Cardiff’s Capitol Calling

BY SCOTT MAYO, WALES CORRESPONDENT

Pickleball is still a young sport. In Wales, it is arguably still finding its feet. While we move ever closer to gaining National Governing Body status, much of this progress is being driven by people giving their time, energy, and belief on a voluntary basis.

It is easy to forget just how recent this journey has been. Only a couple of years ago, even the capital of Wales, a vibrant, sport-loving and culturally adaptive city, had no real pickleball scene to speak of. The odd post on a local Facebook group. A curious enquiry here or there. But no real bed of players. No consistent sessions. No community.

Pickleball existed in pockets across Wales. Small clusters in the Valleys. A strong and growing presence in the north. But in Cardiff, the capital city, there was very little.

Strange.

That has changed, and it has changed quickly.

Thanks largely to the passion, persistence, and love of the sport shown by people like Jonah Fisher, Cardiff now has a thriving and ever-growing pickleball community. Cardiff Pickleball Club officially formed in April 2025 and already boasts more than 270 members. The club delivers 16 hours of fully booked pickleball sessions every week across four venues.

What started as rubber court markings laid out on cold weekends in the local park has grown into something genuinely special. Three competitive ladders. Four leagues. Inter-regional competition. A welcoming, committed, and enthusiastic community that continues to grow week by week.

More recently, the club has also turned its attention to raising the competitive standard. With the support of local coach and Welsh Triple Crown Champion Scott Mayo, players have been taking part in structured drilling sessions, gaining insights, small technical adjustments, and a deeper understanding of the game.

This is no longer just about creating leagues. It is about competing in them. And winning them.

But the ambition does not stop there.

Jonah and the team at Cardiff Pickleball Club are now pushing for something bigger. Something symbolic. The first official outdoor pickleball court in the capital city.

At present, sessions rely on plastic throw-down lines, with courts measured out week after week. Requests for permanent pickleball lines on existing tennis courts have been rejected, despite the clear and growing demand.

At present, sessions rely on plastic throw-down lines, with courts measured out week after week. Requests for permanent pickleball lines on existing tennis courts have been rejected, despite the clear and growing demand.

What makes this particularly frustrating is what sits just out of reach.

Adjacent to the recently renovated tennis courts lies a derelict and unused court. Locked. Closed. Unused for over 18 months. A space with potential, sitting idle, while a community continues to grow around it.

From first-hand experience, playing at Roath Park on a Sunday morning is a reminder of what pickleball does best. Dog walkers stop. Coffee cups pause mid-sip. Conversations start. Curiosity turns into smiles. Roath Park is a beautiful setting, right in the heart of Cardiff, and the symbolic impact of an outdoor court there would be enormous.

Local councillors and MPs have been invited along and have already picked up paddles, tried the sport, and openly shared how fun and addictive it is. Yet the court remains locked. The gate still closed.

For now, the beating heart of pickleball in Wales’s capital continues to beat loudly. That is down to people like Jonah and the wider Cardiff Pickleball Club community who are putting Cardiff, and Wales, firmly on the pickleball map.

What is needed next is belief from those with the power to unlock the space. Buy-in from local and wider government. A willingness to turn an unused asset into a living, breathing community hub.

Because the future of pickleball in Cardiff is already here. It’s just waiting for one gate to open.

If you enjoyed this article, you can download the whole beautifully designed magazine here.