Pickleball craze hits Cork as all invited to join in the racquet

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Rebel Pickleball, Cork's first club for the American sport, is celebrating their birthday and they want more Leesiders to join in on this fast-growing craze

Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the US, it mixes tennis and badminton together and is described as beginner-friendly. It's fast, it's fun, and you can try it out right here in Cork.

With over 50 Corkonians playing the game every week, Rebel Pickleball are celebrating their first birthday later this month with a sold-out event in Blarney.

Speaking ahead of the event, Rebel Pickleball Chairperson Terry O’Sullivan reflected on the past year in pickleball:

“It’s almost hard to believe it’s been a year already since we started Rebel Pickleball, the time has really flown. And it may seem like a cliché, but we’ve really gone from strength-to-strength in that time.

“We’ve been really fortunate, we’ve had tremendous support from the Cork Sports Partnership since the beginning. And people – people of all ages, groups and abilities – have really taken to this new sport. We would never have guessed it would resonate so much with the people of Cork, and it’s been really gratifying to see so many picking up a paddle on a weekly basis”

This popularity is credited to the sports' ease of entry for new players of all abilities, while not sacrificing a competitive side at higher levels. Terry says both of these aspects will be on display at Rebel PickleFest:

“It promises to be a really fun event, a social event, where you get to know players from other clubs, and also play with some who have competed in the Nationals, and travelled abroad to play,” he added.

The event, taking place in Blarney’s Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, is now booked out, with 60+ players participating from clubs across Cork and further afield in Munster on November 24th.

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