The secret behind pickleball’s popularity? It’s more than a game.

When Noelle Mandell moved to New Orleans from Houston, she was, as she puts it, “craving community.” She found it by signing up for beginner sessions at her local pickleball club, the Exchange, where she met, and befriended, a “small but vibrant” crew of regulars.

“The game itself is super fun — I love playing and learning — but it’s the people who keep me coming back to the court,” Mandell, 34, tells Yahoo. “What I admire most about pickleball is how it brings such eclectic people together. … Once the game starts, all that matters is the play.”

It’s this low-barrier, high-connection nature of the sport that has helped pickleball evolve from niche hobby to social movement. Some 60 year after it was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Wash. — yes, it’s been around that long — it’s emerged as the fastest-growing sport in America for four years running, with over 19.8 million players in 2024 alone, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. There are courts at many major (and boutique) hotels, community centers and even churches, the latter of which, as the Southern Baptist Texan reports, are leaning into the sport’s popularity as a way to “spread the gospel [and] build community.”

Along the way, pickleball has evolved into more than just a recreational pastime — it’s becoming a vital “third space,” where people gather not just to compete but to connect, unwind and build community outside of home and work. Here’s how.

A place to make friends

Andy Peeke took up pickleball because he saw it as a sport that’s both fun and challenging. Now he’s a pickleball lead at Life Time in New York City, where he’s seen firsthand how the game has morphed into something much deeper. “[The club] has become a fully fledged community hub,” he says. “We’ve got birthday parties, corporate events and sub-groups of players who also play poker, run marathons, organize religious and cultural gatherings. … Members travel together.”

He adds: “It’s so much more than just a game.”

That “more than a game” sentiment is at the heart of why the sport keeps growing. Amrita Bhasin, 24, discovered pickleball after moving to Portland, Maine, and says it gave her an anchor in a new environment. “The pickleball league was more social than athletic, and it enabled me to make new friends in a city I had just moved to, which was fun,” she says. “[It] gave us a regular recurring space to meet. It feels almost like a social or country club vibe.”

That’s something that Stephanie McCaffrey, founder of Pickle Pop, has worked hard to foster in her Santa Monica, Calif. space. “With Pickle Pop, we didn’t just want to create a place to play — we wanted to build a fun, welcoming vibe where everyone feels included and the experience goes beyond just the game,” she tells Yahoo. McCaffrey credits her background in pro sports and finance and her wife’s fashion expertise with creating a space with its “own aesthetic” (see: cool lighting, hot pink ball hoppers). “The moment you walk in, it feels joyful,” she says. “You can tell right away this isn’t your average pickleball spot.”

Events ranging from Sunday Funday to a Pride Party help players of all levels break the ice. “Pickleball is such an easy way to connect; it brings people together around a shared interest,” McCaffrey notes.

Then there’s Ballers, a new social sports concept with high-design venues opening in cities like Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston — think pickleball courts alongside food and drinks, saunas and cold plunges. CEO David Gutstadt tells Yahoo it’s all about weaving sports with social activity. “The social areas bleed into the courts,” Gutstadt says. “Whether playing a match, grabbing a drink or chatting on the sidelines, the experience is built around connection at every touchpoint.”

Amanda Freier, director of marketing for the San Diego Mission Bay Resort, says the venue’s 20 pickleball courts have quickly become a central feature since opening up nearly two years ago. “There is sort of an addiction to people playing pickleball — they just can’t seem to get enough,” she says. “The great thing is that it’s an easy sport to pick up … even if people haven’t been active in a while.” One guest even met her boyfriend on the courts; now they use the resort as their go-to for anniversary trips.

Landon Uetz, a physical therapist and professional pickleball coach in Arizona, has also seen friendships start on the court. “It has become many players’ identity, and they structure their week around when they are going to be at the courts and who they are going to play with,” he says.

Accessible for all ages

At just 17 years old, Alexis Brady has found pickleball — regarded as less physically taxing than tennis (smaller courts mean less running around) — to be a handy way to bridge the gap between different generations. Brady herself got into pickleball while preparing for a charity tournament she co-runs called Bored No More. “At our charity event, adults and teens were paired together who didn’t know each other,” she says. “It was a great opportunity to meet new people.” She now plays with friends and family about once a month at Bounce Pickleball in Malvern, Pa., drawn to the “sense of community it brings.”

Many of the people Yahoo spoke to echo the sentiment that pickleball’s low barrier to entry — it’s inexpensive and doesn’t require a lot of skill or physical strength to get started — is a big part of its cross-generational appeal. For some, it’s a retirement hobby; for others, it’s a trendy workout to squeeze in before grabbing a cocktail. That broad appeal also sets the stage for connecting with players of other age groups and soaking up the benefits associated with that. “You can play with your whole family,” McCaffrey points out. After taking up the sport in Maine, Bhasin went on to teach her brother and dad to play.

Gutstadt, for one, is not surprised to see that a sport that could easily be written off as a passing fad has found staying power. “Pickleball has become a social ritual and a regular part of people’s wellness routines,” he says. “What started as a fun, approachable way to stay active has evolved into something people of all ages and backgrounds now come back to week after week.”

Back in New York, Peeke sums it up simply: “If I have something fun that I do on a regular basis, then I’m going to keep doing that —and that fun thing for me is pickleball.” His recent trip to Tanzania to compete in a tournament with fellow Life Time members shows just how deep those social ties can go. “We all had a blast and plan on doing it again next year.”