game with other beginners.

Pickleball is a sport that’s easy to learn, incredibly fun, and a fantastic way to stay active. Whether you’re looking to meet new friends, stay fit, or just try something new, pickleball has something to offer. So grab a paddle, and let’s hit the court—who knows, you might just find your new favourite hobby!

We have had a jam-packed autumn so far, with the continuation of our popular Prime Video LTA Youth Girls programme, more new schools taking up the LTA £250 school’s voucher for 10 hours of tennis coaching (including Woodlawn in Whitley Bay, Monkseaton Middle and Burradon Community School), our regular LTA Youth Programme, Tennis for Free, Monster Smash Halloween Team Challenge events and a new funded partnership with Whitley Bay Islamic Centre and Walking With in Wallsend. Meanwhile our own team are furthering their tennis knowledge and skills by completing their next level LTA qualifications (both Assistant and Instructor courses).

And there’s no rest for the winter as we introduce some exciting new programmes to our next block of coaching after half term (w/c 6th November)!

Adults
New to our adult programme is TennisFit360 (at Beverley Park) and Family Rackets Club (at the Parks sports centre). Due to demand Tennis Xpress & Absolute Beginners will return to Tuesday mornings as well as its regular Saturday slot. Our popular Walking Tennis programme continues on a Wednesday morning. To book, click here. 

Juniors
Our Tuesday after school youth programme (including Youth Girls, Youth Start, Youth Red/Orange/Green and Teenager Tennis) will move indoors over the winter to Marden Bridge Sports Centre. To book, click here and filter by selecting ‘Tuesday’ in the drop down.

Our Saturday morning Tennis Tots (2-4 year-olds) and LTA Youth Red sessions (5-8 year-olds) will take place in the shiny new Whitley Bay High School facility. LTA Youth Orange, Green and Teenager tennis will continue at Beverley Park. To book click here and filter by selecting ‘Saturday’ in the drop down. 

Teachers in the North East are being introduced to an innovative new racket sport born in Switzerland, that is sweeping its way across Europe.

Street Racket is the brainchild of Swiss creator Marcel Straub, who is visiting the region to run workshops for teachers, students and coaches. He has teamed up with North Tyneside sports provider NET 360, to spread the word about the fun and inclusive new sport.

Street Racket is an award-winning, easy to learn sport that uses large wooden bats, foam balls and can be played literally anywhere, anytime, with anyone. It requires no nets, as courts can just be marked out on the ground (indoors and outdoors) using chalk, tape or lines.

Former international squash player Marcel is running workshops at Northumbria University, Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club in Whitley Bay and Sunderland Tennis Centre, on Sunday and Monday (11th and 12th June). He came up with the idea when arriving in Dominica to deliver table tennis sessions only to find there were no tables!

“I started to draw the outline of the missing tables directly onto the ground with some chalk and before long we had come up with a new racket sport on the floor,” he said.

“The thought of being able to play racket sports with no infrastructure was an exciting one so we developed it further back in Switzerland. Street Racket was born and it has got bigger and bigger!

“We want to bring people together in sport and help build up integration as well as self-esteem for all the players involved. Street Racket reaches out to all, no matter what age group or playing level and it can be enjoyed everywhere.”

Carlos Caldeira, Director of NET 360, said: “We are very excited about welcoming Marcel to the North East to help us build excitement about this fantastic sport.

“We have been delivering free taster sessions in schools and the feedback has been really positive. Teachers love its simplicity, accessibility and the way it encourages pupils to be creative and come up with their own games.

“Over in Switzerland Street Racket is now part of everyday life for schools. Getting people active again is a major priority after the pandemic and we would love to see it become part of school life over here and in communities.”

Marcel is delivering a coaches workshop at Sunderland Tennis Centre in partnership with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday, a teachers’ workshop at Northumbria University Sports Centre (Coach Lane Campus) from 9.30am to 11.30am on Monday and a community workshop at Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club in Whitley Bay from 1pm to 3pm on Monday.

Watch this video for a taste of what it’s all about. 

If you are interested in attending or would like more information about Street Racket, please email emily@net360cic.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For more information, interviews or images, or to arrange coming down to any of the workshops, please contact:
Emily James
E. Emily@net360cic.uk
M. 07793 762 879

About NET 360 CIC
NET 360 CIC https://www.net360cic.uk is the leading provider of high-quality tennis-based sports activities in schools, clubs and parks in North Tyneside.
Our main venues are Rockcliffe Bowling & Tennis Club and Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club in Whitley Bay. We have been operating for over 20 years and work with over 600 young people during 30 hours of sports programmes a week.

About Street Racket

80 countries played in
2,400 active schools
150,000 players every day

Street Racket wants to make sport available and accessible for anyone, anywhere and anytime. It strongly believes in social responsibility, fostering life skills and engaging in inclusion and integration projects. Street Racket supports the United Nationals’ Sustainable Goals (SDG) and runs projects in developing and emerging countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Ghana, Thailand and Cambodia. Street Racket also collaborates with the International Committee of the Red Cross and many other charitable foundations and organisations.

www.streetracket.com

• Prime Video LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) Youth Girls launched to inspire thousands of girls to take up tennis
• North Tyneside team NET 360 among 255 coaches from around Britain now trained to deliver taster tennis sessions specifically designed for girls
• Former British No.1 Laura Robson and former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova among those who shared experience and insight at four training sessions delivered in February and March

More than 50 girls have already signed up to a new girls-only tennis programme in Whitley Bay this spring.

The courses are being run by local tennis provider NET 360, who deliver coaching at Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club and Rockcliffe Bowling & Tennis Club, both in Whitley Bay. It is part of a national programme – ‘Prime Video LTA Youth Girls’ – launched to inspire thousands of girls across the country to pick up a racket and play tennis.

The six-week introductory course is packed with games and exercises to build confidence and skills on court, all whilst having fun with friends. The sessions are designed to introduce girls to tennis and motivate them to stay in the sport, based on the LTA’s research and insight into the barriers and challenges facing girls that impact their participation in sport.

Data shows that as children get older, progress through coaching programmes, and into formal competition, the gender split between male and female participants widens. This programme is designed to make tennis more appealing for girls addressing social, psychological and environmental pressures and challenges facing girls, introducing competition in a process rather than outcome focused way.

Carlos Caldeira, Head Coach at NET 360, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the interest in our LTA Youth Girls programme and have already sold out all of our courses. We’re now looking to run more to meet demand.

“I think the girls only element is definitely what has appealed, together with the emphasis on fun and friendships. It’s a great way to get young girls into tennis and we are very lucky at NET 360 to have a team of female coaches and tennis leaders to support with the delivery of the programme. It means our participants have young women as role models, who they can look up to, relate to and communicate more easily with.”

The LTA recently announced positive growth in participation amongst women and girls, and of the 3.63 million children playing tennis in Britain 49% of them are girls. Introducing more girls into the sport but also ensuring that they are provided with an experience that is fun, pressure-free and enjoyable, to develop a positive relationship with tennis and continue to play as they get older, is a key focus. The Prime Video LTA Youth Girls training makes progress to developing a coaching workforce that is mindful of the particular factors involved when coaching young girls.

The Prime Video LTA Youth Girls programme was launched in October 2022 with Prime Video’s reinvestment of the funds generated from sharing the broadcast of Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open Final with Channel 4. LTA accredited coaches applied to take part from across Great Britain and having received training will now begin to deliver programmes in their local clubs and venues with equipment and support from the LTA.

Girls aged 4-16 can sign up for the course. It costs £35 for six sessions of coaching, and girls receive a t-shirt, tennis racket and tennis balls so they can continue to practice at home or on their local courts.

Current courses at Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club and Rockcliffe Bowling & Tennis Club are fully booked, but to register your interest on forthcoming courses, please email hello@net360cic.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For more information, interviews or images, please contact:
Emily James
E. Emily@net360cic.uk
M. 07793 762 879

About NET 360 CIC
NET 360 CIC https://www.net360cic.uk is the leading provider of high quality tennis-based sports activities in schools, clubs and parks in North Tyneside.
Our main venues are Rockcliffe Bowls & Tennis Club and Beverley Park Lawn Tennis Club in Whitley Bay. We have been operating for over 20 years and work with over 600 young people during 30 hours of sports programmes a week.

I’m sitting on a runway with nervous excitement as I embark on a short but hopefully sweet trip to Switzerland, the home of a new and exciting sport – Street Racket. I’m going to meet the man behind its creation, watch it be taught in schools and then receive training on how to play it and teach it.

This is all courtesy of NET 360 CIC, the community-based non-profit, who are trusting me to return with the knowledge and skills that will allow us to grow Street Racket in the North East. I’ll be introducing this fun, versatile new sport to our local schools and communities.

Rewind to just over three months ago and I was rock bottom. Juggling a family and career was taking its toll; long hours, relentless pressure and absolutely no work/life balance. It was crippling me mentally and physically and having a negative impact on my family too.

One morning I woke up to my son’s alarm going off (he set it each morning so he could say goodbye to me before I left to go to work), and that was the moment I decided, “Life is just too short. I need to spend time with my family and friends and be happy again.”

Over the last couple of years my children have been attending NET 360’s junior coaching programme at Beverley Park Tennis Club. I had got to know the coaches well. Sport is a great passion of mine and for a couple of years I have been coaching a junior athletics team as a volunteer on a Friday evening. Then an opportunity arose at NET 360 for a coach. With all my skills and life experience the role quickly evolved into one that encompassed all my passions: working with children, communication and sport. It ticked all of my boxes:

• an environment conducive to a work/life balance
• the flexibility that allows me to be there for my family
• some time for me.

As I write this I could pinch myself. How lucky that this opportunity came my way just at the right time. I have grappled with so much guilt and self doubt over what I thought I had thrown away, but none of it has been wasted.

I get to work with children of all ages, making a difference and promoting mental health and well-being through sport. That is something that is even more important for young people after the past few years.

I heard on the radio recently; gone are the days when people got on the career treadmill and climbed the corporate ladder whilst working themselves into the ground until retirement. Now people are choosing life and happiness and finding a balance we once thought was so hard to achieve, maybe having three or four different careers in their lifetime. How fantastic!

‘Anyone, anytime, anywhere’ is the Street Racket slogan and it occurred to me that this sums up how life can suddenly take you on a different track, or in my case, court!

If you’re not happy, be brave and take a leap. It might just turn out to be a flippin’ brilliant one! And if it isn’t, that’s ok, just take another one.

If you are interested in joining the NET 360 team contact us at Hiring@NET360CIC.uk

Emily James, NET 360 CIC coach and Schools Engagement Officer.