SEREMBAN: Leveraging on the rapid growth of pickleball in Malaysia, Negeri Sembilan hosted its inaugural state-level open tournament, the “Pickleball Network Cup 2025”, held at The Pickle Place here on Saturday.
The event attracted 56 skilled players, showcasing the increasing popularity of the sport across the state since its introduction in 2020.
More than just a competition, it reflected a shared commitment among the younger generation to embrace healthy, active lifestyles and strengthen the vibrant sporting spirit of the community.
Bukit Kepayang assemblywoman and state Tourism, Arts and Culture executive councillor Nicole Tan commended the growing enthusiasm for pickleball among young people.
“I’m happy to see that more youngsters are getting involved in this sport. The younger generation are playing until the early hours, and this is a positive development.
“This will deter them from hanging around at eateries or partying all night. It’s far better to spend their time engaging in sports activities,” she said after the prize-giving ceremony for the event.
“This will also help to keep the younger generation fit and healthy, as sports is a form of exercise.”
Tan added that Negeri Sembilan has emerged as an active hub for pickleball, while expressing confidence that with encouragement from the state government, more youth would be drawn to the sport.
To boost momentum in the sport, she presented a RM1,000 contribution to the Negeri Sembilan Pickleball Association to support its initiatives in promoting and expanding pickleball throughout the state.
The tournament, played for the first time in the Laver Cup format, featured two teams of 28 players each, with the “Dinking Dynamos” group emerging victorious, scoring 113 points against rivals “Smash Spartans”, with 67 points.
The top performers, recognised as the “Most Valuable Players” for earning the highest points for their teams, were Stella Carra Ross and
G. Sunder Ganasan from the Dinking Dynamos, along with Vernon Chan and Tira Low from the Smash Spartans.
The Pickleball Network president Michael Robin Jayesuria said there are approximately 500 pickleball players in the state, spanning all age groups.
He added that the sport is rapidly gaining popularity as more people are drawn to its unique combination of table tennis, badminton and tennis.
Jayesuria said the association has actively reached out to advocate the introduction of pickleball in schools, with the ultimate goal of having the sport included in the Sukma Games.
He expressed hope that local governments would allow the use of existing sports facilities for pickleball to engage more youth.
“Many local sports facilities are under-utilised, including courts for sepak takraw, badminton and futsal. It would be great if these could also accommodate pickleball games,” he said, adding that such sharing of facilities were already in practice at the Rasah Kemayan Sports Complex, where futsal and pickleball games are held.
He said expanding such a practice would allow more people to experience pickleball, setting a trend for such arrangements to be made at other facilities.
Jayesuria also said the Star Fresh Agro Park in Kuala Pilah is paving the way for growth of the sport in the state, having opened four pickleball courts in January.
“This is a fantastic step forward, but we need more private companies to come on board.
“Converting vacant properties into pickleball courts would provide much-needed spaces, and financial support from businesses would also help drive growth of the sport,” he added.
