Samoa is set to make sports history with its first-ever international pickleball competition, which will take place at the Apia Park Tennis Complex from June 12-14. 

Organised by the Samoa Pickleball Association, the tournament has drawn strong interest from overseas, particularly from American Samoa and Australia.

"This is the first one and it's going to be an annual competition that is held every year," said the founder and president of the Samoa Pickleball Association, Mark Moors, who brought the first set of pickleball equipment to the country in 2015 and formally established the association in 2021. Since then, the sport has grown to over 200 active players across Samoa.

The competition will be divided by skill levels, following internationally recognised rating standards. The highest category, called the Open, is designed for top-rated players, while separate brackets will accommodate intermediate and beginner players. “So this is an open competition where you come and compete at your skill level for a prize,” he explained.

With more than 25 teams already registered and entries open until 2 June, the turnout is looking good. Unlike many tournaments, this is not a country-based competition; players enter individually or with partners for doubles, competing for personal accolades and prizes.

The sport’s introduction to Samoa has a personal story behind it. Moors discovered pickleball while in the US during his wife’s cancer treatment. A former national tennis coach for Samoa, he switched to pickleball after a shoulder injury made tennis too difficult. 

“There was no power in my arm. So I found pickleball and the service underhand which makes it a little bit easier for me. So that's why I converted over.”

The first pickleball court in Samoa was built at his home in Ululoloa during the COVID lockdowns. Since then, several private courts have emerged, and organisations like YWAM (Youth With A Mission) have built courts as well. Clubs have also formed in different areas, including Pesega and Hillside, which Moor's owns.

Despite the growing popularity, pickleball currently lacks a dedicated public facility. Matches are played by temporarily converting the tennis courts at Apia Park. However, plans are in motion to establish a pickleball complex at the Faleata Sports Complex with the support of the Ministry of Sports.

The Association is also running a five-week school-based training program ahead of a fun tournament, bringing in students from St. Joseph, St. Mary’s, and Pesega College to learn and compete. “We have been trying to organise and get pickleball growing. The growth of pickleball worldwide actually has always been the older generation,” he noted.

The tournament is officially titled the 2025 RNJ Flowzone Samoa Pickleball Open, named after its primary sponsor. Other sponsors include ACP (Apia Concrete Products) as a silver sponsor, and Hillside Pickleball as a bronze sponsor, with each contributing to the growing momentum of pickleball in Samoa.