Push for pickleball club

ONE of the newest racquet sports is gaining traction in Bendigo.

A come and try session was held at the Eaglehawk badminton stadium on Monday for pickleball, a sport played using paddles and a polymer ball on a doubles badminton court.

President of Pickleball Victoria, Mark Taylor, said it would be great to see a club established in Bendigo.

“We’ve got a very well-run club in Wangaratta, and we’ve got a couple of people there that have become coaches, so we hope they can take it to the neighbouring areas,” he said.

“Once we grow Bendigo, hopefully we can get a volunteer from Bendigo to go to the next place.”

Local pickleball player Elena Gagliardi has been the main advocate for the sport after first playing it five years ago.

She said she reached out online to see if anyone would be interested in playing socially.

“I’d like to see the numbers increase and eventually form our own club just like the table tennis, badminton, and tennis clubs, like they do in other parts of Australia,” she said.

“It’s a bit more energetic than table tennis, it’s more of a cardio exercise. But it’s not as physical as tennis.”

Mr Taylor said the biggest challenge will be for the potential Bendigo club to fund their beginners pack, which includes the portable net, balls, and paddles.

He said they could look to the City of Greater Bendigo for grants or enter an agreement with the badminton and table tennis stadium committee.