If pickleball is the world’s fastest-moving sport story, then “player counts” are the slipperiest part of it. Everyone wants the headline number. Almost nobody agrees on what it should include.
This issue is about that gap—between growth you can feel and growth you can actually measure. We’ll unpack the counting problem (and why it varies country to country), share a point from Mumbai that’s a reminder offense still needs discipline, and zoom in on Brazil, where pickleball isn’t trying to replace anything, it’s just trying to fit.
→ This Week: What are player counts, anyway? | Erne just can’t clinch it | Brazil’s court-space squeeze
The Problem with Player Counts
HOW PICKLEBALL GETS COUNTED (OR DOESN’T)
Two issues ago, we brought you a conservative global player count: ~22 million active players (played at least once in the past year), plus a much larger “have tried it” number.
We went through great lengths to qualify our estimate, and even ended up cited on pickleball.com. But what little pushback we got wasn’t about how we measured, it was from people who assumed we were too small in our count.
It’s tempting to think “the number has to be higher,” but the reality is that there are so few reliable counts around the world that it makes tallying pickleball’s involvement a real guessing game. There’s no question the sport is skyrocketing globally, but there’s really no way to accurately measure that phenomenon yet.
Here’s why global participation totals swing so wildly:
1) Definitions change the sport overnight.
In the U.S., SFIA’s participation estimate (e.g., 19.8M in 2024) is commonly used as a “players” headline. APP/YouGov, meanwhile, reports 48.3M U.S. adults who played at least once in the past 12 months, a definition that intentionally captures casual AND one-time players.
2) Federations count members, not players.
National bodies often report registered players, which can badly undercount adoption, especially in countries where people play casually without joining anything (or where the federation is new)
3) Surveys count behavior; time windows vary.
Sport England’s Active Lives, for example, often reports sport participation using thresholds like “at least twice in the last 28 days”—a very different “active” bar than “once in 12 months.”
4) Facility counts are imperfect.
Court databases can show where the game can be played, not how many do play. Pickleheads says it tracks 24,000+ places to play worldwide; a great starting point, but location coverage and updates vary by region.
That’s why GPR’s approach stays conservative: we triangulated surveys, federations, and facilities, then separated “active” from “tried.”
But in pickleball, the number really isn’t the story, though how we count it reveals a lot about where the sport is headed.
Offensive Instinct Doesn’t Quite Win It
We loved seeing the aggression from the team closest to the camera in this point from Mumbai. They tried to move their opponents around, and even spotted an early erne opp (even if it didn’t pan out).
They were on the offensive…but a too-high reset from the player on the left set something up for the other team that his partner just couldn’t defend.
Lesson learned: always be ready to get back into position when you try for something tricky. Assume the ball is coming back, and you’ll be better prepared to reset.
RPM: Built to Put Your Shots on a String
RPM lives up to its name. Co-founded by top pro James Ignatowich, these paddles are engineered to grab the ball, load it with spin, and still give you the stability to aim every drive, roll, and counter.
With carbon-heavy face, dialed-in core, and shapes designed for attacking from anywhere on the court, RPM is for players who want their ball to jump, dip, and skid exactly when they tell it to.
Use code clinic15 for 15% off your order.
Number You Should Know
2.4×
In the U.S., “how many people play pickleball?” can change by 2.4× depending on the definition. SFIA reports 19.8M Americans participated in pickleball in 2024, while APP/YouGov finds 48.3M U.S. adults played at least once in the past 12 months. Same country, same year-ish window…wildly different “player” math.
Source: SFIA and APP/YouGov data.
FINDING ROOM FOR PICKLEBALL
Pickleball’s challenge in Brazil isn’t awareness, it’s competition.
The sport is emerging inside one of the world’s most crowded recreational ecosystems, where tennis, padel, and beach tennis already command courts and clubs.
Instead of disrupting that landscape, pickleball is negotiating with it. Growth is concentrated in urban clubs and international schools in cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, often sharing space with tennis or padel rather than replacing them.
With a national body now in place—the Confederação Brasileira de Pickleball—Brazil’s pickleball scene is still forming. The story here isn’t scale yet, but positioning: where pickleball fits when space, culture, and competition are already spoken for.
The Bulletin Board
Interesting tidbits from within the pickleball community:
NEXT WEEK…
Can you guess where we’re headed? Respond to this email with your guess. First one to get it right will receive something nice!
Here’s a hint:
Letter from the Editor
WHAT COUNTS AS “PLAYING”?
Every time someone asks, “How many pickleball players are there?” they’re usually asking something bigger: how real is this momentum, where is it coming from, and where is it going?
This week’s feature is our answer to why the simplest question gets the messiest numbers. In some places, “players” means federation members. In others, it means anyone who’s picked up a paddle once in the last year. In many countries, it means… nothing at all yet, because no one is tracking participation in a consistent way.
That’s why I love pairing the counting story with Brazil. The sport’s challenge there isn’t awareness, it’s finding physical room in a racquet ecosystem that’s already booked solid. Growth isn’t just about demand; it’s about access.
Do not hesitate to email Adam or connect with him on LinkedIn with questions, concerns, or story ideas!
Join The Conversation In Our Online Community! ⬇️
