Pickleball, which was first introduced at Nelson Bay PCYC 18 months ago, has grown from a small group of five players to boasting in excess of 20 men and women competing against each other at least twice a week.

To meet the growth in membership, the group has moved from its cramped conditions in the former PCYC boxing/dance area to the much larger basketball complex, where they can host three games at the same time.

One of the founding members, Mary Cunnington, said that her interest in the sport had stemmed from a friend's experience in Canada, where pickleball has grown over time to become hugely popular in both indoor and outdoor venues.

"I had been attending exercise classes at the PCYC when I saw a pamphlet seeking people interested in starting up a local pickleball group," she said. "That was in October 2019 and we have been slowly building our membership since then. The COVID outbreak did cause a slight pause but we are back up and running and moving into bigger premises has made the games far more appealing.

"We have men and women who take part and there is no age limit, in fact we have at least two people aged over 80."

Ms Cunnington said that despite the relative simplicity of the sport, there was an art to playing pickleball.

"You need to develop a skill and finesse for the game. It's lots of fun, not to mention the many health benefits, including cardio-vascular and fitness."

Nelson Bay PCYC activities officer Carly Ferris said that pickleball was one of the fastest growing sports in Australia and had caught on in Port Stephens.

"Currently pickleball is available to all-comers during the day, as it is an all-ability sport. It is popular with senior people because of the low impact on the body, and both the paddle and the ball are light-weight. But we also have school children play the game and they love it."

The sport, which originated in Washington state in the USA, is played on a badminton-sized court with a ball similar to a wiffle ball that is hit over a tennis-like net.

The game can be played as singles (two) players or doubles (four) players.

The serving player continues to serve until they or their team faults, and points are only awarded to the team serving.

The game is played to 11 points, and players must win by two points to complete the game.

Pickleball is played at Nelson Bay PCYC every Monday (1-3pm) and Thursday (2-4pm) and has a very friendly, social atmosphere.

For information phone (02) 4981 3099 or email portstephens@pcycnsw.org.au.