Formed in July 2024, Pickleball Stirling Club now has over 115 active members playing at The Allan Centre, Stirling High School and The PEAK.
The goal was to create a formally recognised pickleball club in the Stirling area and less than three months later, the club achieved that aim with the formal creation of Pickleball Stirling Club as a fully constituted sport club in August 2024.
Founder and current Vice Chair of the club, Alan Hutchison picked up a paddle during retirement when visiting his holiday home in Florida, however, admits he came across the sport ‘by kind of accident’.
Alan said: “A couple of friends had been playing and asked us to get involved which gave us an introduction to the sport and I really enjoyed it because when I was a kid I played a lot of table tennis and in a way it's quite similar.”
Community Activation Officer at Active Stirling, Allen Gibson has been vital in formalising pickleball in Stirling by supporting on governance documents, child protection, first aid, membership recruitment, outreach programmes, and with bookings at The Peak, the club’s home in Stirling.
Active Stirling is a sports and leisure charitable trust that delivers sport, physical activity, health and wellbeing on behalf of Stirling Council.
Allen said: “Alan Hutchison approached Active Stirling, and I was able to help get the club up and running and help make it sustainable. The ethos of the club is incredible, it is open to all and there are few barriers to participation. They’ve managed to really establish pickleball as a sport in the area and make a great success of it.”
The new sport on the block
The rapidly growing sport combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis and has quickly established itself as one of the fastest growing sports in the world, accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Alan said, “The equipment is relatively inexpensive compared to other sports, all you need is a paddle and a ball. I'm 62 and I couldn't imagine myself running around on a tennis court anymore, but pickleball courts are a quarter of the size so it’s much easier for me to get a good workout. I think that's why initially it was so popular with the older generation but gradually it's rolled down the age groups and now professional players are in their 20s.”
Alan and his wife began playing twice a week in America where pickleball is a hugely popular community sport with regular round-robin sessions, though on their return home it was a challenge for the couple to find information on similar drop-in sessions in Stirling.
Alan said, “Pickleball was still very much under the radar as far as Stirling was concerned. I went along to a few privately organised group sessions but I wanted to make information easier to find and connecting with other players was a challenge.
He added:
"So I booked three courts at The PEAK in July, posted the event info on Facebook and to my surprise we had 20 people turn up. From there we set up a five-person steering group and ultimately the club was created.”
Join a growing community
Pickleball Stirling Club currently hold eight sessions a week, including a ‘Get into Pickleball’ beginners coach led session on Monday’s from 12-2PM at The Allan Centre, Bridge of Allan and Tuesday's from 6PM-7:45PM at Stirling High School.
The club also host ‘Beginners and Improvers’ sessions, plus ‘social open play’ for all levels at The PEAK and a ‘Competitive DUPR Rated Session with open play’ at Fairview Int. School.
The sport itself is a fun activity, a great way to stay active and is also noted for its social benefits in bringing communities together through new connections.
As a passionate advocate for the sport Alan said:
“Playing pickleball has helped my physical health. Without trying too hard I have lost two stone and health wise feel a lot better than I did a couple of years ago."
"Any exercise is good for your mental health and gets the endorphins going but with pickleball it’s the social aspect too because you're mixing with other likeminded people and we've got really supportive club members.”
He added, “Some people will think of pickleball as a group sport or that they need to have friends to be able to play but I always tell people just come along on your own because there'll be others who have never played and our club is very welcoming in that respect. Don't be shy and give it a try.”
Community Activation Officer, Allen Gibson said, “The club are very accommodating in terms of managing different abilities and getting to know players so that they can have a positive welcoming experience. It’s a sport that’s only going to get more and more popular so I think the club will go from strength to strength and welcome anyone who wants to get involved.”
Pickleball Stirling Club may open a junior section of the club at some point in the future and are also in the early planning stages of a local ‘Pickleball in the Park’ event which they hope will also include community stalls promoting the sport and its benefits.
Find out more
- Pickleball Stirling - The New Home For Pickleball in Central Scotland
- Pickleball Stirling | Facebook
- Home | Pickleball Scotland
