Malaysia's Pickleball Boom: Founder Edward Chen Reveals Why 'Addictive' Sport Is Set to 'Go Far' with Schools
What's the Score?
Malaysia, Southeast Asia – Pickleball is experiencing a significant surge in popularity across Malaysia, with Edward Chen, the Founder of Pickleball Malaysia and an International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) instructor, expressing strong confidence that the sport "will go far" in the country. Chen attributes this rapid growth to several key factors, including the sport's inherent accessibility, ease of learning, and its notably "addictive" nature. Looking ahead, he identifies the involvement of schools as the crucial next step to unlock the sport's full potential.
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Edward Chen, a prominent figure in the Malaysian pickleball community through his founding of the large Pickleball Malaysia Facebook group (with 22,000 members) and his role as an IPTPA instructor, offers an insider's perspective on the sport's explosive growth in the country. Chen himself started playing pickleball in May 2023 as a less physically taxing alternative to squash or badminton, finding padel too expensive.
He identifies several compelling reasons behind pickleball's meteoric rise in Malaysia. Chief among these is the sport's accessibility and relative ease for people of all ages to learn. This low barrier to entry has facilitated rapid adoption across different demographics. Additionally, social media, particularly platforms like WhatsApp, has played a significant role in spreading awareness quickly.
Chen describes pickleball as fundamentally "addictive". This inherent quality means that once people start playing, they are likely to continue frequently, leading to rapid skill improvement and sustained engagement. This addictiveness, combined with a growing sense of community and an increasing number of organised tournaments, creates a powerful cycle of growth. The sources indicate that the physical infrastructure is also expanding rapidly, with hundreds of courts built within a short span of two years. The discussion about potentially including pickleball in Sukma 2026 further highlights its growing status.
While the growth has been impressive thus far, Chen points to the crucial next frontier for Malaysian pickleball: involving schools. He stresses that introducing the sport to younger generations is "key" to truly elevating it to new heights. With coaches readily available, he believes schools should seize the opportunity to integrate pickleball, setting the stage for long-term, sustainable development and potentially making Malaysia a major pickleball hub.
The World Pickleball Verdict
Edward Chen's insights paint a clear picture of a pickleball boom in Malaysia driven by the sport's inherent appeal and strategic community building. The combination of ease of access, social media promotion, and the sport's captivating nature has created strong momentum. The rapid development of courts and increasing tournament activity further underscore this growth. However, Chen's emphasis on integrating pickleball into schools reveals a forward-thinking strategy for long-term success. By focusing on cultivating young talent, Malaysia is laying the groundwork for sustained development and potentially establishing itself as a significant force in Asian pickleball. His confidence that the sport "will go far" seems well-founded, provided efforts to reach younger players through educational institutions are successful.