Pickleball is a fascinating sport that was developed in 1965 by three men in Washington, USA: Joe Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. Originally invented to kill the boredom of their children, pickleball combines elements of table tennis, badminton and tennis and has developed into a popular sport over the years.
Milestones in the history of pickleball:
- 1975/1976: Articles in the magazines National Observer and Tennis made the sport known.
- 1984: Founding of the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA) and publication of the first set of rules.
- 1990: Pickleball is played in all 50 US states.
- 2010: Founding of the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) by the USAPA.
- 2022: Over 4.8 million players in the US.
