Inaugural tournament welcomes teams from UK and beyond
The Isle of Man will host its first ever national competition for the sport of pickleball this weekend.
The inaugural Isle of Man Pickleball Festival - organised by Ellan Vannin Pickleball Club - is taking place today and tomorrow (9-10 September) at the NSC in Douglas and is free to attend for spectators.
It will see players and teams from the UK joining local squads in two days of competition with around 80 players expected to take part.
The sport of Pickleball - founded in 1965 in the USA - is a racket sport in which competitors use 'paddles' on a court which is similar to the layout of a tennis court but much smaller.
Matches are either played in singles or doubles format.
It is seen as one of the fastest growing sports, particularly in the US, with Forbes reporting in August this year the country had 4.8million participants in Pickleball nationwide.
Chris Hall from Ellan Vannin Pickleball Club and Elaine Shallcross - North-West Regional Director for Pickleball England - have told Manx Radio what it means to have this event on Island:
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