Pickleball England confirm record numbers for English Open in Telford

Pickleball England have confirmed that 2,300 players from over 40 countries are set to participate in the five-day event, which starts today at the Telford International Centre later today. 

That makes the English Open the largest pickleball event taking place outside of North America. 

A number of players will be jetting over from America and Europe to compete, with ages ranging from seven to 70 and above.

While pickleball is described as the fastest growing sport in the US, numbers have also skyrocketed in England, with between 50,000-55,000 active players. 

"This is the biggest tournament outside of the USA and we're really proud of that," Karen Mitchell, who is chair and co-founding director of Pickleball England. 

"It's one of those tournaments that you know you're going to see people at and you know you're going to have a great time. 

"People will keep coming back year after year. You not only meet old friends but you make new friends as well. The friendliness is above everything else.

"I personally think that the growth of the game is around the accessibility and the inclusiveness of it. When you're playing in it, you don't think of anything else, which makes it really good for mental health."

Olympic Silver medalist Gail Emms will also be competing at the Open for the very first time, after making the transition from badminton to pickleball. 

Emms, 48, won silver in the Mixed Doubles at Athens 2004, and scooped gold at the World Championship in the same event in 2006. 

16-year-old Jason Edwards Pereira, who recently became the first British athlete to be invited to the train to be a pro with the APP in the US, will also be starring at the event.

"Our tournament is powered by the APP which means they bring star players over from the US to give competition to the European players," Mitchell added. 

"Jason has been over to audition for the APP Next Generation and he has been selected, which is brilliant."