• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, April 17, 2024

America’s pickleball obsession shows no sign of slowing, and Target is getting in on the action. The retailer partnered with Prince, the tennis brand, to launch an 80-item collection.

The move is the latest in Target’s “limited-time collection” strategy, serving up apparel, accessories and sporting goods for both men and women. With most items priced between $10 and $50, it aims to help America’s growing pickleball army look better on the court. Styles include pleated skirts and retro tracksuits.

"Our exclusive collections are part of the joy of shopping at Target, offering consumers new, on-trend products at a great value that they can't find anywhere else," says Jill Sando, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer of apparel, accessories, home and hardlines, in the release. "Partnering with Prince is the perfect way to help pickleball enthusiasts everywhere enjoy the sport sweeping the nation with quality pickleball apparel and sporting goods.”

She adds that Target’s designers wanted the brightly colored collection to celebrate the joy of the game “while leaning into the fashion-forward athleisure movement.”

The game was invented in 1965 and began its meteoric rise in the last 20 years. Much of the early enthusiasm was fueled by older players, and by 2008, it had become part of the National Senior Games Association.

But thanks to the interest of professional athletes and more communities converting tennis courts into pickleball, USA Pickleball reports there are now more than 50,000 known courts in the U.S.

For the third year, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association has ranked pickleball as America's fastest-growing sport. About 36.5 million adults played pickleball at least once last year.

As the sport becomes more popular, players keep getting younger, with 29% of players between 18 and 34. And the average age of a player is now 38.1, down 2.9 years from 2020. Men make up the majority of participants, at 60%.

By state, California, Florida and Texas have the most locations. By city, Seattle, Denver and Portland, Oregon have the most courts.