Judy Murray OBE says pickleball can help Scotland be more active, calling it a “perfect fit” for the country's indoor spaces and unpredictable weather.
Record-breaking Skechers Pickleball Scottish Open in Glasgow attracts 380 competitors from 14 countries, with over 900 matches played.
Pickleball participation in Scotland has surged by more than 10,000% since 2018, growing from 50 players to over 5,200, reaching schools, retirement communities, wheelchair users, and even prisons.
Anne Smillie, British sport’s longest serving CEO, predicts pickleball will overtake tennis as Scotland's most popular racket sport by 2030, with the right funding and support.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. and in England, with celebrity fans like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney driving its global rise.
Record-breaking Skechers Pickleball Scottish Open in Glasgow attracts 380 competitors from 14 countries, with over 900 matches played.
Pickleball participation in Scotland has surged by more than 10,000% since 2018, growing from 50 players to over 5,200, reaching schools, retirement communities, wheelchair users, and even prisons.
Anne Smillie, British sport’s longest serving CEO, predicts pickleball will overtake tennis as Scotland's most popular racket sport by 2030, with the right funding and support.
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. and in England, with celebrity fans like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney driving its global rise.
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SportsTranscript
00:00We know you're a fan of Pickleball, even hosting Pickleball and Prosecco events at Connelly's.
00:07I've seen you playing even in Central Park in New York, which looked like huge amounts of fun.
00:14I'm wondering what is it that attracted you to this game in the first place?
00:18I think the first time that I played it, I was in Hilton Head Island and I was at a tennis conference,
00:25and the conference took all of the speakers as a treat to a Pickleball club.
00:30I'd never heard of Pickleball, I thought we were going to a nightclub and that's what it was called,
00:34so I even asked what I should wear.
00:36Anyway, we got there and there were 16 Pickleball courts and a lovely little pavilion,
00:40and it was 5 o'clock in the afternoon and every single court was full.
00:45And I'm thinking that's 64 people playing this, whatever it is.
00:50We had a little lesson with a coach and he taught us the rules and the scoring system,
00:55which I'm a former badminton player so the scoring system was old-fashioned badminton scoring.
01:00But what I loved about it was the fun element and the do-ability.
01:05I figured anyone can try this.
01:08The court is quite small, so someone of my age who finds the tennis court too big now
01:15is a perfect transfer out of tennis into something that will keep me in a similar game.
01:20But at the other end of the scale, I could also see how it's a great introduction to any kind of racquet sport,
01:28because it's so doable.
01:32It's a small space, a small racquet, the racquet is pretty funky,
01:35it's like a giant table tennis bat as you know,
01:37and the ball is quite funky as well with the holes in it, it's noisy.
01:42It's just fun and engaging and it's incredibly inclusive.
01:46And for Scotland, it's a perfect fit for us.
01:50We have terrible weather, but we have badminton courts everywhere,
01:54and every school, every community centre, sports centre has got badminton,
01:58even church halls have badminton courts.
02:01So in terms of setting up quickly wherever you are,
02:05I think it's a perfect fit for getting more people more active more often in Scotland.
02:10And what we're finding at Pickleball Scotland is that people in Scotland just couldn't agree with you more,
02:15because the game is now exploding in all corners.
02:19And thank you to you for being a supporter and a good friend to Pickleball Scotland
02:24in our pursuit of growing the game in Scotland.
02:27So at this event, we've got 370-some competitors.
02:33The entry, I don't know if I've said this to you already,
02:36the entry, when we opened it, filled within 48 hours.
02:40That is the incredible appeal of this game.
02:44We've got 900 matches happening over the weekend.
02:48Are you surprised in any way at the pace of the game?
02:51I'm not actually surprised at all, because of the doability of it,
02:55not just the playing of it, but I think the accessibility of it,
02:58because there are badminton courts everywhere.
03:01It's an easy transfer.
03:03I think it suits what we have in Scotland in terms of facilities anyway.
03:09But no, I've watched it on Instagram in the States ever since I was introduced to it,
03:16and the way that it has exploded in the States and in Canada is absolutely incredible.
03:22The events that are being put on, the leagues that are being run,
03:25the big-name sports stars who are investing in pickleball teams, it's absolutely huge.
03:30In Scotland, it's still just the start,
03:33and I think what you've done here with the Skechers event shows what's possible.
03:37You've outstripped the demand already.
03:40There's a great buzz about the place.
03:42It feels very relaxed, very friendly.
03:44Everybody seems to be enjoying themselves,
03:46and the level of play at the top end is brilliant,
03:49but the fact that you have categories according to ability level
03:55means that anybody can come and join in.
03:58And that's the beauty of sport, because we need to become a more active nation again,
04:03and I think pickleball has a huge part to play in that.
04:06I couldn't agree with you more, and I think this idea of it being very accessible
04:10is key to its appeal and its benefits for the people of Scotland.
04:16I'd just like to say thank you very much to you, Judy, for coming along today,
04:20and it's great to hear your enthusiasm for the game,
04:24and thank you for being a friend to Pickleball Scotland once again.
04:27You're so welcome, and I'm a huge fan of what you and your gang have done,
04:33and I know you have a wealth of international sporting experience
04:37on the playing side, the refereeing side, the administering side, the event management side,
04:42and what you have achieved in a short space of time as largely a group of volunteers
04:47with a very limited budget is absolutely phenomenal.
04:50Much appreciated. Really appreciate that. Thanks, Judy.