Pickles Athletic brings the love for pickleball to Australia with launch of vibrant paddles

Australia’s first boutique pickleball equipment company Pickles Athletic has officially launched today, with its founders now looking forward to the day pickleball is recognised as a national sport in Australia and New Zealand.

Pickles Athletic was founded by two Sydney-based best friends turned business partners, Annabel Ellis, a former New Zealand tennis player, and Olivia McLennan, following a trip to New York in April 2023.

Combining tennis, badminton and ping-pong, pickleball is played with paddles, a ball, and a net. According to The Pickleball Player, 2023, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the US, with 8.9 million players and a growth rate of 158.6% between 2020 and 2022.

Ellis told SmartCompany that from the minute the co-founders saw everyone playing the game on pop-up courts in Wollman Rink in Central Park, they wanted to bring pickleball home with them.

“It would be remiss of us to not give some credit to Olivia’s mum, Lucinda, who introduced us to pickleball about 12 months ago,” adds Ellis. 

“She’d seen it across America herself, but it wasn’t until we were on a recent trip to NYC, walking through Central Park at lunchtime, and saw a CityPickle pop up in Wollman Rink,” she said.

“Every single court was completely occupied with people playing and we instantly turned to each other and agreed — Lucinda was bang on. 

“We knew we wanted to bring this home with us but when we got back, we couldn’t find anything in Australia that was accessible, attractive, and of high performance and quality. We immediately got to work designing our very own paddles and that is how Pickles Athletic came to be.”

The duo believes the game is a perfect match for the Australian lifestyle, because of “the natural gravitas to sport from a young age for many of us,” says Ellis. 

“The difference with pickleball, and what the country is missing, is a fast-paced sport, regardless of player abilities. Pickleball is a convenient, accessible and sociable sport that can be played anywhere, anytime and by anyone.”

Making a bold statement

The first collection for Pickles Athletic is The Gateway – a brightly coloured, easy-to-use pickleball paddle designed for players starting out.

Pickles Athletic’s paddles are constructed using premium-grade carbon fibre – a cutting-edge material renowned for its strength, durability, and performance – while the core of the paddle is designed with polymer honeycomb to give accuracy and speed. 

Ellis says the co-founders expect Australians who purchase from the Pickles Athletic online store to be playing for the first time.

“So we know our equipment will deliver unmatched performance, but also make a bold statement on the court,” she says.  

“Other paddles on the market overseas can be intimidating to new players and come with a high price point. Pickles Athletic is the perfect way to introduce pickleball in a fun and approachable manner while still offering our customers a high-quality and performing product.”

McLennan says that as a former New Zealand tennis player, Ellis has a lot of experience tossing up what works and doesn’t work when testing out a racquet.

“Her experience has been critical to our sample testing and design process to finesse the perfect look and feel,” she says.

The founders are already thinking big for the newly minted brand, with discussions underway for deals with global hotel chains, golf and tennis clubs, and schools. 

“These companies are important partners for us as they recognise the need of staying relevant to their customers and making the world’s fastest-growing sport accessible, fun and on brand for them,” says McLennan.  

“Brendan Lee from the Pickleball Association of Australia has been a key supporter of Pickles Athletic as we navigated the landscape of the sport in Australia.”

Ellis confirmed with two further collections already underway, the Pickles Athletic founders have their hands full. 

“A trip to Los Angeles in September is also planned to meet with industry experts who have been involved with pickleball since its creation in the 1960s,” she says. 

“In the long run, we are looking forward to pickleball being recognised as a national sport in Australia and New Zealand. 

“We can’t wait to hear the ring of corporate workers playing across CBDs in their lunch breaks, tennis clubs introducing the sport, and local councils converting public spaces, such as parks and car parks, into pickleball courts. 

“It is very rare for our generation to have the ability to introduce and shape a new sport, so we also recognise the responsibility we play in helping educate people on pickleball down under.”

The Gateway Collection includes four coloured paddles available from Pickles Athletic’s website from today, with every paddle purchased coming with a complimentary wiffle ball and a box of Court Chalk so customers can create their own outdoor courts.