It’s the social side of pickleball that’s so special, say players

Auckland's first pickleball centre is open for business and city residents are being urged to give the sport a go.

The Auckland Pickleball Centre opened on March 1 in Mount Wellington.

General manager and instructor Chris Mooney says he wanted a facility similar to others across the country.

He says there was previously a lack of good quality facilities in Auckland.

“With the [centre’s] surface, you have a real experience, because most of the pickleball is being played in community centres and gyms where there are multiple lines and it's a wooden surface.”

Mooney says the new surface and equipment is the same as professionals use.

“If you go down to Hamilton or a few other places, they have this kind of court.

“The New Zealand champs tournament is played at a tennis centre, which is similar to this surface,” he says.

The new centre now gives Auckland pickleball players the chance to compete.

“We would all just rock up [and] you're like meeting your partner for the first time and they just get killed on the surface cause it's a totally different game,” says Mooney.

His passion for pickleball emerged 18 months ago after developing knee-pain from his football career.

Head coach at centre Luke Addison says Auckland needed a specific centre for the fast-growing sport.

“Sessions were getting booked out and everyone wanted more pickleball, but there wasn't a dedicated space.”

He says since pickleball is predominately played in gyms and community centres, other sports like basketball and netball had been prioritised.

“We came across this place in Mount Wellington, measured it all out and realised you could put seven pickleball courts here, and it went from there,” Addison says.

Mooney says the social aspect of the sport has caused its rapid popularity.

“I run a facility because I love the community more than anything. I love it more than the sport. It just brings people together and it just happens to be extremely fun.”

Manager of the Browns Bay Pickleball Centre Pete Curham says experience isn’t important.

“You don't need to know anybody to play pickleball. You just turn up, and somebody will take you under their wing, make sure you're sorted and make sure you're getting games.”

Curham, who has five years' experience in pickleball and has played it in Japan and Fiji, says its sense of community is a universal language.

The Auckland Pickleball Centre is open seven days a week, with sessions that vary from advanced to beginner level.

* AI was not used in the creation of this story.