A recent report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association found that pickleball—the “fastest growing sport in America”—has attracted 4.8 million players nationwide (a 40 percent increase since 2020). The game, a combination of badminton, tennis, and ping pong, gained popularity during the early days of the pandemic. Not only does pickleball offer benefits galore for your coordination and heart health, but for many, the fun, competitive activity is also a way to build a professional network.
The structure of a pickleball game naturally leaves room for socializing. For the uninitiated, pickleball is played on a badminton-sized court—about 20 by 44 feet—and the rules are simple.
Like in tennis, a volley begins when the ball is served diagonally across the court, and your team of two people can only earn points when it has service. Pickleball is complicated by the fact that there is a seven-foot no-volley zone called “the kitchen” to prevent players from spiking. “The server continues to serve, alternating service courts, until he or she faults. The first side scoring eleven points and leading by at least two points wins,” says David Dutrieuille, National Pickleball Director for Life Time.
Recreation centers, schools, parks, YMCAs, and private clubs now host pickleball, and because only four players are on the court at once, many folks have plenty of time on the sidelines to connect and talk business. David Hampshere, CEO of Purple Egg Real Estate, located in the Florida Panhandle and Lower Alabama, plays pickleball every morning, as well as some weekends and evenings. “Every chance I get, I mention my real estate business and state I’m always looking for properties,” he tells Fortune. “I’m casual about it, never pushy, so that helps. I have been introduced to quite a few people interested in selling, including one that I purchase.”
Brandon Mackie, co-founder of Pickleheads—a website that helps locate…