Byron Bay Pickleball Club gets over the line

AFTER commuting to Alstonville and Ballina to play her beloved sport for more than a year, Joanne Henderson is thrilled that Byron Bay Pickleball Club has become an official entity.

“We just got an ABN and now we’re in the process of transferring membership, which will include insurance and discounts off different products and access to the Australian Pickleball Association,” Henderson said.

“We just needed a closer club, so we got together some players from the community and started talking about it.

“We started to play socially in June and had an open day in July.

“There were casual indoor games but that was mostly during the week for retirees.

“We wanted something for all ages who could play after work and on Saturday morning.”

The group now has 180 people in its WhatsApp chat group.

Henderson, who works as a property manager at Your Luxury Escapes, said one of the reasons pickleball was growing so fast was because it’s easy to learn.

“My daughter is marrying a Texan and pickleball is very popular in the United States, so she introduced me to it,” the 58-year-old said.

“Sometimes we get families, which is lovely, and we have players aged up to 70.

“Generally speaking, they are ex-squash, tennis or table tennis players and it all correlates and they pick it up very easily.

“We’re promoting the fun environment, the social side and fitness, but we’re also going to start competitions within the Northern Rivers and cater for those who want to be more competitive.”

Byron Bay Pickleball Club plays at the Cavanbah Centre on Monday and Thursday from 5.30pm to 7.30pm and from 9am to 11am on Saturday.