Sam Pearce is accelerating pickleball’s emergence as a global force after playing a starring role in a record-breaking Skechers English OPEN.

Originally from Baltimore in the US, Pearce featured in the English Open at the Telford International Centre – the largest pickleball event taking place outside of his native North America.

With ages from 7 to 70+ competing, the event is reflective of the incredible growth in pickleball over recent years, with a record number of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries participating in a sport which has aspirations of making the Olympic programme.

The sport has already become a hit in the US and the 42-year-old software manager is delighted to see it taking off on this side of the Atlantic.

“A guy at work when we moved over here was like ‘hey, you want to try this?’ and I thought it sounded ridiculous, but why not,” said Pearce, who is based in Leeds.

“I never played it in the States - I’d heard about it but never had the chance to try it – but when I moved here, I was looking for something to do because American sports like baseball and American football aren’t exactly huge here.

“When I got here, I looked for a bunch of cricket clubs, but it was during Covid and none of them were open!”

This year’s English OPEN comprised seven days of high-level competition, with the world’s top professionals from America, Europe and Asia taking to the court in singles, doubles, mixed, wheelchair and junior events.

A hybrid of tennis, badminton & table tennis, the sport’s popularity has been attributed to its accessibility. Easy to pick up and fun to play, the sport’s accessibility transcends demographics, providing it with universal appeal.

“I have met so many friends through pickleball, this is one of the most welcoming sports and I don’t think anyone has egos,” Pearce added.

“When I was playing adult sports in the States, there were a bunch of people who played like it was the World Series, you know, take it down a notch, but you don’t get that here.”

Pickleball England has announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event taking place outside of the USA EVER – visit pickleballengland.org