During my trip, I had the opportunity to explore the northern and central parts of the East Coast, starting in New York and continuing through Chicago and Washington, D.C. While visiting my relatives in New York State, I discovered that my aunt was a local ambassador for the sport of pickleball. She asked if I would like to join her for a game. I said yes.

From then on, there was no turning back, and we spent almost every evening on the pickleball court. I played soccer as a child and didn't have much experience with racket sports. Nevertheless, after just one lesson, we were able to play enjoyable matches. I remember that on the last day, a couple of people got very upset when I told them that I had only been playing for two weeks and yet we had beaten them in doubles.

However, my visit to the US ten years ago came to an end after two months, but that was only the beginning of the journey. I was so captivated by pickleball that as soon as I got home, I started looking for places where I could play. Unfortunately, I had to realize that there are only a few people in Hungary who even know about pickleball, and they don't play regularly either.

In the years that followed, it seemed impossible to start our own pickleball community, but then in 2019, a miracle happened at the Marczibányi Square Sports Center, and we were able to set up four pickleball courts.

Our enthusiasm was so contagious that a few months later we were forced to organize a national championship. Only 21 people took part in the first official competition, so we were unable to organize all categories.

The following year, we developed a three-round competition system, which we have since supplemented with the Hungarian Open, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, and the newly established Pannon Cup international competitions.

Thanks to the growing number of participants and national coverage, the Hungarian Association, founded in 2022, will organize 12 competitions in 2026. In addition to recreation, we also pay special attention to "professional" athletes, which is why the Hungarian team participated in the first two European Championships, among other events.

We are delighted that pickleball has become part of the Student Olympics and part of the education system at the University of Physical Education.

However, what is even more important to us than the results is that we have managed to create a cohesive, supportive, inclusive, and enthusiastic community that wants to grow together. I have never seen another sport with such significant community-building power.

It still fills me with joy when dozens of people selflessly offer their help so that we can work together to develop pickleball. To me, this means more than anything else.

Click here to learn more about Hungarian Pickleball Federation