The Court Crunch: What Singapore’s Pickleball Boom Means for Everyday Players

Dec 4

Over the last few years, pickleball has quietly turned into one of Singapore’s busiest court sports. What started as a “kampung-style” game for small groups of friends has grown into packed halls, long online queues for booking slots, and even complaints about noise from nearby flats. For many casual players and seniors’ groups, the challenge now isn’t learning the game – it’s simply finding a place and time to play.

Demand has surged across public facilities. Court bookings at indoor halls have multiplied many times since the first trials a decade ago, and national competitions have seen player numbers jump several-fold in just a few years. Yet the number of indoor courts that can safely host pickleball has not kept pace, so one available slot can feel like it’s being chased by dozens of hopeful players.

Court Demand Has Exploded

The statistics paint a clear picture of an explosive boom. From community centres to ActiveSG facilities, the number of users playing pickleball has risen dramatically. What once required a casual text to a few friends to fill a court now feels like a competitive ballot for a concert ticket.

For the everyday player, this scarcity manifests as frustration: regularly missing out on prime evening slots, being limited to playing only off-peak mornings, or spending precious time endlessly refreshing booking portals. It's especially tough on the committed enthusiast who used to play five times a week but now only manages to secure two or three off-peak sessions.

Why It’s So Hard to Find Space

The court crunch isn't just about demand; it's also about limited supply and complex logistics unique to Singapore.

Competition for Multi-Use Spaces: Many pickleball games occur in halls originally designed for badminton or basketball. These facilities are often already fully booked, leading to heavy competition between different sports. Pickleball, with its specific need for smooth, clear floors and net setups, struggles to carve out dedicated slots.
Inconsistent Rules: Pickleball is often played under dual-use schemes at various community venues. A long-time enthusiast might run into wildly inconsistent rules, booking systems, and equipment availability at different Community Centres (CCs) or Residents’ Committees (RCs), creating a fragmented experience for players trying to book across the island.
The Indoor Imperative: Given Singapore's heat, humidity, and frequent rain, indoor, sheltered courts are highly prized. This concentrates demand into a small number of suitable venues, making the booking problem worse.

Noise, Neighbours, and Town Councils

The sport's signature sound, the loud "tak-tak" of the plastic ball hitting the hard paddle, has unfortunately put it on a collision course with high-density HDB living.

As pickleball groups, especially enthusiastic seniors' groups, have grown, so too have the complaints from nearby residents about the persistent noise, particularly during evening hours. This has led to restrictions, time limits, and even the complete banning of the sport in certain outdoor or multi-purpose court areas under the jurisdiction of Town Councils.

However, the players’ perspective is vital. For seniors, pickleball is an accessible, low-impact activity that offers crucial social connection, turning groups that started with a handful of people into vibrant communities of hundreds. Finding a safe, legal, and non-disruptive place to play is essential for their well-being.

Possible Ways Forward

Singapore needs to manage pickleball’s growing pains without slowing the sport’s boom. Solutions will require creativity and cooperation:

Repurpose and Reconfigure: Actively identifying underutilised spaces, such as large void decks, school halls (during off-hours), or even rooftops, and configuring them for pickleball can create new supply.
Material Innovation: Encouraging the use of quieter, softer balls like the Dura Fast 40 Quiet or similar alternatives in venues close to residential areas can mitigate noise issues without requiring a full ban.
Strategic Time Management: Venues and organisers can implement better time-slot management, perhaps reserving morning slots for seniors' groups and pushing louder, high-intensity play to later in the day in venues further from housing.
Multi-Purpose Parks: Designing new park spaces with multi-purpose courts that include specific sound-dampening measures could future-proof the venues for various sports.

What Players and Organisers Can Do Now

While the infrastructure catches up, the community can immediately adopt strategies to secure play time and be good neighbours:

Play Off-Peak: Target non-prime slots (mornings, lunch breaks, late evenings) and lesser-known venues (e.g., smaller, non-ActiveSG facilities or school halls under dual-use schemes).
Organise Group Bookings: Instead of random solo bookings, form an interest group and coordinate a single, committed booking through an RC or CC. This ensures fairer court rotation and makes groups accountable.
Be Noise-Friendly: Adopt simple behaviours: use quieter balls in sensitive areas, keep cheering to a minimum, and schedule sessions later in the day to avoid peak noise times.
Search Local Venues: Actively search social media groups and community boards for information on quieter courts and new locations, as this information is often siloed.
Adopt Ladder Formats: For crowded sessions, use shorter rotations or "ladder" formats to maximise the number of players who get court time within a limited slot.

By being proactive, respectful of neighbours, and creative in securing slots, Singapore’s passionate pickleball community can continue to grow and enjoy the sport, turning the challenge of the court crunch into an opportunity for better organisation and community spirit.

Petrina from Play! Ground