Early in its second year as a club sport team, the co-ed pickleball club at the University of North Florida (UNF) is getting attention. The new team is coming off their first win, placing third in a DUPR regional tournament held in Boca Raton, Florida. This win earned them a bid to compete at the Collegiate National Championship in November.
I sat down with club president Courtney Hughes and coordinator for Club Sports and Facilities Ryan Schneader to talk about pickleball club growth and benefits of the sport at UNF.
The Creation of the Pickleball Club
Hughes said she chose UNF for the small school atmosphere and the nursing program. “A plus was how close UNF is to the beach, which reminds me of my hometown,” she noted.
Once here, Hughes found community, camaraderie and stress relief from her academic load in the women’s soccer club. With her roots in South Florida, Courtney also enjoyed pickleball. With no formal pickleball program on campus, Courtney started the first Pickleball Club in the 2022-2023 school year.
The start-up was slow. Social media promotion helped develop interest and a regular practice community. This school year, the team has over 100 members in a GroupMe with about 20 to 30 coming out for pick-up games during the week at local courts off campus. The club is open for beginners and includes members that are competitive and will travel to compete. Their recent win at the DUPR regional tournament is great for building club recognition and sponsor support.
Necessity of Space
A pivotal piece to club growth is training space on campus. Schneader said his program is working with a vendor to add pickleball lines to two tennis courts which will result in four pickleball courts. Once the lining project is complete, portable nets will be set up for pickleball open rec and pickleball club practice.
Schneader expressed one of the benefits to pickleball is the same for their other sport programs: providing opportunities for students to connect on campus through common interests.
Hughes echoed the sentiment, noting how she’s made friends through both club soccer and pickleball. Starting college without knowing anyone, she likes connecting through sport because it’s not forced and happens over time. Overall, she’s excited about the new pickleball courts on campus because it will take away the travel time barrier which she expects will increase club participation.
From a facility and program perspective, pickleball is an affordable sport to support. The UNF Competitive Sports program — intramurals, club sports and open-rec — will get a good bang for their buck following the lining project to make current tennis court space more versatile to the growing interest in pickleball.
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