Where Campus Meets the Court
By Scott Mayo, Welsh Correspondent
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Across the border in England, there have been some brilliant stories emerging recently where university and pickleball meet in the middle. Scholarships are now being offered not only in America but here in the UK too, with players such as Charlotte Presley earning opportunities to study and compete at the same time. Exeter and Durham have student-led clubs. Nottingham runs weekly sessions drawing strong numbers. The Venn diagram between higher education and pickleball is growing wider by the month.
But in Wales, there was nothing.
Until now.
At Cardiff University, the foundations were already there. Passionate players working within the institution itself. Erica Davies of Cardiff Pickleball Club and Welsh National Champion Scott Mayo happened to share not just a love of the sport, but a workplace. Erica reached out after discovering they both worked at the university.
A conversation quickly followed.
What came next was a cold but beautifully sunny walk around Alexandra Park. Two work laptops in their bags rather than their usual paddles, but plenty of ideas in their heads. They spoke about how they first picked up a paddle, what the sport had given them, and what it could offer students in Cardiff. They talked about wellbeing, belonging, opportunity and growth.
Erica works as a Wellbeing Practitioner at the university. She has seen firsthand how sport can transform a student’s experience. Free gym sessions had already been introduced to support student wellbeing. Badminton sessions had grown from a small idea into a fully booked weekly session with more than sixteen players attending regularly. So the question became simple.
Why not pickleball?
And so, the first step was clear. Introduce pickleball through the university’s wellbeing programme.
Cardiff University’s Resident Life team supports students living in halls. Within that structure are Resident Life Assistants (RLAs), student leaders who help build community. Ten RLAs attended the first pickleball session. They were taught the basics of the game, not just to play, but to pass it on. The idea was simple. Equip the connectors and let the game spread organically.
The early sessions have begun with two courts and lowered badminton nets.
Modest. Intentional. Built to grow. If badminton is anything to go by, expansion feels inevitable. After all, nobody plays pickleball just once. Support from within the institution has been key. Sports Facilities Manager Steven George helped secure funding for beginner sets and balls, ensuring sessions were properly resourced from the outset. These initiatives do not happen by accident. They happen when people care enough to collaborate.
Mayo will continue attending upcoming weekend sessions, offering coaching, encouragement and perhaps the occasional competitive spark. He speaks openly about how important sport has been for his own well-being. Pickleball, in particular, has been a sanctuary. A place of challenge, connection and perspective. That is something he hopes students discover during their time at Cardiff.
Admittedly, there is also a quiet long-term vision. With future European Championships on the horizon, there is always an eye on emerging talent. Universities and schools are where potential often hides in plain sight. Cardiff University is full of intelligence, athleticism and drive. If nurtured properly, who knows what could emerge.
For now, the goal is simpler. Embed pickleball into the culture of Cardiff University. Build it carefully. Let it breathe. Create a spine of experience, care and playfulness strong enough to sustain it.
The momentum is already visible. Articles in the student newspaper The Cardiffian have highlighted the rise of pickleball in the capital and now within the university itself.
Visibility matters. Representation matters. Opportunity matters.
Cardiff has always been a city willing to try new things and now it has the chance to lead Wales in something special. From two courts and a handful of paddles, something bigger may well be growing.
And if history tells us anything, those two courts will not stay two for long.
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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