MPA President Farrell Choo Kah Thiam Downplays Rising Pickleball Court Rates in Malaysia, Targets More Growth
There’s no question pickleball is booming in Malaysia—and the overwhelming success of the Panas Cup 2025 is the latest proof of the sport’s meteoric rise in this Southeast Asian nation.
In keeping with this pickleball boom, investors and organisations in Malaysia are building dedicated courts at an astonishing rate and at an accelerated pace. This rise in the number of pickleball courts is coming on the heels of some type of pushback from badminton and tennis court operators, some of whom expressed concern that retrofitting their courts to be suitable for pickleball could damage said courts.
“We encountered resistance early on, with some operators rejecting our requests to use their courts due to fears the ball would damage the surface,” Malaysia Pickleball Association President (MPA) Farrell Choo Kah Thiam recently told Bernama. “But we were fortunate that others allowed us to play and we have always ensured to remove the tape markings after each session.”
Now, with the rate at which pickleball courts are being built in Malaysia, venue soon won’t become a problem for Malaysian picklers. Unfortunately, court prices are becoming a minor headache because they keep rising—from the about RM20 per hour to around RM70 per hour.
Thiam isn’t the least bit concerned, chalking up the rising prices to soaring demand for pickleball venues.
“As demand increases, prices rise, and the operators are responsible for setting these rates,” he said. “But I believe that as more dedicated pickleball facilities are built, the cost will eventually decrease.
If the MPA’s goal of having 10% of the Malaysian population playing pickleball is realised, there will definitely be a need for more pickleball courts—and Thiam is banking on both happening, especially now that Malaysia now has around 10,000 registered pickleball players.
“In the United States, 14 per cent of the population plays pickleball. Our target is to reach 10 per cent of Malaysia’s population within the next decade,” said Thiam.
The MPA is tirelessly looking for ways to reach that ambitious target and create new pickleball spaces. It is even lobbying to include the sport in the Malaysia Games. The state of Sarawak, arguably the country’s pickleball hub, is actively doing as well and is set to host the inaugural Malaysia Open in July in the meantime.
But in the here and now, it appears the future of pickleball is headed in the right direction.
