‘We Will Go Far’: Pickleball Malaysia Founder and Instructor Edward Chan Sees Bright Future for the Sport

It’s being said over and over that it now sounds like a broken record: Pickleball is the world’s fastest-rising sport. And there’s no stopping it.

In Malaysia, in particular, pickleball looks to be gaining even more steam and seems poised for unabated growth. In fact, respected International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association pickleball instructor Edward Chan thinks the sport “will go far” for a number of compelling reasons.

Edward, of course, is also the founder of the now 22,000-strong Facebook group Pickleball Malaysia. And he got into pickleball because, well, his knees weren’t holding up quite as well anymore playing squash or badminton.

“It was just a choice of continuing to play a sport that is not as taxing as squash or badminton as my knees can no longer sustain the rhythm of the sport,” he told Pickleball News Asia (PNA) in an exclusive email interview. “I was told padel tennis would be a better choice until I found out the court costs a whopping average of RM150.00 per hour! Then a friend told me to try pickleball and that was when I started to pick up my first paddle back in May 2023.”

It’s safe to say pickleball has come a long way since Edward first picked up a paddle. This is particularly true in Malaysia, where the sport has grown so much there’s talk of including it in Sukma 2026.

Malaysia Is Emerging as the Pickleball Epicentre

For Edward, a lot of factors are contributing to the meteoric rise of pickleball in Malaysia. But its accessibility—and the fact that it’s relatively easy to learn—is one of the primary reasons the sport is getting more and more popular. Another is social media helping spread the word about this easy-to-learn sport for all.   

“[Pickleball is growing] thanks to social media, in particular WhatsApp, which helped spread the new sport quickly,” Edward pointed out. “Since it is a new sport and fairly easy to learn across all ages, the take-up rate was surprisingly quick, and I began to host game sessions to get more players to try it out.”

Then again, Edward hosting game sessions wouldn’t have been possible if Malaysia didn’t have playing courts available. And at first, it really didn’t have dedicated pickleball courts. What the country had, instead, were badminton courts, which Edward said is ideal for pickleball because all you needed to do was “lower the net down to 34 inches from the ground to start playing immediately.”

Malaysians started playing, all right—first in trickles. Then more and more got into pickleball. And then even more started picking up a paddle. In just a few years, what became as a novelty snowballed into something bigger—a community. Make that a thriving community that’s getting bigger and bigger by the day.

‘Addictive’ Pickleball Is Looking at a Very Bright Future

Edward is seeing the same thing many in the pickleball scene is seeing: It will only grow from here largely because it’s, well, “addictive.” In other words, once you pick up that paddle, there’s a good chance you’re not putting it down anymore. Add in the growing number of tournaments being organised in Malaysia and you’ve got the recipe for a booming sport.

“As the sport progresses, the multiplying factor continues as more tournaments are being organised. And each time when I am tasked to referee a tournament, I see vast improvements in the standards of skill from the participants. This can only happen because the sport is so addictive that they play almost every day! Yes, we will go far, looking at the number of courts being built numbering to a few hundred within a short span of two years.”

All things considered, it seems the sky is the limit for pickleball—and it could reach even greater heights if schools start getting involved more actively, according to Edward.

With the ever-ready number of coaches available. schools should harness this opportunity and spread the sport as starting them [pickleball players] young is key,” he pointed out.

Indeed, introducing pickleball to the younger generation appears to be the next frontier—and the one that will elevate it to heights never before imagined.

Best believe coaches like Edward will be at the forefront ushering in this next exciting stage.