Many services attract customers following the pickleball 'fever' in Nghe An

Pickleball court flourishes

In the past half year, pickleball has become the leading grassroots sport in Vietnam. The number of pickleball courts has been constantly growing, serving the great needs of the people. In Vinh City, according to preliminary statistics, about 100 pickleball courts have appeared in wards such as Le Loi, Quan Bau, Truong Thi, Trung Do, Hung Loc, Ha Huy Tap, Nghi Phu...

According to both business people and players, the appeal of this sport is that it is new, easy to play, and the investment is not too high. In addition, the design of the racket, pants, skirts, shirts, etc. is also very fashionable. The pickleball movement has increased the spirit of sports, improved health, and created connections between people.

Besides the fields of organizations and groups, there are many fields that people invest in and build themselves to rent by the hour, with the number of people booking the field increasing.

Realizing that this is a hot sport, Mr. Phan Trung Dong, Dong Vinh Ward, Vinh City, pooled capital with friends to rent a space to open a pickleball court on Ngo Thi Nham Street from mid-November 2024. Because the court has just been renovated and built with a roof to protect against rain and sun, the number of customers registering to practice is increasing.

Mr. Dong said: Realizing the great demand of the people, we have worked together to build 4 pickleball courts to serve the people. The total investment is more than 500 million VND. People mainly rent by the hour, especially during peak hours or weekends, the courts are always full of customers. There are times when customers have to contact in advance to have a court to play.

Not only in Vinh City but also in other localities, especially in mountainous districts, the pickleball movement has also flourished in recent times. In the border district of Que Phong, according to preliminary statistics, there have been 9 pickleball courts opened in a short time with the number of players registering to play increasing rapidly.

Mr. Long, owner of a pickleball court in Kim Son town, Que Phong district, said: On average, renovating a pickleball court has an area of ​​80m2.²-100m²usually has a total cost of around 100 million VND. I rented a space to make 3 covered courts to serve the needs of the people. The court is open all days of the week with a rental price of 80,000 - 120,000 VND/hour, if 4 people play, each person only costs 20,000 - 30,000 VND/hour. Depending on peak or off-peak hours, this price is quite suitable for the majority of people.

In Tan Ky district, the first pickleball venue in the district opened at the end of November, attracting a lot of attention from the people. A representative of the Tan Ky district Department of Culture and Information said: This venue has 4 courts, due to the large number of registered players, it is often overloaded. It is expected that the number of courts will increase in the coming time because many people have started to renovate and build new courts.

According to research, there are currently 3 types of pickleball courts that people are investing in for business, including indoor courts, outdoor courts, and covered outdoor courts with different investment prices. These courts also have different rental prices.

According to a survey, the current price for renting a pickleball court in the province ranges from 80,000 - 200,000 VND/hour, depending on the quality of the court, the location of the court as well as the services that the court provides.

Hot pickleball fashion

The boom of pickleball is not only limited to playgrounds, but the market for equipment and fashion for practicing this sport also shows no signs of cooling down.

According to a survey, there are many types of pickleball rackets on the market, including basic rackets for beginners with prices ranging from a few hundred thousand VND to rackets for professionals with prices of millions of VND with brands such as Wilson, Franklin, Selkirk, and Paddle Tek... On e-commerce platforms, the prices of unbranded rackets are much cheaper, commonly at 300,000 - 500,000 VND/piece.

Pickleballs are also relatively cheap on the market, including practice balls and competition balls. Prices range from 30,000 - 70,000 VND/ball. The difference between pickleballs and badminton, table tennis or tennis balls is that they are much more durable and can be used for a longer time.

Besides rackets and balls, men's and women's pickleball outfits are also diverse and are becoming a new trend, with many brands launching specialized product lines. These outfits not only meet the needs of movement but also bring a modern, stylish style to the wearer so that every move brings confidence, comfort and safety.

According to Ms. Phuong, owner of a pickleball sportswear store in Vinh City, the costumes for this sport are very diverse in style, material and price. In particular, women's costumes have caused a fever on social networks recently. Each women's competition set ranges from 150,000 - 500,000 VND on average, with big brands costing millions. For men, they mainly invest more in competition shoes, while clothes are often much simpler and more affordable.

Not only the service of renting courts, buying rackets, balls or costumes, but also the service of hiring coaches to teach this sport is also being contacted by many people. Because this is a new sport, many people have never approached it, so if they want to play it well and with the right technique, they need someone to accompany and guide them. According to research, each pickleball course in Nghe An currently ranges from 2 - 3 million VND/course for 10 - 15 lessons.