Pickleball at the Grassroots Level: Opportunities for Sports Marketers

When the world shut down during the pandemic, everything changed—how people worked, socialized, and even played sports. Amid closed gyms, locked parks, and social distancing, a bright yellow plastic ball with a curious name quietly became a beacon of hope and connection: pickleball. Far from just a game, pickleball emerged as a powerful community bridge, offering people across ages and backgrounds a way to reconnect, rediscover joy, and build new social networks grounded in shared play. 

Across India's metropolitan centers, this newfound passion has exploded. Pickleball courts are materializing at a stunning rate—three to four new facilities weekly—creating not just a sport, but a cultural phenomenon and social movement. 

This grassroots revolution has produced staggering numbers: a 275% increase in active players over just three years, with 50,000-60,000 dedicated enthusiasts nationwide and over 1,000 courts. What makes this particularly compelling for sports marketers is the projected trajectory—a player base of 1 million by 2028, representing 1,500% growth from current levels. 

The Market Opportunity: Why Pickleball Deserves Marketing Attention 

Unlike traditional Indian sports with predominantly male participation, pickleball has cultivated a remarkably balanced demographic appeal. With 40% female players and multi-generational engagement spanning Gen Alpha to Baby Boomers, the sport offers marketers access to India's urban, affluent, health-conscious segments across age groups. 

This balanced demographic composition creates opportunities for brands targeting family decision-makers, health-oriented consumers, and the influential urban affluent. The accessibility factor—courts costing just ₹3-5 lakhs to establish (less than 30% of badminton court costs) and equipment prices dropping from ₹10,000 to ₹2,000-3,000 through local manufacturing—has democratized access while maintaining the sport's premium positioning. 

What distinguishes pickleball from other emerging sports is its rapid transformation from mere physical activity to lifestyle movement. The social elements, minimal training requirements, and ability to fit into India's existing racquet sports culture have made it a community-building phenomenon in urban settings. 

Celebrity enthusiasts have accelerated this cultural integration. Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Tiger Shroff are active players, while Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh have invested as team owners. When Karan Johar became the Indian Open 2025 brand ambassador, he signaled pickleball's evolution beyond sports into lifestyle territory—a transition sports marketers can leverage for authentic brand integration. 

Residential real estate developers have recognized this shift, making pickleball courts standard amenities in premium developments across urban India. The space-efficiency advantage—requiring only badminton-sized courts with the ability to repurpose existing facilities—makes pickleball particularly attractive for India's space-constrained urban environments, creating tangible real estate marketing opportunities. 

The economics of pickleball marketing present compelling advantages over saturated sports markets. PNG Jewellers secured a "Powered By" partnership with the World Pickleball League through a ₹9 crore, 3-year contract—a commitment that costs less than sponsoring a single cricket match while offering better ROI through targeted engagement. 

The content-friendly format—short game duration (15-20 minutes), easy-to-follow rules, and frequent natural breaks—aligns perfectly with contemporary attention spans across television and digital platforms. This format efficiency makes pickleball exceptionally suitable for brand integration across media channels. 

Strategic Approaches for Sports Marketers 

Early-Stage Positioning Opportunities 

With pickleball still in its growth phase, marketers have a rare window to establish foundational brand associations at significantly lower costs compared to saturated sports markets. This early-mover advantage extends beyond simple visibility to creating authentic connections with an emerging community. 

For brand marketers, this presents options beyond traditional sponsorships: 

• Equipment and Apparel Development: Local manufacturing has created opportunities for branded equipment lines as evidenced by PNG Jewellers launching a sports collection. 

• Technology Integration: Following the US model, Indian startups like GoRally (which raised $750,000 from investors including Udaan co-founder Sujeet Kumar) are developing court-finding apps, booking platforms, lesson organization tools, and player community networks. 

• Content Creation: The sport's visual appeal and short format make it ideal for digestible content across platforms. 

  
  

The All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) under President Arvind Ramesh Prabhoo has spent 15 years organizing tournaments and developing talent through comprehensive programs focused on skills, diet, physical endurance, and mental conditioning. Similarly, the Federation of Pickleball Association of Kerala runs competitions, creates courts, and coaches amateur players with a regional development focus. 

These grassroots organizations provide marketers with authentic community engagement channels that traditional sports sponsorships often lack. Arvind Prabhoo notes: "Brands are now drawn to grassroots development and see value in being part of pickleball's growth story." 

Global Sports Pickleball, founded by Hemal Jain, demonstrates this approach by promoting the sport across India with infrastructure development in cities like Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Surat, and smaller towns like Jalgaon—creating brand touchpoints beyond metropolitan centers. 

The most sophisticated marketing approach recognizes pickleball not just as a sport but as a lifestyle movement with multiple integration points: 

• Hospitality and F&B: Following the US model, opportunities exist for restaurant and café concepts around court facilities, creating extended engagement beyond gameplay. 

• Residential Community Programming: Partnering with residential complexes for branded leagues and community events. 

• Corporate Wellness Integration: Developing corporate pickleball programs for employee engagement. 

• Urban Experience Design: Creating lifestyle destinations centered around pickleball facilities. 

Goodland Pickleball exemplifies this approach. After securing ₹80 lakhs for 6% equity plus royalty from Aman Gupta on Shark Tank India Season 4, they're expanding premium facilities across India with state-of-the-art courts, equipment sales, online booking systems, and lifestyle content—recognized by Wikipedia for making pickleball mainstream in India. The venture capital community has recognized this potential, with significant investments targeting court infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, and tech platforms—following the US model where pickleball became the fastest-growing sport. 

Looking Forward: Capturing the Pickleball Marketing Moment 

As pickleball continues its trajectory toward 1 million players by 2028, sports marketers face a narrowing window to establish authentic brand connections. The opportunity lies in understanding pickleball not just as another sport but as a cultural movement reshaping how urban Indians interact, exercise, and build community. 

The key to success is twofold:  

1. Authentic community engagement that supports grassroots development 

2. Positioning brands within the lifestyle narrative pickleball is creating across urban India.  

The brands that approach pickleball marketing through this dual lens will establish lasting connections with India's affluent, engaged, and growing pickleball community. 

For sports marketers looking to align with India's fastest-growing sport and tap into its affluent, engaged community, the time to act is now. Contact Zupotsu to learn more about strategic opportunities to position your brand within the pickleball movement and create marketing initiatives that resonate with this growing audience. 

Zupotsu is a martech platform on a mission to ‘digitize’ sports marketing. Zupotsu enables the discovery, engagement, and evaluation (the ‘DEE’ framework) for every sports and esports marketing asset. Please sign up at www.zupotsu.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Reach out at ‘marketing@zupotsu.com’ for any queries.