Eight dual-use pickleball courts to open at Singapore Sports Hub from January 2026

SINGAPORE – Pickleball enthusiasts here will have more opportunities to play the sport, with eight new dual-use courts set to open at the Singapore Sports Hub from January 2026.

The courts are part of a new pickleball programme launched by the OCBC Group – comprising OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore and Great Eastern – in partnership with Kallang Alive Sport Management (KASM), which operates the Sports Hub.

Unveiled on Oct 25 at the OCBC Square, the initiative will see two junior tennis courts at the Kallang Tennis Hub and three basketball courts at the Promenade at National Stadium modified into dual-use courts, which can be used for pickleball and either tennis or basketball.

Pre-determined play times for each sport will be scheduled to make booking easier for users.

This is not the OCBC Group’s first venture into sport, as it is also involved in the OCBC Cycle and the Great Eastern Women’s Run.

OCBC group chief executive officer Helen Wong said: “Pickleball has come out fast and a lot of people are taking on pickleball. The reason… is because it’s fun, it’s easy to play and doesn’t need a lot of technical skills – you can just come, pick up a (paddle) and start to play.

“It’s a great thing for people to come together, build connections and it’s important to continue to build a healthy lifestyle. This is supporting people to go into a sports programme that’s easy to take on.”

Interest in pickleball has surged in recent years. The Straits Times reported in May that there are

over 5,000 active players in Singapore

, with bookings at 30 public pickleball courts more than tripling since 2023, according to Sport Singapore (SportSG).

The announcement of the OCBC Group and KASM’s pickleball programme comes just a day after it was reported that SportSG is

building eight pickleball courts at the retrofitted Little India bus terminal

, with the facility expected to be ready by early 2026.

Pickleball enthusiast Adrian Ang, 38, is looking forward to having more places to play, noting that it has become increasingly difficult to secure courts in the 10 months since he took up the sport.

“It’s really exciting because pickleball is really growing in popularity here in Singapore, and with more courts, there’s more accessibility, and this will definitely grow the community as well,” said the co-founder of Hepmil Media Group, the parent company of SGAG, who tries to play twice a week.

The new courts at the Sports Hub will also offer more options for pickleball players depending on the experience they are seeking, he added, with bookings starting from $5 per hour for non-peak hours. In comparison, courts run by private operators can range from $20 to $50 per hour, he noted.

The programme will also introduce a series of pickleball competitions and activities, culminating in one of the region’s largest pickleball tournaments.

Slated to take place in the third quarter of 2026, the event is expected to feature over 2,000 participants.

Competitive pickleball player and coach Richie Ong said the number of tournaments in Singapore has risen significantly since he started playing three years ago.

He recalled that in 2022, there were about three tournaments a year. Now, he noted that there is a new tournament almost every month, with many players also travelling to Malaysia, where competitions are held weekly.

Mr Adrian Ang (left), pickleball enthusiast and co-founder of Hepmil Media Group, and Mr Richie Ong, Singaporean pickleball player and coach, playing a game of pickleball at OCBC Square on Oct 25.

ST PHOTO: LUTHER LAU

The 38-year-old, who has played in events such as the Pickleball Champions League Asia, hopes this will help develop the competitive scene here.

He added: “What OCBC is doing now is excellent – this will definitely attract more players to the scene and hopefully the younger crowd in Singapore can start picking it up, it’s a good start.”

KASM chief executive Quek Swee Kuan said: “The addition of pickleball, an accessible and inclusive sport, to our offerings reflects our commitment to be responsive to the needs of players and communities in our midst.

“We are pleased to partner OCBC Group, among other like-minded organisations, to deliver on our various initiatives to grow the sport and strengthen the broader pickleball ecosystem.”