November 6, 2023 at 11:31 am
sports
The area near Dorstead The Dutch Pickleball Championship was held last Sunday at Sports Hall Marienhoeve. The largest racket sport in the United States, which is steadily increasing in popularity in the Netherlands and Europe. Organizers Bernadette Snyders-Block and Corinne Wagner tell us more about this. “Pickleball is kind of a cross between tennis and badminton,” says Snyders-Bock. “I played the sport for the first time in America in 2010, and I was surprised that the sport was not known in the Netherlands. I was finally able to introduce Pickleball here in 2013.”
By John Beringen
A total of 160 members are participating in the tournament. Snijders Blok says the youngest member is 14 years old and the oldest member is 88 years old. She points out that age is not important for playing Picleball. “There are several reasons for this,” she says. “First of all, the racket is much lighter than a tennis racket and shorter than a badminton racket. And the playing field is much smaller so you don’t have to walk as much. Pickleball has now also joined the Royal Dutch Tennis Association,” adds Wagner. “Members also include tennis players who enjoy taking part . But there is also interest in the sport in schools; Since the field is so large, it can be played in any gym.
Popularity is growing
“We also notice that interest is increasing,” she continues. “Every week we receive a lot of emails from people who have heard about the sport and want to know more about it. And then we see the number of members growing. It’s like Bernadette actually said: you don’t have to have the fitness of an athlete to participate. It’s also a social event. “Also making connections between members who were previously strangers to each other. They often talk while enjoying a drink after the match. What’s also nice is that the Director of the Tennis Association is also participating in the tournament,” she concluded with a laugh.
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Pickleball became an official sport in the USA in 1967. It is now played on all continents and pickleball is also played in most European countries. There are tournaments everywhere and every two years an international tournament is held in the Netherlands. FIBA has 70 member countries as of March 2022. More information can be found via https://pickleballholland.nl/
