Pickleball medals bring sweet taste of success
Shropshire pickleball pioneer Fiona Edwards hailed a hugely successful English Nationals for the county as she bagged a pair of bronze medals in Bolton.
Edwards, 48, is a key force behind the growth of the sport, which enjoys widespread popularity in the USA, in Shropshire through her group Pickleball Central.
The former tennis coach, who won bronze in both the over 19 women’s singles and over 19 mixed doubles, runs a wide range of groups in the area and is confident the current crop of players will only continue to grow in number if more facilities can be found.
“I am really chuffed and the group has done amazing,” she said.
“We had 15 medals across the first three days. It is really good for Shropshire.
“It is quite a big tennis county, I used to be a tennis coach so I knew quite a lot of people in the beginning and was able to tell them about it. Now there are lots of people looking for pickleball intro sessions and coaching.
“Access to courts is really hard, it is really difficult to get time at venues.
“We have got a good one at the Sports Village in Shrewsbury but we can’t get that many evening sessions so we are hoping to get a centre eventually.
“In the UK it has exploded over the last couple of years, it has just gone crazy.
“As long as there are people who want to run groups, it will keep getting bigger.”
Over the past year, pickleball has seen a meteoric rise in the UK due to its inclusive and accessible nature, with an estimated 12,000 regular players and over 450 venues offering the sport across the country.
There were 682 athletes in attendance at the National Championships at the Bolton Arena, up from 430 at the 2022 event.
Edwards’ work in Shropshire has been behind plenty of those contributing to that record total after a holiday to Devon first exposed her to the potential of the sport.
“I played it at the Manor House in Devon which is an activity centre and loved it,” she added.
“We came back to Shropshire and I wanted to tell all my friends.
“I bought paddles, hired a couple of courts and the group just grew organically from there.
“It overtook my tennis coaching so I have given up tennis and pickleball now takes up most of my time.
“The community is just amazing. You have all the different skill levels and ages coming together, it feels like a family.
“You are so close in terms of proximity on the court, you get to chat to people much more easily. When you come to events, you get to know everyone.”
This year’s English Nationals were sponsored by Skechers, Franklin, Scan and UK Pickleball Shop, Head to https://www.pickleballengland.org/ to find out more or to find your nearest place to play.
