My name is Michael de Groot (I'm Dutch) and I discovered Pickleball in May 2022, whilst interviewing Clinton Young (Pickleball Pro Commentator and Player), a guest on my Podcast. I had just joined, in January 2022, my local u3a in the Wyre Forest region in Worcestershire and started playing Badminton weekly. 

Cut a long story short, with the assistance from pickleballEngland, we ran some Pickleball tasters for our u3a members and now we have around 50-60 people playing weekly at our local leisure centre, Wyre Forest Leisure, who very kindly supported us by purchasing paddles, Pickleball nets and balls.

You can come and play u3a Pickleball a couple of times (cost £2.00 per session) and if you wish to continue after that, you will need to become a member of Wyre Forest & District u3a at a cost of just £12.50 per year.

I am also running Pickleball Coach and Play sessions in the evening (not u3a) and anyone is welcome to attend. It takes at least 3-5 games to master Pickleball, its weird scoring system and get a sense of how to play it. These session are £10.00 per hour and it covers court hire costs and my coaching time.

I am a member of pickleballEngland, the official non-profit Pickleball body in England and hopefully when you stay with this sport, please register for free on their website to assist them to keep track of Pickleball player numbers. I was appointed Worcestershire County Representative at Pickleball England in February 2023, helping to set up new Pickleball activities across the county of Worcestershire and assist in growing the sport.

Pickleball is a fun sport that combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. Played both indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Two or four players use solid paddles made of wood or composite materials to hit a perforated polymer ball, over a net. All players are welcome, from those who have only recently started playing to those with a bit of experience. Informal coaching is available, but please contact me in advance of attending so I can connect with you and take you through some initial coaching. Watch a UK TV report.
Below are three essential videos (3 videos play one after the other in a playlist) if you are a beginner.