One of the things that surprised me most when I started playing pickleball seriously was how good the community is, and how invisible it can be until you know where to look.

There are active pickleball players in almost every major city across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and beyond. The communities tend to be tight-knit, welcoming to newcomers, and growing quickly. Finding them is the only barrier.

This is how I’ve done it, in order of what works best.

Facebook Groups

This is still the most reliable way to find local pickleball in APAC. Most regional communities organise their open play, court bookings, and skill-level sessions through Facebook Groups rather than formal websites or apps.

Search for:

A few specific groups that are active and worth finding: Pickleball Australia, Pickleball NZ, Pickleball Singapore, and local city-level groups for Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, KL, and Bangkok.

Once you’re in the group, introduce yourself, mention your level, and ask about open play. Every group I’ve joined has had someone respond within a day or two with the relevant session details.

Pickleball Australia (Pickleball AU)

Pickleball Australia is the national governing body and maintains a club directory. The website lists affiliated clubs and venues, which is the fastest way to find a formally organised venue near you rather than relying on informal Facebook sessions.

Clubs listed there range from indoor facilities with dedicated courts to tennis clubs that run weekly pickleball sessions on converted courts. The quality and frequency varies, so check both the national directory and the Facebook group for your city to get the full picture.

New Zealand

Pickleball NZ is the national body. Club registration has grown significantly in the last two years, and cities like Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Hamilton all have organised communities now. The national Facebook group is active and the best starting point.

Regional communities in NZ tend to use WhatsApp for session organisation once you’re in the group. It’s the standard there.

Meetup.com

Worth checking in major cities. Some communities use Meetup to organise open play, particularly where they’re trying to attract new players who aren’t already in the Facebook group ecosystem. Less common than Facebook but still relevant in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and a few other cities.

Instagram and TikTok

Not the primary organising channel, but a good way to find the people running courts in your city. Search for pickleball hashtags plus your location and you’ll find players who post content and who often have direct knowledge of where the action is.

Following local players and leaving a comment asking where they play usually gets a response.

Asking at Tennis Clubs

This one is overlooked. A significant portion of pickleball in Australia and NZ is run through tennis clubs that have added pickleball sessions to fill court time during off-peak hours. If you call or email a tennis club near you and ask whether they run pickleball, there’s a reasonable chance they do or know someone who does.

Indoor tennis centres in particular, which have multiple courts and flexible scheduling, have been among the fastest to add pickleball programming.

Fitness and Racket Sport Centres

Facilities that run badminton, squash, and racket sports broadly have been adding pickleball more quickly than dedicated tennis clubs. In cities with large Asian communities (Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Singapore, KL), badminton centres in particular are a reliable place to look, since the existing court infrastructure and community maps closely to pickleball.

Southeast Asia

The structure in SEA markets is slightly different. Organised club infrastructure is thinner, but the communities are enthusiastic and growing fast.

Singapore: Facebook groups are the primary organiser. There are dedicated pickleball courts at a handful of venues, and the community is active enough to have multiple skill-level sessions running each week.

Malaysia (KL and beyond): Facebook groups again. Search “Pickleball Malaysia” and “Pickleball KL”. Courts are increasingly available at sports centres that also host badminton. The Malaysian community is one of the fastest-growing in SEA.

Vietnam: If you’re in the major cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, or spots like Hoi An), there’s pickleball. The community is smaller but active, and the expat networks are often the quickest way in. Local Facebook groups and gym noticeboards work here.

Thailand: Bangkok has an active community centred around dedicated courts and expat networks. Search Facebook for “Pickleball Bangkok” and “Pickleball Thailand”.

Indonesia: Jakarta has a growing community, again centred on Facebook groups.

What to Expect When You Show Up

Pickleball communities are generally the friendliest in sport. The rotation system (winners stay, losers rotate) means you play with a variety of people quickly. Most open sessions are mixed level, so be honest about where you are and you’ll be matched appropriately.

A few things to keep in mind when joining a new group:

The social aspect is one of pickleball’s best features. Post-game coffees and meals are a regular part of club culture in most communities I’ve played with across the region. Show up, play your game, and you’ll usually find yourself absorbed into a group that’s genuinely glad you’re there.

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