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.
Jack Munro collected two golds at the first Humana APP Louisville Open, the APP reports. He and Richard Livornese Jr. beat Zack Marceau and Aidan Schenk 12-10, 11-2 for a seventh men's doubles title in a row, and he won the mixed with the Netherlands' Roos Van Reek.
Croatia's Domenika Turkovic came back to beat top seed Kat Stewart 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, winning singles gold for a second event running after taking silver in both doubles finals. Ronan Camron edged Dusty Boyer in three games, and Bobbi Oshiro and Stewart won the women's doubles.
Coachino Insight
Seven straight titles show what a settled partnership can achieve. Turkovic's three finals reward a player willing to enter every event and keep learning against top opponents.
Kate Fahey left the Virginia Beach Open with two titles, Pickleball.com reports. She and first-time partner Eric Oncins won mixed doubles from 2-8 down in the third game, and she then beat the 21st seed, Helena Jansen Fink, 11-1, 11-9 for the singles crown, her first double at a single event.
Sofia Sewing earned her first PPA Tour title in women's doubles with Catherine Parenteau, while Elliott Schupp and Jaume Martinez Vich both won for the first time in men's doubles. John Lucian Goins took the men's singles without losing a game all week.
Coachino Insight
Three first-time champions in a week without the sport's biggest stars show how close the next tier is. Players chasing a breakthrough should treat open draws as real chances.
With several big names absent, Semifinal Saturday at the PPA Tour's Virginia Beach Open is full of fresh chances, Pickleball.com reports. In women's singles, No. 19 Sofia Sewing, who upset No. 2 seed Brooke Buckner in three games on Thursday, and No. 21 Helena Jansen Fink are each a win away from a first PPA Tour final.
No. 2 Noe Khlif and No. 7 Adam Harvey are chasing their first singles finals on U.S. soil, while Will Howells, Elliott Schupp and Max Freeman could make a first final in men's doubles.
Coachino Insight
Draws without the usual favourites reward players who prepare for every opponent. Sewing shows that a deep run can start from a double-digit seed when the chance appears.
Lea Jansen has pulled out of women's singles and mixed doubles at the PPA Tour's Virginia Beach Open with a broken left patella, but she is still playing women's doubles with Kate Fahey. The pair beat Daria Walczak and Alex Walker 11-2, 11-4 on Thursday and face fifth seeds Alix Truong and Layne Sleeth in Friday's quarterfinals.
The Dink's Erik Tice reported that the 34-year-old had played on the injury since May, through the Major League Pickleball season, until an MRI found it. Jansen expects about three months out and has left every remaining 2026 event.
Coachino Insight
A reminder for coaches: pain that lingers for months deserves a scan, not more matches. An early diagnosis can save a season that toughness alone puts at risk.
The Humana APP Louisville Open brings four days of pro, AARP 50+ and 60+, Humana Cup and amateur play to the Kentucky International Convention Center, with the PickleY'all festival outside on October 16 and 17.
Jack Munro and Richard Livornese Jr. arrive on a run of six straight men's pro doubles titles, and Munro's 8 golds are the most of any APP pro this year. Megan Fudge, who won in Overland Park with Kat Stewart, now shares the women's pro gold record of 33 with Simone Jardim. Coverage runs Friday to Sunday on APPTV's YouTube channel and ESPN+.
Coachino Insight
Club doubles players can take a lesson from Munro and Livornese: six titles in a row come from a settled partnership with clear roles, which often matters more than raw shot-making.
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.
Anna Leigh Waters won mixed doubles with Ben Johns to secure her 200th career PPA Tour title, then added women’s doubles and singles gold to leave the Chicago Cup with 202 titles and 45 Triple Crowns. Federico Staksrud and Hayden Patriquin won men’s doubles, while Roscoe Bellamy took men’s singles and qualifier Emilien Burnel reached the semifinals.
Coachino Insight
Waters’ milestone highlights sustained elite performance, while Burnel’s qualifying run and the men’s doubles upsets show how emerging players and pairings can reshape a tournament draw.
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.
The East Coast Regional in Fort Lauderdale awarded 200 players free entry to the Pickle Money Ball National Championship. Each division’s Top 4 qualified for the Las Vegas tournament, scheduled for July 26-31, 2027, with more than $1 million in amateur prize money.
Held at The Fort, the regional drew more than 550 competitors and offered a $625,000 prize pool. Division winners received $2,000 per player, with payouts extending through the Top 16. It was the final regional of 2026 and the tour’s biggest event to date.
Coachino Insight
For amateur players, the qualification pathway offers both prize money and waived entry fees: Luke Schmidt turned a $100 local qualifier entry into $1,625 and a national berth.
Chatham’s St. Clair College Community Park has opened a new phase that includes ten dedicated pickleball courts, reported as the area’s largest outdoor facility for the sport. The expansion also adds paths, washrooms, basketball and a playground. Chatham-Kent Pickleball Club says the courts create opportunities to host tournaments, alongside the park’s wider role as a shared community space.
Coachino Insight
New courts need clear operating plans. Clubs can prepare beginner sessions, open-play schedules and tournament reservations early so everyday users benefit from the extra capacity.
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:
