Pickleball Canada would like to share with you that at Youth Pickleball, we believe the future of the sport starts with our youngest players. As one of the fastest-growing sports in North America, pickleball offers kids a unique opportunity to stay active, build confidence, and develop valuable life skills, on and off the court.

We’re committed to creating and expanding youth pickleball programs that give children of all ages and abilities the chance to learn, play, and grow. From school-based initiatives to community clinics and local clubs, we’re working province by province to ensure every young person has access to this exciting sport.

Pickleball is more than just fun, it’s the perfect introduction to physical activity. It’s easy to learn, promotes teamwork, encourages social interaction, and helps kids stay healthy and engaged. Most importantly, by supporting youth in pickleball today, we’re helping shape the future of the sport for generations to come.

• Pickleball Canada Youth & Recreation Programming Guide
• Pickleball Canada Youth Activity Plans
• How to Line a Court

We’re proud to support growing youth pickleball initiatives across the country. Visit our Programs by Province section to find opportunities near you, learn how to get involved, or start a program in your community.

British Columbia

Pickleball BC Association’s (“PBCA”) Activating Youth Pickleball in BC (“AYPBC”) Initiative Launched With A Prosperous Future

April 7 2025 Vancouver BC: Though the final AYPBC lesson curriculum and tool sets for all of our BC clubs will not be ready until this Summer, PBCA’s initiative of introducing pickleball to 16+ Elementary schools and to date more than 2,500 K – 7 students in our 3 BC Regions has had a tremendous start. Acquiring the equipment, including providing some Vancouver school teachers NCCP pickleball certification in order to coach students, were all positive steps towards our initiatives.

AYPBC Youth Benefits & Regional Summaries

Aside from growing pickleball by introducing it to students K – 7 in selected BC school regions, there are numerous benefits for the youth, such as it’s healthy and fun; lessens their personal digital screen times; sports, in general, builds one’s character and teaches team fundamentals; and there’s social aspects involved with friends and family. Also pickleball is accessible and less intimidating than other sports.

To date, successes reported within each of the three participating areas of Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan, and Vancouver Regions include:

1. Victoria, Vancouver Island Region: Some of the regions’ schools, from a total of six, include:

• Ecole Quadra School, which is a vibrant and diverse community of K to Grade 5.
• Strawberry Vale Elementary School, located in a semi-rural area in the District of Saanich, their school leader is Audra, a pickleball player herself, where their outdoor pickleball courts are right next to the school.
• McKenzie Elementary, who wish to build a foundation of knowledge, skills and attitudes in their students; and their staff have already been instructed on how to play.

2. Vernon, Thompson Okanagan Region: Vernon’s other initiatives include:

• To urgently acquire equipment and begin the three schools’ program roll out by the beginning of January 2025.
•  To expand the program scope and bring more schools on-board.
• The VPA, along with the schools, have organized and booked a program-ending Slamboree that was held at the VPA facilities on February 19 & 20, 2025 for about 170 6th and 7th graders.

3. Vancouver: Other EVES highlights included:

• To expand the program scope and bring more schools on-board.
• Introduction to the “pickleball experience” sessions for school leaders and students in over two dozen schools over the past 24 months.
• School-wide pickleball classes for kindergarten through grade seven classes in three schools.
• “Learn to Play” sessions for 29 teachers from 16 schools.
• Slamboree: 86 students from eight schools participated in a friendly celebration of pickleball.
• Thirty schools acquired balls and paddles; many of them sharing the equipment with other schools in their areas.
• Since EVES’ inception, the program has captivated over 1,550 students, 100 teachers and 30 schools. To date, over 25% of Vancouver elementary schools have experienced pickleball through EVES.
   

Summary:
The experiences from the planning and implementation of this model will be captured and documented during our AYPBC project duration. The objective is to have a planning guide and other resource materials produced, posted on the PBCA website and available to other PBCA Clubs in BC to implement in their areas. By mid 2025, this collection of learnings, tips and techniques will be promoted to all BC pickleball clubs for use with their local schools. The AYPBC leaders’ planning framework and unit plan/curriculum will be integral components.

Quebec

Here are the highlights of our youth development initiatives.

SUMMER 2024
We conducted a trial with two clubs. They created an environment suitable for young people aged 13 to 18.

• Reserved time slots for them, no adults
• Certified coaches with experience working with this age group

We tried to organize a small competition at the end of the summer, but due to several difficulties beyond our control, we were unable to hold a small competition between the two clubs at the end.

FALL 2024
A third club stood out by also creating a youth program with appropriate staff to ensure its success.

JANUARY 2025
Following this success, Pickleball Québec hired a new employee whose main mandate is to develop youth programs in clubs, schools, study programs, and tournaments, and to take advantage of the various opportunities available to us.

In Quebec, the Réseau Sport Étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) is the largest school network.  It therefore made sense to access this network in a methodical manner.

• Work with the Centre de Service Scolaire to train physical educators in Pickleball.
• Encourage physical educators to use Pickleball to develop young people’s general motor skills.

 APRIL TO NOVEMBER 2025
Introduce pickleball in schools in six targeted regions in Quebec (we are currently doing this).

• Regions with a reliable and competent representative are given priority.
• We have purchased a “starter kit” (3 nets, 40 rackets, and 50 balls) for each region.
• The “starter kit” will be offered in a drawing among schools that have requested a pickleball introduction.

We hope to create excitement among schools in the region so that they will start structured pickleball programs.

JULY/AUGUST 2025
We want to take advantage of various targeted provincial “festivals” or competitions to promote our youth program.

• July: Organize a youth pickleball tournament during the Francophone Games in Laval
• June or July (to be determined): Organize a youth pickleball tournament in Granby
• August: Organize a youth pickleball tournament during the Quebec Games in Trois-Rivières

In parallel with these initiatives, we are in the process of writing a Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) manual and an educational manual to assist physical educators.
We have also begun discussions with provincial organizations involved with youth: CREM, URLS, INS, etc.

If you would like to share your Youth Pickleball Program, please contact info@pickleballcanada.org