Inside the English OPEN: How a Global Event Is Actually Built

From the outside, the English OPEN is scale.

Rows of courts. Thousands of players. Matches running from morning to night.

Key Takeaways

The English OPEN has grown into one of the largest pickleball events globally, organised with Pickleball England,, requiring complex logistics and operational planning
Karen Mitchell’s behind-the-scenes account reveals the scale of work required to deliver a major international pickleball tournament
The event’s success depends on volunteer networks, sponsor relationships, and meticulous scheduling rather than simply booking courts

This article features in the May 2026 issue of World Pickleball Magazine. For the full collection of features, interviews, coaching insights and global coverage, download the complete magazine here.

From the inside, it is something else.

It is sequence.

Everything begins with the venue. Not as a backdrop, but as the decision that shapes everything else.

For the 2026 English OPEN, that decision took months. The requirement was clear: create space to grow without compromising the player experience. In practice, that meant testing, rejecting, and retesting.

Early rollout courts exposed issues beneath the surface. Electrical ducting affected play. What appeared viable did not hold up under use. Multiple venues were assessed before the final choice was approved by resident professionals James Chaudry and Thaddea Lock.

That decision set the direction of the event.

It also set the timeline.

The NEC is secured at least five days before play begins. Not as a buffer, but as a requirement.

The Scale Behind the Scenes

In that window, an empty hall becomes a tournament.

Sixty courts are built to consistent, pro-approved standards. Walkways are planned to manage movement. Space is allocated for vendors, spectators, and broadcast.

Nothing is placed casually.

The build itself is not complex. It is dependent.

Materials arrive in sequence. Courts are constructed, then coated, then painted. Lines are applied only when surfaces are fully dry. Each stage relies on the previous one being complete.

A delay does not stay contained.

It moves.

At the same time, the rest of the event is assembled alongside it.

If you’re following how the global game is shifting week by week, the World Pickleball Report breaks this down every Wednesday.

Building the Event Machine

Referees are recruited and assigned, with medal matches guaranteed coverage. Tournament systems are configured so draws, schedules, and results are clear in real time. Volunteers are brought in, briefed, and placed across multiple roles.

No part of this operates in isolation.

Venue readiness affects court build.
Court build affects scheduling.
Scheduling affects staffing, communication, and player experience.

The event functions as a system.

Only once that system is stable do the additions come in.

Electronic line calling. Paperless operations. Enhanced livestream production.

These are not starting points. They are additions.

And they only work if the fundamentals underneath them do not shift.

What Makes It Work

This is where the English OPEN separates itself.

Not through scale alone, but through control.

The numbers are visible.

Nearly 3,000 players.
58 countries.
The largest indoor pickleball tournament in the world.

But the meaning sits underneath them.

The sport is no longer proving that people want to play.

It is proving that it can build events at this level, repeatedly, without breaking.

That is the shift.

And it is not visible from the stands.

For a clearer view of where the sport is heading each week, you can join the World Pickleball Report here.

Inside the English OPEN: How a Global Event Is Actually Built

Key Takeaways

The Scale Behind the Scenes

Building the Event Machine

What Makes It Work

Further Reading