Adam Kidman and Emma Butler are part of a pickleball revolution and it has taken them to the national championships in Bolton.
The pair founded Dorset Pickleball Club alongside Emma’s dad Kevin, and Gary Williams, and the club now boasts over 200 members taking part in weekly sessions in Bournemouth.
As both competed at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals, the duo expressed their disbelief at just how far they have come.
“We went from a small group of people doing one session a week to it snowballing into five sessions a week with more than 200 members,” said Kidman. “It’s absolutely flown and it’s fantastic for the area.
“We’ve built communities of groups that now go for a coffee together afterwards who hadn’t met each other before so it’s really grown more than we could’ve imagined and it’s really great.
Butler said: “I was never meant to be involved, it was meant to be the three guys but I came on board and collectively the four of us run it at the moment.
“We’ve created a bit of a beast, to be honest! We just wanted to play some pickleball ourselves and we’ve turned it into a club of over 200 members in less than a year.
Pickleball for breakfast 🥐
— Pickleball England (@PickleballEng) November 1, 2024
It was great to welcome @mikebreakfast to Bolton for a taste of pickleball this morning.
Thank you for coming, @BBCBreakfast!#EnglishNationals pic.twitter.com/8eTOUeNNOP
“It’s an amazing feat to get this far and we hope to grow the club even further. We had our very first outdoor pickleball festival in Bournemouth Gardens which was a huge success and we hope to do another festival this summer.”
Pickleball is a racket sport which sees players compete using paddles and a perforated plastic ball.
The sport gets its name from its American founders, with the family game created in 1965 and named after their pet dog Pickle.
Played indoors and outdoors, it is a fast-growing sport across England and can be played by all ages and abilities, even on the same court.
Taking place from Thursday 31 October to Sunday 3 November at Bolton Arena, the English Nationals comprised four days of high-level competition, with a record number of 1,111 pickleball players competing in the North West.
Kidman added: “I’ve had a fantastic time. It’s definitely a step up from last year. I was lucky enough to win gold in the 3.5 singles last year and stepped up to 4.0 this year and you can see the difference.
“Everyone’s so friendly. The pickleball community as a whole is so inviting and open and I’ve made loads of new friends and continued loads of others.”
That's a wrap 🔚
— Pickleball England (@PickleballEng) November 3, 2024
The final day of a special Skechers English Nationals.
Thank you for being a part of it ❤️#SkechersEnglishNationals | @SKECHERS_UK | @FranklinSports pic.twitter.com/WCpMytZgkM
Butler added: “It was my first time competing at the Skechers English Nationals and I won my first ever pickleball medal yesterday in the 18+ Women’s Doubles.
“It was a bit overwhelming really. I came in not expecting much. I got partnered with Sarah Hodgson, we had never met before so that was amazing to play with someone so kind and we played really well together.
“Everyone’s been so friendly and it’s been a really nice tournament to be a part of, it’s been great.”
Pickleball England has announced a record number of over 1,000 players competing at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals. The tournament takes place from the 31st October – 3rd November at Bolton Arena and is the second largest national pickleball event. For more information, visit www.pickleballengland.org
