Building bridges: Rika Riordan and the strategic rise of Pickleball in Japan
By Fabrizio Lavezzari, Japan correspondent
Download the full March 2026 World Pickleball Magazine for free
Rika Riordan, Vice Chairperson of the Pickleball Federation of Japan (PJF), did not enter the world of pickleball as a former professional athlete searching for a second act. Her path into the sport came later in life, shaped by a long professional career outside of sport and by years spent moving between Japan and overseas environments. That background, however, is precisely what has made her one of the most quietly influential figures in the development of pickleball in Japan.
Her first encounter with pickleball took place in Hawaii, near Diamond Head, during the period following the COVID pandemic. At that time, organised sport in many parts of the world had slowed, but pickleball courts in Hawaii were active, social, and welcoming. She noticed immediately that the game attracted players of different ages and backgrounds, and that it fostered interaction rather than exclusion. What initially began as curiosity quickly turned into sustained interest.
This discovery did not occur in isolation. Before pickleball entered her life, Riordan had already built a substantial professional career as an entrepreneur. After playing tennis during her college years, she stepped away from competitive sport and focused instead on business. She was involved in the development and operation of a baby-products company specialising in baby underwear. The business was founded by women, had an international structure linking Japan and Canada, and achieved significant commercial scale. At its peak, it sold several hundred thousand units annually in Japan, operating as a serious commercial venture rather than a niche enterprise.
That entrepreneurial chapter spanned many years and required hands-on experience with logistics, market development, cross-border coordination, and long-term planning. Eventually, the business closed, and Riordan relocated with her American husband, spending extended periods in Hawaii. Only after this transition did pickleball begin to play a central role in her life.
From personal discovery to structural insight
In Hawaii, she observed a recurring pattern. Large numbers of Japanese visitors were encountering pickleball for the first time while travelling abroad. Many were drawn to the sport immediately, appreciating its accessibility, its social nature, and the fact that it rewarded strategy over brute strength. However, once they returned to Japan, opportunities to continue playing were limited or nonexistent. Courts were scarce, information was fragmented, and there was little structural support for beginners.
Recognising this gap, Riordan began informally introducing Japanese visitors to pickleball while they were in Hawaii. She accompanied them to local courts, helped navigate language barriers, and explained the rules and culture surrounding the game. Over time, these informal efforts evolved into something more structured, leading to the creation of a Japan–Hawaii Pickleball Association, which later evolved into PJF. The purpose was not governance, but connection: to serve as a bridge between a mature pickleball environment overseas and an emerging one in Japan.
As her involvement deepened, Riordan drew on her entrepreneurial instincts to consider how pickleball could grow more rapidly in Japan. She concluded that incremental exposure alone would not be sufficient. Instead, she believed that visibility at scale would be essential for public understanding. From her perspective, people grasped the appeal of pickleball most clearly when they saw it played seriously, by many participants, in a setting that conveyed legitimacy.
Visibility, competition, and balanced growth
This thinking led to the organisation of early showcase events, including one held at the Tokyo American Club. The response confirmed her intuition. Participation exceeded expectations, curiosity quickly turned into engagement, and word began to spread. Encouraged by this success, she planned a large international pickleball tournament in Japan, designed to attract overseas athletes, generate media interest, and present pickleball as a modern sport with global reach.
When registration opened, participation grew rapidly. Hundreds signed up within a short period, with a roughly equal mix of Japanese and international players. Media outlets responded in kind, with television, print, radio, and online platforms seeking to understand and explain the sport to a broader audience. This exposure marked a turning point, shifting pickleball’s image in Japan from a novelty to a credible and growing discipline.
Within PJF, this moment helped clarify the organisation’s long-term approach. Rather than prioritising a single pathway, she advocated for a dual structure built around competition and participation. On one side, competitive development would allow elite Japanese players to test themselves in national and international settings, often by competing abroad where the sport was already well established. On the other hand, widespread participation would ensure that pickleball remained accessible to beginners, older players, and those drawn to the sport primarily for social or recreational reasons.
This balance, in her view, is essential. Focusing solely on elite competition risks narrowing the base of the sport, while concentrating only on recreation can limit long-term momentum. Pickleball’s unique strength lies in its ability to support both simultaneously.
Infrastructure, unity, and long-term vision
Riordan also emphasises that pickleball’s appeal is deeply connected to its intellectual and social dimensions. The game rewards decision-making, positioning, and anticipation rather than raw athletic power. Players are required to think constantly about shot selection, court positioning, and tactical choices. This characteristic makes the sport sustainable across age groups and creates a sense of ongoing improvement that keeps people engaged.
In Japan, however, growth has not been without challenges. Dedicated pickleball facilities remain limited, and access to public spaces can be constrained. Riordan has consistently pointed to underused tennis courts and multipurpose facilities as practical opportunities for expansion. By adapting existing infrastructure rather than waiting for purpose-built venues, pickleball can grow more quickly and at lower cost.
Beyond infrastructure, she is candid about the organisational challenges that accompany any rapidly growing sport. Multiple groups, differing priorities, and institutional fragmentation can create friction. Her approach has been to minimise division and emphasise shared goals, focusing on cooperation rather than competition between organisations. From her perspective, unity is not just a philosophical ideal but a practical necessity for sustainable growth.
In recent years, pickleball’s expansion in Japan has entered a new phase. Sponsorship interest has increased, signalling broader recognition of the sport’s potential. Corporate partners are beginning to view pickleball as a platform with long-term viability rather than a passing trend. This shift has enabled more structured planning and has opened conversations about the sport’s future at both national and international levels.
Discussions about pickleball’s place on the global stage, including long-term Olympic aspirations, are ongoing. Riordan approaches these conversations pragmatically. While she acknowledges the motivational power of ambitious goals, she emphasises the importance of building solid systems first, including governance structures, participation pipelines, and institutional relationships.
At the core of her work remains a simple belief: pickleball matters because it connects people. It creates opportunities for friendship across generations, workplaces, and communities. It offers players not just competition, but continuity, allowing them to remain active and engaged regardless of age or background.
This perspective reflects the arc of Riordan’s own life. Her path from entrepreneurship to sport was not abrupt, but deliberate. The skills she developed in business—strategic thinking, scaling, international coordination—now inform her approach to growing pickleball in Japan. Rather than chasing rapid expansion for its own sake, she focuses on building bridges: between countries, between competitive and recreational players, and between sport and everyday life.
In that sense, her contribution to pickleball extends beyond administration. It represents a model of how experience outside sport can shape its future, bringing structure, vision, and sustainability to a game whose greatest strength lies in its openness.
Chris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at all levels of pickleball. Chris is also an avid player, currently struggling to make the breakthrough from 4.0 to 4.5.