2023 APP PICKLEBALL PARTICIPATION REPORT REVEALS 36.5 MILLION ADULT AMERICANS PLAYED PICKLEBALL IN 2022  

The APP has unveiled the 2023 APP Pickleball Participation Report, a study conducted by YouGov on behalf of the APP that shows that pickleball, America’s fastest growing sport, has enjoyed even higher growth than previously thought in the 12 months from August 2021 to August 2022. The headline numbers include 14% of adult Americans (36.5 million people) playing pickleball at least once in that 12-month period; and 8.5 million people playing pickleball eight times or more in 2022. The rapid rise of pickleball also looks set to continue, with 45% of the 36.5 million total players saying they plan to play pickleball more often in the next six months than the previous six-month period.

The 2023 APP Pickleball Participation Report was compiled by YouGov, the international market research and data analytics firm, with the research team polling a sample group of nearly 2,500 nationally representative adults ages 18+ across America.

“The first of what will be our annual APP Participation Report clearly shows that Pickleball is not only America’s fastest-growing sport, it is growing much faster than anyone really thought. Now, pickleball has to be viewed as one of America’s favorite sports,” commented Tom Webb, Chief Marketing Officer of the APP. “In 2020, a pandemic year, previous reports stated that over four million people picked up a paddle to play pickleball*, with that number reportedly growing to over five million in 2021*. Those numbers appear to have been conservative, but what the APP’s report shows is that the popularity of pickleball has exploded. Pickleball courts continue to be built and installed nationwide, and people from coast to coast are trying the sport for the first time, and immediately falling in love with pickleball. The APP is honored to represent the millions of people coming into the sport at all levels – from professional, elite athletes at the top of the game, who are rightly gaining in status and awareness as the incredible athletes they are, to the amateur players who are so integral to the growth of our organization and the sport overall, right through to the millions of recreational players who find so much enjoyment from a sport they can pick up easily, which has a low cost of entry, and which rewards its participants from the first time they play.”

“I fell in love with pickleball the very first time I played, and now I have the honor of being able to compete across America, and internationally, in a sport that is so quickly becoming part of our culture,” added Megan Fudge DeHeart, professional pickleball player. “As the sport grows, so does the recognition of what it takes to be a pro, and that’s hugely rewarding. The number of fans at our events increases with almost every competition, and now we know just how big the sport is, that will only continue to increase. I’m excited for the future of our sport – for the players today, for those who will continue to flock to pickleball, and for my children who also love the sport, and have a lifetime of playing pickleball ahead of them.”