About us

Our Story

Social Pickleball in Kingscliff began in September 2020 on an unused hard court at the Kingscliff Tennis Club.  The club was looking for a new activity as part of an undertaking to diversify and broaden their appeal to the community and help increase dwindling membership numbers. Pickleball was the ideal fit and endorsed by Tennis NSW.

Starting with a small group of players and two portable nets, social pickleball was played twice a week on the hard court. Player numbers steadily increased throughout 2021.

In 2022 with the approval of the tennis club and support of Tweed Council it was decided to upgrade and convert the still under used tennis court into two permanent Pickleball courts. (See images below) - This was the catalyst for a significant jump in Pickleball players throughout 2022 and 2023. 

Social play was held almost daily and a dedicated Beginner group session added for new players as well as regular skills and drills training for our existing players.

As a result the popularity of Pickleball in Kingscliff increased significantly with over 100 regular players in 2023 and into early 2024.

Sadly, with the increased popularity came some noise complaints from nearby residents. An Acoustic report was carried out by Tweed Council that was generally unfavourable. The report combined with aggressive resentment from fellow tennis members at the club, resulted in Tweed Council suspending all play in August 2024.

Our pleas to transfer to an alternate court further away from residents, together with other measures to help reduce the impact were completely ignored, along with a community survey "Your Say" survey that supported Pickleball. (68% in favour of keeping Pickleball)

The suspension of play was a major setback for our group of Pickleball enthusiasts. All alternate venues being some distance away. Fortunately, one of our players a school teacher from the Kingscliff High School promoted the idea of playing indoors on 3 Badminton courts in the school hall. Luckily the school agreed and the hall at Kingscliff High became our new home. 

The Kingscliff Pickleball Club Inc was officially formed in November 2024 and regular social play each Saturday commenced on the 8th February 2025 at the Kingscliff High School.

Below are some images of the happy days at our previous venue and a group shot from our new home at Kingscliff High School. Sadly our old pickleball courts have been removed and replaced with a tennis court, using a Grant that was intended for the expansion of Pickleball.