All 25 high schools in the Montgomery County Public Schools system will offer pickleball as a varsity sport beginning this fall semester, the school system announced Monday.
Last fall, the county became the first in the nation to have a varsity pickleball program, according to a MCPS press release, with 11 schools fielding teams. Pickleball will be part of the county’s corollary sports program, which aims to increase “interscholastic athletics participation opportunities for all students, in particular, students with disabilities,” the press release read.
The county will partner with D.C. Pickleball Team—Washington’s Major League Pickleball team—and Rockville-based pickleball supply company JOOLA to help roll out the program to the additional high schools.
The sport has exploded in popularity in the last few years, in part because of its easy access; it’s not uncommon to see senior citizens playing alongside twentysomethings.
“Interest in pickleball continues to explode at all age levels across the world,” Jeff Sullivan, MCPS’s athletic director, said in a statement. “This initiative is directly aligned with our R.A.I.S.E. core values of equity, access and spirited competition, and will provide a foundation of success for pickleball across our county.”
MCPS’s other varsity corollary sports are bocce, handball, and allied softball.
