Katherine “so proud” of Anglesey’s pickleball revolution

Katherine Knowles is “enormously proud” of influencing over 200 people to start playing pickleball on the island of Anglesey – having overcome a heart attack on court two years ago.

Katherine only moved to the picturesque island off the north-west coast of Wales in 2018, having relocated from her native Bolton, where she had first been introduced to pickleball the previous year by the legendary Elaine Shallcross.

The sport came into Katherine’s life aged 67 and gave her a renewed zest and passion. She tells Pickleball 52: “What pickleball has done for me is immense. Without it, I’d just be a mithering old biddy!”

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Pickleball played a part in one of Katherine’s most frightening life events on 19 January 2021, when she had a heart attack on court. She had had one previously, and the second attack necessitated two further stents. She has also previously had breast cancer and mental health issues. It’s little wonder pickleball has been such a release for her.

On arriving in Anglesey, Katherine set about spreading her love for pickleball to as many local residents as possible. As Chair of Anglesey Pickleball Club, her strong influence has led to many pickleball groups springing up on the island and on the mainland in North Wales too.

Before her arrival, there was some pickleball activity on Anglesey through the University of the 3rd Age (U3A) and a small group playing in Beaumaris. That has now expanded across multiple clubs thanks to an army of 16 certified leaders trained by Pickleball England to get activity started and lead taster sessions across the North Wales coast.

Despite its widespread misery, the pandemic offered Katherine an opportunity to “grab people from other sports and get them playing pickleball” as the sport was permitted outdoors under Welsh Covid restrictions.

“I dragged them in off the streets!” she laughs. “I was determined and prolific in encouraging other people to get off their bums and play this game that had brought sport back into my life.”

Katherine was pivotal in securing grants through the Mon Actif scheme to provide paddles, balls and nets and run taster sessions for over-60s at several leisure centres. In Beaumaris, on the south east coast of the island, a grant even secured a new floor with permanent kitchen lines painted on.

There are now 20 pickleball sessions every week across multiple venues on the island (which has a population of just 70,000) including a Centre of Excellence on Sundays for advanced players to do drills, conditional play and competition practice.

Katherine took a squad of players to the English Nationals in 2021 and 2022 and came back with a haul of medals across the age categories, but Pickleball England had to adopt a stricter entry policy for the 2023 edition in Bolton last October because it was over-subscribed, so non-English players were regrettably barred.

“Pickleball is growing so big on Anglesey that we now need a bigger venue with a minimum of eight courts to facilitate our very successful Ynys Mon ladder league that is open to players all over the UK,” says Katherine.

“I’m so proud to have been at the core of the explosion. It just sells itself, this sport. You don’t need to work that hard as long as you’ve got someone to give guidance to beginners.”

This year, Katherine and her committee are planning a North Wales Pickleball Festival at Bangor University and have been invited to compete in an inaugural Celtic Challenge event in Glasgow. She is also spearheading the quest to establish a recognised Welsh national governing body.

Katherine has also helped to forge partnerships with two schools which are linked to leisure centres in Llangefni and Amlwch. There, they have started after-school pickleball sessions for pupils.

Now 72, Katherine says she’s “the worst player at my club” because standards have risen so high. That’s clearly modesty talking, because she has won medals at the Irish, German, Belgian, English and Thai Opens.

“Any time one of our members wins a medal, it gives me immense pride,” she states. “For me personally, what I’ve achieved is immense, but probably the biggest achievement is being responsible for starting this game off in Anglesey and bringing pleasure to so many people who have caught the pickleball bug.

“This game is truly addictive and the friendship and social interaction is quite unique.”

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