Matthew Annan has been an athlete all his life, playing basketball, tennis, golf, "the whole gamut," as he puts it, but as he grew older, the wear and tear was taking a toll.

He's had hip surgery, twice, and a blown-out shoulder.

"So I'm hurting," Annan said.

"But pickleball, I can still play. I can play it every day, and I do."

Now 68, the Fort 91原创 resident, a father of three and grandfather of two, is a top-ranked player and coach, a regular presence at the Douglas Park pickleball courts in 91原创 City, where he was being interviewed on a morning after rain showers had lifted, allowing the surfaces to dry.

"Even when it's wet, people play, they just don't move very quick," Annan said.

"As long as it's not below zero, you can play in any kind of weather possible."

Annan is a 4.79-ranked  player, 5 being the highest, and since 2023, he's coached hundreds of players at the Walnut Grove community centre's Learn to Play Pickleball classes.

"We're pickleball addicts" he laughed.

"This is our drug of choice. We're hooked."

It's a sport that's cheap, accessible, and sociable, Annan summarized.

"It checks all the boxes."

"It's so damn fun. It's really the funnest thing I've ever played and I've played a lot of sports. As you get older, you've got to find something [to stay active]. A paddle's 50 to 100 bucks. A good pair of tennis shoes is $50. That's it. The courts [in 91原创 City] are free. So, seniors love it because a lot of us are frugal"

As of January 2025, an estimated 1.54 million Canadians were playing pickleball, making it one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. 

Kristina Crosgrey of the Douglas Park Pickleball club said their numbers increase every month.

"We're consistently seeing new fresh faces here," Crosgrey observed.

"It's just a booming sport because it's so addictive and enjoyable. It's something that people, when once they play, they stick with it

This year, the club will hold their fifth annual charity tournament July 3-6  to support the kids at the nearby Douglas Park Community School, which draws more players and raise more money, every year.

Last year the club raised more than $25,000, a record.

"We're gearing up, looking for sponsors," said Crosgrey. Anyone interested can reach the club through the at the Pickleball Canada website.

It is one of the largest outdoor pickleball tournaments in the Lower Mainland, drawing hundreds of players, family members and community spectators to the four-day event.

According to an online history of the sport, pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island in Washington by three friends who improvised the game when they couldn鈥檛 find the shuttlecock for a badminton court, experimenting with table tennis paddles and different types of balls, and lowering the net.

There are conflicting accounts about where the name came from, with one version claiming it was because a player enjoyed hitting the ball in a way that would put his opponent 鈥渋n a pickle.鈥�