When Ethan Noblesala first started playing pickleball, he had no idea the sport would become more than a recreational activity. It helped him build community, form friendships, and become more active and health-conscious.

Ethan is now using that experience to create the same sense of connection for other players. He founded PicklePals, an event platform built specifically for pickleball communities.

From Player to Founder

As Ethan continued playing pickleball, he noticed the same problem repeatedly. Event organizers struggled to manage registrations, brackets, round robins, court assignments, and growing player communities.

They often relied on platforms such as Eventbrite, Partiful, and Luma. These tools were designed for parties and general social events, not for pickleball. As a result, organizers still needed spreadsheets and other workarounds to manage their communities.

Ethan believed there had to be a better solution.

The idea behind PicklePals was simple: create a tool that helps players connect with one another and find places to play, while giving organizers the tools they need to build and grow their communities.

Building PicklePals

In less than two months, PicklePals supported more than 40 events, worked with over 20 organizers, and welcomed more than 2,000 guests.

These events included social gatherings with up to 300 attendees, as well as competitive tournaments with multi-camera livestream coverage.

Although PicklePals helps simplify event management, its mission goes beyond organization.

The platform is designed to remove barriers that prevent people from joining games, finding other players, or becoming part of a local pickleball community.

Why the Mission Matters

Ethan says pickleball helped "save" his life. It gave him strong friendships, a sense of belonging, and motivation to take better care of his health.

That experience now shapes the mission behind PicklePals.

Ethan believes technology should strengthen face-to-face relationships rather than replace them. PicklePals can help players find events, organizers, courts, and communities, but the most meaningful moments still happen in person, when people play together and form lasting connections.

What Comes Next

Ethan and the PicklePals team plan to continue developing the platform and expanding it to more organizers.

That includes more social events, larger tournaments, and more livestreamed competitions. The team also plans to grow beyond New York into markets such as Japan, the Philippines, and other parts of Asia.

The long-term goal is for every city to have its own version of the pickleball community that transformed Ethan's life.

By reducing the barriers between players and courts, PicklePals hopes to help more people discover the friendships, health benefits, and sense of belonging that pickleball can provide.

Follow Ethan on Instagram: @ethan.noblesala and @picklepals.events