STOUGHTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Franklin Sports, a leading manufacturer and retailer in the sporting goods industry, announced today that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement with Pickleball Canada, the National Sport Organization of the country’s fastest growing sport. As part of the agreement, Franklin’s signature X-40 and X-26 balls and wide assortment of paddles become the Official Balls and Paddle of Pickleball Canada.
Athletes across all provinces and territories will have opportunities to compete with Franklin pickleballs in the regional and national pickleball championships on an annual basis. The multi-year partnership kicks off this week at the Atlantic Regional Championship, taking place from June 23-25 in Bedford, Nova Scotia. By joining forces with Franklin, Pickleball Canada becomes the most recent property to select Franklin as an official ball partner, joining USA Pickleball, Pickleball England, and the Indian Pickleball Association.
During their engagement, Franklin Sports and Pickleball Canada will focus on growth initiatives for the sport, including providing support for the grassroots levels across Canada, and collaborating on ways to help pickleball athletes of all ages and backgrounds have access to the equipment they need to play the game. Both organizations deeply value inclusivity and making the sport as accessible as possible. Also, Franklin and Pickleball Canada will work to further develop pickleball programming focusing on youth athletes and equipping the next generation with a foundation for the sport across the country.
The crux of the partnership will feature an organic approach with onsite Franklin branding and activations at Pickleball Canada’s Regional and National Championships.
“We see pickleball rapidly becoming a global sport.” said Adam Franklin, President of Franklin Sports. “In working closely with Pickleball Canada, we can collaborate to help athletes of all ages and backgrounds have access to the products they need to be able to participate in all that pickleball has to offer. We will work together towards our shared vision for the growth of pickleball which allows many to share in all the wonderful social, mental and health benefits that pickleball affords. We’re looking forward to pushing the growth of pickleball in Canada to the next level with all our existing Canadian retail partners and now our new partners in Pickleball Canada.”
In Canada, Pickleball originated in the early 1970s, but its growth trajectory took off mainly in the last few years. Most notably, Pickleball Canada’s membership has grown over three times since 2021 and currently has over 51,000 members. Additionally, according to market research the organization conducted earlier this year with over 2,000 Canadian households, Pickleball Canada discovered an impressive 50% YOY increase from 2022 to 2023 in the number of females playing pickleball and the fastest growing player demographic segment being millennials between the ages of 18 – 34.
“This relationship between Franklin Sports and Pickleball Canada provides sustainability in the ball and paddle categories for our National and Regional Championships over the next five years,” said Peter Milovanovic, President of Pickleball Canada. “We look forward to working with such a well-known and established company with great pickleball products. Franklin Sports’ support and longstanding track record will help to grow pickleball in Canada.”
Franklin Sports, a global sporting goods brand that manufactures and sells thousands of products across many different categories, entered the pickleball market in early 2016 with the release of the X-40 ball. Just over 7 years later, the Massachusetts-based company offers a wide collection of pickleball products – paddles, balls, nets, and more – and has partnerships with several professional pickleball players including top US Pickleball Athletes JW and Jorja Johnson, as well as Europe’s #1 ranked pickleball athlete Louis Laville.
As the National Sport Organization for pickleball in Canada, Pickleball Canada also provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings, and offers through valued partners like Franklin. In the coming months, both organizations will unveil new product packaging featuring Pickleball Canada’s marks and logos through Franklin’s network of more than 1,000 retailers across Canada. These products will direct consumers to learning more about Pickleball Canada and help to further tap its surging membership base into the over 1M+ players across Canada playing pickleball monthly.
For more information about Pickleball Canada, please visit pickleballcanada.org. Pickleball players interested in learning more about Franklin’s collection of pickleball products can visit franklinsports.com/pickleball.
About Franklin Sports
Founded by Irving Franklin in 1946, Franklin Sports is a Stoughton, Massachusetts-based sporting goods brand that manufactures and sells over 10,000 products across many different categories. Franklin is the Official Batting Glove and Official PlayBall Equipment Partner of Major League Baseball (MLB), the Official Street Hockey Partner of the National Hockey League (NHL), and the brand is heavily involved with all of the leagues’ youth participation programs. Franklin also works with hundreds of elite athletes through sports equipment and apparel collaborations. Franklin is a multigenerational, family-owned business run by Adam Franklin, who succeeded his father, Larry, as president in 2019. Franklin’s rich history and trusted reputation as a quality sporting goods brand – from recreational sports all the way up to the professional level – has made it one of the perennial leaders in the industry. Celebrating its 75thyear in business, Franklin continues to honor its tradition of providing athletes of all levels with excellent value across its full product collection, while also supporting various professional league’s growth initiatives and investing in popular emerging sports like pickleball. For more information on Franklin, please visit www.franklinsports.com or follow the brand on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @franklinsports.
About Pickleball Canada
Pickleball Canada is the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in Canada. The Canadian Pickleball Association was established in 2009 and then incorporated as Pickleball Canada in 2011. The organization works to promote and develop the sport at all levels, from grassroots to high-performance. Their mission is to promote the growth and development of pickleball across the country by providing leadership, resources, and opportunities for players of all ages and skill levels. Pickleball Canada is responsible for the coordination and delivery of pickleball events across the country, including the National and Regional Championships, which brings together top players from across Canada to compete for the title of national champion. With a growing number of players and clubs across the country, pickleball is Canada’s fastest growing sport and Pickleball Canada is at the forefront of this exciting movement. For more information, please contact info@pickleballcanada.org or visit pickleballcanada.org.
