2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the sport of pickleball. Invented on Bainbridge Island, Washington in 1965, pickleball has evolved and changed significantly over the past 60 years. So what did it look like in the beginning and how has it changed?
Learn more about the history of pickleball: 1965 to present, opens in a new tab.
Who plays pickleball?
The demographics of the average pickleball player has changed significantly over the years. In the early days, it was just family and friends followed by a few small pockets, mainly in or near Washington, the sport’s home state. As pickleball grew, it became known as a sport for older and retired people.
But the demographics of pickleball have changed significantly in the last few years. A 2023 study by the Association of Pickleball Players (APP) found that the average age of players was 34.8, with more than 70 percent of players between 18 and 44. Between 2022 and 2023, there was an 86 percent increase in players between 35 and 44.
Among serious/avid players, 62 percent are male and 38 percent are female. Among casual players, 57 are male and 43 percent are female.
Pickleball paddle technology
When the Pritchards, Bells, and McCallums began playing in their backyard in 1965, they used a combination of table tennis paddles and badminton rackets. Wooden paddles were used pretty exclusively during the first 20 years of the game of pickleball.
In 1984, a Boeing industrial engineer named Arlen Paranto invented the first composite pickleball paddle. Paranto created fiberglass/nomex honeycomb panels used by commercial airlines. He initially made 1,000 paddles with fiberglass/honeycomb and graphite/honeycomb cores.
Wooden paddles were still used, but different materials become the norm in pickleball tournaments.
Pickleball paddles have evolved over the last 10 years more than they have in the entire history of pickleball. In that time, paddles have been made with raw carbon, fiberglass, graphite, foam, and more!
Learn more about Selkirk's pickleball paddle evolution.
Pickleball’s growth
Like most parts of pickleball, it took a good 20 years for things to really happen. The inventors of pickleball, as well as other players and fans, were doing their part to grow the sport regionally from 1965 to 1984. In 1984, not only was the first composite pickleball paddle invented, but USA Pickleball was founded with the goal of growing and advancing pickleball to a national level. USA Pickleball also released a pickleball rulebook.
During this time, pickleball was still largely a regional sport — but in 1990, pickleball was played in all 50 states for the first time. Over the next 30 years, there were incremental advances in pickleball. Companies like Selkirk are advancing the technology, but it still remains a niche sport.
In 2020, pickleball saw its biggest growth spurt. According to statistics by USA Pickleball, opens in a new tab (as of January 2025), there are currently:
- 62,260 USA Pickleball members.
- Nearly 70,000 known courts in the United States.
- 1,100 registered pickleball officials.
- Nearly 1,500 registered coaches globally through Pickleball Coaching International (PCI).
- 142 USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments in 2024.
There were also nearly 20 million players in the United States as of February 2024, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, up from 3.46 million in 2019. But the number of players who play casually is likely much higher. The 2023 APP study, opens in a new tab found that nearly 50 million Americans had played at least once in the last year.
Pickleball has also seen significant growth around the world, and is being played on (at least) six continents.
Learn more about the history of pickleball: 1965 to present, opens in a new tab.
