BIBD and Baiduri Bank brought 32 participants to a pickleball friendly at PGGMB in Bandar Seri Begawan, with 16 representatives from each bank. The gathering gave staff from competing institutions a chance to build relationships away from work through friendly competition.
Organisers highlighted teamwork and sportsmanship, while the report cited pickleball’s accessibility and social appeal as reasons for choosing it. BIBD described the event as part of its commitment to employee well-being, stakeholder engagement and a positive workplace culture.
Coachino Insight
For clubs and workplace organisers, this gathering illustrates pickleball’s role as a setting for employee activity and relationship-building across competing businesses.
Support for pickleball courts far outweighs opposition among speakers taking a position at U.S. local government meetings, according to Hamlet. The public-meeting analysis firm counted 1,152 supporters and 89 opponents in meetings across 468 cities and towns since Oct. 19, 2024, with support leading in 436.
Fresno, Riverside and Maricopa were among places with many supportive speakers, while Port St. Lucie and Tampa had more opponents. The findings offer a wider view than coverage centered on noise complaints and neighborhood disputes.
Coachino Insight
For clubs pursuing courts, the findings document strong support among meeting speakers, not a survey of residents. Local differences remain important when discussing facilities with councils.
Hunter Johnson beat Tama Shimabukuro in the PPA Tour Asia Hong Kong Slam men’s singles final, after defeating Federico Staksrud in the semifinals. Crowds packed Kai Tak Arena for an event offering $1.1 million in prize money and 1,500 World Pickleball Ranking points.
Staksrud’s quarterfinal comeback against Hong Kit Wong drew controversy: an extended equipment timeout and a 1-point penalty for inappropriate language preceded his 12-10 deciding-game win. Anna Leigh Waters won women’s doubles with Anna Bright and mixed doubles with Ben Johns.
Coachino Insight
For athletes and coaches, the Staksrud-Wong match puts equipment readiness and on-court conduct in focus: both became central issues during a closely contested deciding game.
Our analysis of today's trends: opinion, not reporting, drawn only from the verified stories above.
The U.S. court findings show strong backing among public-meeting speakers, not residents overall. For clubs seeking facilities, that distinction and local differences matter alongside the headline support.
Hong Kong Slam paired packed crowds and major prize money with a contentious quarterfinal. Equipment readiness and on-court conduct became central issues alongside competitive performance.
The Brunei bank friendly and Vientiane community tournament show pickleball serving social purposes beyond competition, connecting workplace peers and Vietnamese expatriates through exercise and shared activity.
Tournament Radar
Upcoming and in-progress events, checked against each organiser's official page.
Indoor franchisor The Picklr has filed for Chapter 11 in the Northern District of Texas, FOX Business reports. An investor group led by franchisee Tom Neale has committed $4.5 million, pending court approval, although Sports Business Journal put the figure at $4.8 million.
Founder Jorge Barragan told SBJ the company had guaranteed leases for about 40 early locations. He said no club will shut because of the filing itself, though some contraction is likely. The Picklr has more than 70 U.S. sites plus clubs in Australia, Canada and Japan, and lost $4.4 million in 2025.
Coachino Insight
For club owners the lesson is financial rather than sporting: rapid growth backed by lease guarantees can strain even a busy brand, so know who carries the rent risk before signing.
Beyond The Bounce says Zane Navratil will create exclusive original programming for its pickleball media platform. The company also announced an expanded ownership and advisory group that includes professional players and media executives. Its website and social channels are operating, while mobile applications remain planned. The announcement outlines a content strategy but does not establish audience results or commercial performance.
Coachino Insight
Clubs considering media partnerships can ask what content, distribution and audience reporting are available today, and distinguish those commitments from features still being developed.
Source: Beyond The Bounce / PR Newswire·Published:
The APP says its first Humana APP Louisville Open, staged from October 15 to 18 alongside the PickleY'all festival, reached audiences well beyond pickleball fans. Every one of the five big local TV news outlets covered it, WLKY-TV acted as media partner, and Meltwater counted more than 157,000 mentions during the week.
A press conference with Mayor Craig Greenberg, the festival's ribbon-cutting and a free Shaggy concert anchored the publicity. Founder Ken Herrmann confirmed the tour will be back in Louisville in 2027.
Coachino Insight
Pairing a tour stop with a free community festival brought in civic partners and mainstream media. Clubs bidding for events can pitch the same mix to local sponsors.
USA Pickleball has named Cogir Senior Living its exclusive partner in the senior living community category. The organizations plan to promote participation and social connection through the sport. Their first announced event activity is a player lounge at the National Championships in San Diego, giving competitors a place to rest and meet between matches.
Coachino Insight
For clubs serving older adults, practical access, welcoming sessions and opportunities to socialize matter more than a sponsor announcement alone.
APP’s post-event numbers offer a look behind the Louisville tournament rather than another results recap. The venue used 23 nets and 49,680 square feet of court surface, while the championship court incorporated 218 LED tiles. These details show how much equipment and installation work sits behind a professional event hosted inside a convention center.
Coachino Insight
Clubs planning larger events can turn this example into an equipment checklist. Court layouts, installation time and spectator systems deserve attention alongside the competition draw.
Anna Leigh Waters has released a full commercial for L'Oreal Paris, where she is an ambassador for the Elvive Glycolic + Gloss range, Pickleball.com's Victoria Radnothy writes. The polished spot, posted on Instagram, follows lighter content she had made for the brand.
The column argues that the 19-year-old's sponsor list, which also includes Delta Airlines and a pet medicine company, goes far beyond the single paddle deal most pros rely on. Waters has already appeared on billboards in Times Square.
Coachino Insight
Mainstream sponsors show that top players can earn well beyond prize money. For aspiring pros, a consistent public profile is becoming part of the job rather than an extra.
