From Bainbridge Island to a National Sport

A concise timeline of pickleball’s development from its 1965 invention to the modern era.

Pickleball began in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, when Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell improvised a game using a perforated plastic ball and table-tennis paddles. Barney McCallum joined shortly afterward, and the three developed the rules.

1967: the first permanent court

The first permanent court built specifically for pickleball followed two years later at the Pritchard home in Seattle.

1976: the first known tournament

The first known pickleball tournament was held in Tukwila, Washington. Many of the participants were college tennis players who had little experience with the new sport.

1984: organized nationally

The United States Amateur Pickleball Association was organized and the first rulebook was published.

1990: all 50 states

USA Pickleball’s historical record says the sport was being played in all 50 states by 1990.

2015: two million players

By 2015, SFIA estimated just over two million U.S. players and USA Pickleball reported 12,800 indoor and outdoor courts.