We’ve published a few articles recently about apps that help you with booking a court or the more technical aspects of your pickleball game. I suppose it’s only predictable, therefore, that, given our sociable natures and penchant for romance, sooner or later, someone would come along with a pickleball dating app.
“Dream Big, Have Fun”
Jyl Steinback, co-founder of the aptly named Pickleball Dating, has done just that. Pickleball Dating is a platform tailored for adults of all ages who share a love for this rapidly growing social sport. Steinback believes that through this platform, individuals can “dream big, have fun, laugh, be themselves and find their love – or a friend.”
Steinback loves the game and told Summer Aguirre at Tucson Local Media: “It’s just great. (It) is a great common interest – it makes you happy on the court, you’re exercising, your endorphins are going – you have something in common already.
She adds, “My boyfriend and I say you can really tell a lot about a pickleball person on the court. How polite people are, how competitive they are, how they are in their personality, do they cuss, do they not.”
The Inspirations
The inspiration for starting a pickleball dating app came from a conversation Jyl had with a friend of hers while playing one evening.
“We’re talking about dating, and he says, ‘You know, I don’t even think that I could date a person that doesn’t play pickleball.’”
“And I said, ‘I get it. I’m on the court six days a week; you’ve got to have someone who loves what you do.’”
Connect With Like-Minded Aficionados
Motivated by this conversation, Steinback, along with her pickleball-playing boyfriend, decided to create a dating app dedicated to pickleball enthusiasts.
With the assistance of a friend experienced in app development, they brought Pickleball Dating to fruition, launching it at the end of the previous year.
For a monthly fee of $10, users can connect with like-minded pickleball aficionados in search of meaningful connections.
The app employs a questionnaire-based approach, enabling users to craft a profile by answering a set of questions about their interests and expectations, including aspects related to pickleball, such as skill level and recreational versus competitive preferences.
Make New Friends Or Just Pickleball Partners
Similar to other popular dating platforms like Tinder, Pickleball Dating offers features like distance-based matching, age range selection, and the ability to “like” or “skip” other users. Mutual “likes” facilitate private messaging, providing a starting point for further interaction.
Steinback emphasizes that the app caters not only to those seeking romantic relationships but also to individuals looking to make new friends and find pickleball partners.
Pickleball Dating offers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into each other’s interests beyond the confines of the sport.
The Diverse Pickleball Community
Steinback encourages users to embrace the diversity of the pickleball community, as the sport appeals to individuals of all ages.
She advises keeping an open mind and relishing the chance to meet new people: “(The app) takes it to the next level so that you can learn about them, have a discussion, and find out their interests. You know already that they love pickleball, so they can’t be that bad.”
Pickleball Dating has already played a pivotal role in connecting players with their compatible matches.
Steinback recounts success stories, including one who found love with someone who lived in Florida, and “now he has two homes, one there and one in Arizona.”
Two of her best friends who met through the app got engaged on the court – he got down on one knee and proposed to her with a ring on the paddle.
“Think Outside The Lunchbox”
She says, “I always say think outside the lunchbox, and really have fun and go play in the world. You never know who you’re going to meet.”
The app has forged partnerships with prominent entities in the pickleball community and garnered a strong presence on social media platforms. It is currently available in the United States and Canada, with plans for further expansion.
“I love helping make people happy, and it’s so fun when it does work,” Steinback says.
In only a short time, Pickleball Dating has started up partnerships with Pickleball Magazine, Engage Pickleball, Pickleball Singles Mingle, Pickleball Connections, and the homeopathic pharmaceutical company Boiron, according to Steinback.
“If Nothing Else, You’ve Got A Great New Friend”
“We are in the United States, and now we just hired a kind of marketing, social media crew that is helping us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, just getting us out there to let people know.
“We picked five cities to start to really build us up, then we’ll go to five more cities, but we are at this time even in Canada.”
Steinback invites pickleball singles of all ages to explore Pickleball Dating: “You might find somebody. You might have some fun. If nothing else, you got a great new friend — and probably a dozen of them.”
“It’s sure fun. And it makes pickleball exciting, makes life exciting, and makes us, as I say, laugh out loud and smile and just have a good time.”
More Information
For more information, you can reach Pickleball Dating at 602-386-6773 or [email protected].
They can also be found on Instagram (@pickleball.dating), Twitter (@pickleballdate), and facebook.com/pickleballdating.
The app is available for download on the App Store, Google Play, and at pickleball-dating.com, with a monthly subscription fee of $10.
