USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball, today published its annual growth report, containing important industry metrics recorded in 2022.
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As the sport continued to expand across the country, USA Pickleball saw its membership increase nearly 30 percent over 2021. The National Governing Body currently has a membership base of nearly 69,000 strong, a major uptick compared to 53,110 in 2021.
Some of the highlights include:
- Membership: 68,697 registered members, an increase of 29.4% over 2021.
- Certified Facilities: The organization’s Places2Play database grew from 9,167 to a total of 10,724 USA Pickleball-registered facilities in North America. This equates to 130 new locations per month, or more than four per day.
- Approved Paddles & Balls: The orgnization’s Equipment & Evaluation Committee (EEC) and its independent lab tested and approved 525 new paddles and 34 new balls in 2022.
- USA Pickleball Ambassadors: 1,973 dedicated volunteers who actively promote the game at the local level by supporting new programs and facilities.
- Sanctioned Events: USA Pickleball sanctioned 237 tournaments in 2022 compared to 153 in 2021, including USA Pickleball’s own Indoor National Championships, National Championships and the first-ever Diamond Amateur Championship.
- 2022 National Championships: The 2022 Margaritaville Pickleball National Championships drew nearly 2,300 amateur players, while the sport’s top professional players competed for $150,000 in prize money, compared to $90,000 in 2021. On November 13, the event also set the record for the largest-ever attendance in the history of the sport at 5,522.
- Facilities Development: USA Pickleball directly supports the development pipeline for over $100 million in new facilities, including over 25 Regional- and Sector-level venues.
The full Annual Growth Report can be found at usapickleball.org.
