Ballina to host Regional Doubles Pickleball Tournament

THE NORTHERN Rivers Regional Pickleball Tournament is due to start at the Ballina Indoor Sports Centre on August 2, until August 4.

The Friday is Seniors Day, with gender doubles for people aged 60 and older. Saturday features mixed doubles, and Sunday hosts the gender doubles under 60 and open category.

A competition dinner will be held on Friday evening at the Ballina RSL.Organisers will provide details to registered entrants in coming weeks.

The schedule begins with round robins and then finals; gold, silver and bronze-winning competitors for each bracket will be awarded medals.

The entry fee is $50 and $15 for each subsequent event, and entrants can play up to three events.

For the uninitiated, pickleball was invented in the US in the 1960s and designed as a game for the whole family. The popular sport combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. In 2022, the US Sports and Fitness Association named it the fastest-growing sport in America for two years running.

It has gained popularity in Australia despite being almost unheard of just five years ago.

The Pickleball Australia Association reached more than 9,000 members earlier this year, and an estimated 20,000 players compete regularly nationwide.

The Australian chapter is now a member of the International Federation of Pickleball, and many senior administrators in the league believe it is on a trajectory to become an Olympic sport in the future.

The tournament has been overwhelmed with registrations, and at the time of writing, are soon to close, having almost reached capacity. A few places remain in some events but are filling fast.

Final applications can be submitted by registering interest online with the tournament. Local North Coast pickleball clubs include Ballina, Byron Bay, Kingscliff, Murwillumbah, Pottsville, and Tweed Heads.

The Ballina tournament is a Pickleball Australia sanctioned event and abides by IFP rules.

To register, head to pickleballnsw.org/events/234426