Austin, TX., – Major League Pickleball is welcoming a new ownership group made up of LRMR Ventures, the family office of global icon LeBron James and entrepreneur and CEO Maverick Carter, investment firm SC Holdings, NBA Champions Draymond Green and Kevin Love, The SpringHill Company CMO Paul Rivera, and Relevent Sports Group co-owner and CEO Daniel Sillman.

MLP is the standard-bearer for pickleball in the United States, delivering the highest-quality and most exciting experience in the sport. Expanding from 12 to 16 teams, MLP will continue to offer the highest prize money payouts per event to its players. In 2023, players will compete in six tournaments across six U.S. cities for more than $2M.  
The new ownership group announced today brings unparalleled experience and impact across sports, media, entertainment, and branding. With this group, MLP aims to expand the community beyond its current participants into more diverse communities globally.  

“Having SC Holdings, LRMR Ventures, and their incredible group as owners and investors in Major League Pickleball is not just great for MLP, it’s a watershed moment for pickleball in general,” said MLP Founder Steve Kuhn. “Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country, building communities in cities and towns all over the world. This investment and the platform that this group provides will significantly help us with our goal to reach 40 million pickleball players by 2030.”
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See MLP Press Release here. History of other sport's Major League beginnings and status (PDF) here.

Fortune Magazine September 28th 2022: "Recently, a certain sport has caught the eye of NBA star LeBron James—and it’s not basketball. Rather, it’s a relatively new leisure activity that’s quickly gaining traction."

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION COURSE UPDATE

We have been thrilled at the response from people who have participated in Instructor 1: Introducing Pickleball. This is the first course on the Coach Education Pathway and focuses on making sure new players have a great first experience with pickleball.
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These are the numbers so far in 2022 (through August 31):

1. Total # of courses: 25
   
2. Total # of provinces / territories to host courses: 10
   
3. Total # of participants: 330

Upcoming Courses:
Level 1: 

• Halifax, NS - October 6th, 2022  
• Vancouver, BC - October 23, 2022  
• Vernon, BC - October 27th, 2022  

Level 2: 

• Vernon, BC - October 28th & October 29th

INSTRUCTOR 2: DEVELOPING RECREATIONAL PLAYERS

We are excited to announce that this Fall we will launch the second course on the Coach Education Pathway - Instructor 2: Developing Recreational Players. This course takes place over two days and will concentrate on developing the coaching skills needed to help people who play at the 2.5-3.5 levels become even better. There is a considerable focus on developing intermediate tactics and technique, and participants will enhance their knowledge of group management as well as analyzing players and identifying solutions to solve problems. The first pilot took place in Toronto September 12/13 and the second in Kingston September 17/18.

Course Participation Requirements:

• Has successfully completed Instructor 1: Introducing Pickleball or earned equivalency
• Listed as a 3.5 level player on pickleballbrackets.com or meets playing skills standards.

Cost: $399+tax

PICKLEBALL COACH EDUCATION WEBSITE

Want to see the course calendar?  Looking for coaching resources? Want to know who in your area is a certified instructor? Head to tpacanada.com and click the big white Pickleball Coach Education tile on the right-hand side of the page. 

COACHING TIP: EXPLAINING WHAT, WHY AND HOW?

Whether you are a coach working with beginning, novice, intermediate or advanced pickleball players, you’ll likely be introducing new skills to them. And in order to develop these skills, you’ll need to introduce specific drills or games that will give them opportunities to practice:

1. If you want your players to really buy into what you’re asking them to do, make sure that you always explain what, why and how.
   
2. What is it that you are asking them to do? Are we talking about serving and returning deep? Are we looking to hit a low third shot? Put away a high ball? Roll a volley? Be specific about what it is you are asking your players to accomplish.  
   
3. Why does it matter? Is this about causing trouble for the opponent? Are you looking to avoid trouble yourself? Is this about being more steady? Give them a clear rationale and help your players understand how this new skill will help them to play pickleball better.
   
4. How does the activity work? Show them exactly what you want them to do. Help them understand the target, goal, scoring and rotations.

Effective teachers are crystal clear on the what, why and how of any drill or game. And the more you can make it a habit to always explain these things, the more eager your players will be to learn from you. 

FEATURED VIDEO: RECEIVING SHOTS WITH SPIN

Being able to handle shots with spin is as important as being able to send spinners of your own. Check out this video — made possible by Pickleball Ontario and the Trillium Foundation— so you’ll be ready to handle anything your opponents throw at you. This is just one of forty-five instructional videos that are available on the Pickleball Coach Education webpage as reference materials for NCCP coaches.

National Coaches Week celebrates the tremendous positive impact coaches have on athletes and communities across Canada. From September 18-27 2022, there’s an opportunity to recognize coaches for the integral role they play by simply saying #thanksBCcoach. Additionally, events are being held across the country to celebrate coaching and provide coaches with the recognition they deserve. For more information on how to get involved in British Columbia, visit www.viasport.ca/coachesweek!

National Coaches' Week provides coaches with the recognition they deserve for the time they devote to ensuring Canadians live an active, healthy lifestyle. From September 18 - 26, 2021, we encourge everyone to say thanks to the coaches who call B.C. home. To help celebrate National Coaches Week, viaSport will be hosting their annual #ThanksBCcoach Coaches Week Contest! Check out last year's winner. The viaSport Regional Alliance will be hosting a number of courses and workshops in honor of Coache's Week, keep an eye out for registration information in our calendar and on our social media channels.

Coach recognition is an incredibly important part of viaSport's work - read more about the 2020 Coach of the Year Award winners. We had the incredible opportunity to interview the Community and Competition Coaches of the Year, check out Luba and Iuliana's videos. Click HERE to view our calendar of available courses and events hosted by the Regional Alliance during Coaches Week.
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Also Kamloops is hosting a comprehensive week including NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) Movement Skills and Make Ethical Decisions days as follows (please see the attached PDF for more info):

Community Sport
Fundamental Movement Skills $20 – Coaches Week Discount! Tournament Capital Centre, meeting room D
Saturday September 24th
8:30am-1:00pm

Competition Introduction
Make Ethical Decisions $50 – Coaches Week Discount! Tournament Capital Centre, meeting room D Wednesday September 21st
4:30pm-8:30pm

Aboriginal Coaching Module and Indigenous Communities: Active for Life - FREE
Tournament Capital Centre, meeting room C & B Saturday, Sept 24 and Sunday Sept 25th
Time: 9am-5pm on the 24th and 9am-2:30pm Sunday Register here, note – this is to register for both days *coaches receive Pro-D points for their coach.ca locker
Indigenous Communities Active for Life - FREE
Tournament Capital Centre, meeting room C & B
Sunday, Sept 25th
Time: 9am-2:30pm
*note, this is to register for the Sunday workshop only, coaches will receive PL101: Indigenous Lens upon completion
**coaches receive Pro-D points for their coach.ca locker

Coaches Corner Lunch and Learn - FREE
Special National Coaches Week edition with Clinical Counsellor and former NCAA Hammer Thrower Serena Graf
Thursday, Sept 22nd
Location: Frick and Frack Taphouse, Kamloops BCTime: noon-1pm

​email Erin at epincott@pacificsport.com to register

ALSO REGISTER AT: (250) 828-3500 or www.kamloops.ca/PerfectMind. For all Fall NCCP course listings, see our website here. Any questions, please contact our Sport Performance Coordinator here. For more info please see the attached PDF here.

Outtake from a timely article on trackit blog: "We all remember going to P.E. class and shuffling through the units and gym games –– volleyball, soccer, football, dodgeball, basketball, softball/baseball, and other popular sports. Gym class was a time to get together with peers, get a fun workout in, and learn the fundamentals of various sports to encourage lifelong physical activity. The traditional physical education (phys-ed or P.E.) curriculum has shaped young athletes and our country’s sports landscape into what it is today, but it has evolved over time; even sports like ultimate frisbee and pickleball are now P.E. staples. 

More and more schools are adding pickleball to the mix. As the sport climbs in popularity, phys-ed programs create opportunities for young people to learn about pickleball in schools. This is huge for pickleball prosperity and implementation across all ages, which has been an overall obstacle for the sport since its inception.

We’ve already seen some great strides for youth pickleball outside of school. Pickleball is now an official sport in the Special Olympics USA Games, and NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition even did a feature on pickleball this past June. There have also been a growing number of youth pickleball camps and programs over the past few years put on by local pickleball clubs and facilities. Introducing pickleball to schools is a monumental step that could finally make pickleball a core sport..."

Read the full article from trackitblog by Kelly Campbell here.

Also, PickleballBC (PBC) provides Community and Youth Program Grants. These grants provide up to $500 to provide "seed" support for the needs, growth and participation in pickleball throughout BC to communities, associations, clubs and schools. Qualified investments include approved paddles and balls, portable or permanent net systems, lines, and instructional assistance. For more details on how these Grant programs can assist in your pickleball expansion plans and how you can apply, see our PBC Grant Program info here.
 

From Gates Notes Insider by Bill Gates: "I’ve been a little stunned—and delighted—by the sudden popularity of one of my favourite pastimes, a game with a funny name and strange terminology, such as, “dink,” “kitchen,” and “skinny singles". Largely confined to the Pacific Northwest for decades, it has now emerged as America’s fastest-growing sport. 

My dad was friends with the game’s inventors, Joel Pritchard, a state legislator and later Washington’s lieutenant governor, Barney McCallum, and Bill Bell. He learned about their creation and by the late 1960s, he got inspired to build a pickleball court at our house....I’ve been a “Pickler,” as people obsessed with the game like me are known, for more than 50 years. And if you and your family are bored and looking for something to do this summer, I encourage you to become one too..."

​Read the whole article here (4 minute read), and YouTube video below.

ESPN published this video item entitled "One Nation, Under Pickleball". Up to date story of pickleball's founding up to recent day Washington State's declaration of pickleball as the official State sport by Governor Jay Inslee.

"The fastest-growing sport in America has the oddest name, the most humble beginnings, and an actual spy as one of its founding fathers. Welcome to Pickleball and the faraway place it was invented, Bainbridge Island, Washington." 

Comox Valley Record story by Michael Briones: A Vancouver Island Pickleball Club has started a pilot program that aims to help people with Parkinson’s disease. A group of eight people with the neurodegenerative disease were first introduced to pickleball by the Parksville-based Oceanside Pickleball Club instructors Ernie Pallot and Sharon Fox on July 25. Despite having to play when the heat was a bit intense at noon, participants savoured the experience and left feeling good and extremely appreciative of the opportunity. One of them was Duncan Watson, who was diagnosed with the disease 10 years ago... 

Pallot and Fox held basic lessons that included tossing the ball around, hand-throwing the ball and hitting the ball with each other simply to give them a good feel for the game. During the course of the lessons, Pallot indicated they will keep a record of everything they’re doing and also hand out self-assessment forms for participants to fill out and bring back for the next session...

“The reason why I want to do this as a pilot program is to have the information available so that we can make it known to the various associations and clubs across Canada, if it’s successful, that they can introduce it themselves,” said Pallot, who added that Pickleball BC and Pickleball Canada are quite keen to learn more from the program.

​More of the story from the Comox Valley Record here.

PickleballBC announces that it is hosting a Deaf-only tournament at Harry Jerome Sports Centre in Burnaby on Sunday September 18th 2022. More details to come but here is some initial information:

1. Deaf Players Only 
2. Rotating Partner Round Robin Tournament
3. Mixed / All Gender Doubles
4. Courts open 8:30 for practice, games start 9 am Sunday September 18th at the Harry Jerome Sports Centre, Burnaby
5. Entry Fee $50.00 and PBC/PCO membership required
6. Email 'application' to deafonly@pickleballbc.ca and Indicate skill level & PCO #
7. E-transfer fee to treasurer@pickleballbc.ca
8. Reg open now with entry deadline September 12th - Max entries = 72 players.

Questions? deafonly@pickleballbc.ca or view Tournament details and PDF here...