In a strategic move to manage its rapid expansion, Pickleball Australia has partnered with etrainu to support its growing popularity and standardised learning pathways.
Since 2020, Pickleball has quickly become Australia's fastest-growing sport, with phenomenal growth in membership and national participation.
The organisation has expanded its governance from just two states and territories to seven, and now supports 226 affiliate clubs, venues, and businesses, with approximately 13,000 paid members across the nation.
Brendan Lee, Executive Officer of Pickleball Australia, highlights the sport's unique growth trajectory, "For a sport which has been played on Australian shores for less than a decade; we have seen exponential growth like no other and commercial interest due to our burgeoning community."
Before partnering with etrainu, Pickleball Australia was seeking opportunities to improve and structure an accreditation system for coaches and referees. They approached etrainu to standardise learning pathways and qualifications in a user-friendly environment.
“We needed a solution that is easy to follow, where our users could log in and know exactly what to do and how to achieve what they need to. But we also needed something that had longevity by creating pathways for our users to explore," says Grace Schmidt, Operations Manager.
This initiative will offer clear, comprehensible training and certification processes, simplifying the educational journey for all involved in the sport. It represents a significant step towards ensuring the sport's long-term sustainability and integrity on the national stage.
“Safeguarding our sport is a huge priority for us, so we were focused on implementing a system that allows us to do that,” says Brendan Lee.
Cameron O’Riordan, VP of Sales at etrainu, said, "The etrainu platform has been designed to be accessible and user-friendly for everyone, regardless of technical proficiency, which makes it the ideal solution for Pickleball Australia. We are beyond excited to support the growth of the sport in Australia and empower their communities through standardised learning pathways.”
Looking ahead, Pickleball Australia plans to collaborate with etrainu's in-house Studio team to create a Level 1 Course that consolidates the training for coaches and referees. From there, they aim to strengthen their technical ecosystem through integration with revolutioniseSPORT.
"This partnership is key to making training and development easier and more effective for everyone. etrainu is a simplistic platform, that is user-friendly for our members and stakeholders across the Nation,” says Brendan Lee.
The Pickleball Australia Education Hub was launched to coaches and referees in August 2024.
Launched in 2020 Pickleball Australia has nurtured and guided the development of pickleball nationwide. The establishment of 7 state and territory associations, supportive sub-committees and a range of affiliates, has advanced the Australian pickleball footprint with continuous strong growth in membership, playing opportunities and program development.
A not-for-profit organisation, Pickleball Australia is committed to furthering playing opportunities both within Australia and internationally while progressing the accreditation and training of administrators, coaches and referees to foster the advancement of State members, affiliates and individuals of all ages and ability levels.
etrainu are leaders in community education solutions. Through a sophisticated learning management system and engaging online courses, etrainu is changing the way we learn. Founded in 2007, etrainu has grown to over two million learners benefitting from hundreds of industry-tailored courses.
etrainu has partnered with some of the largest sports organisations in the world, including US Youth Soccer (USYS), American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), PGA Tour, Hockey Australia, Gymnastics Australia, and Surf Life Saving Australia.
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