More than 2,400 players descended on Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma this week as a national pickleball tournament kicked off in San Diego, turning the waterfront facility into a sprawling hub of paddles, shouted scores, and a sport still riding an explosive growth curve. The scene marks the second straight year the city has hosted the sport's marquee event, and organizers have scaled up the venue to match the demand.
According to CBS 8, more than 2,400 players are competing at Barnes Tennis Center, part of what the station describes as rapid growth fueling a national craze around the sport. The event in question is the 2026 Oceanview USA Pickleball National Championships, which began October 31 and run through November 8, according to the tournament's official site. That same source notes the championships are back at Barnes Tennis Center for a second consecutive year, cementing Point Loma's status as a national pickleball destination.
A Bigger Venue to Match a Bigger Sport
The facility itself has grown to meet the moment. Barnes Tennis Center added 50 permanent pickleball courts for this year's championships, the San Diego Reader reports, a buildout that reflects just how much the venue is betting on the sport's staying power. Professional players are competing for a share of more than $225,000 in prize money, per the same outlet's account of this year's event.
The path to that prize money isn't limited to pros who show up with an invite already in hand. Golden Ticket Tournaments serve as the premier pathway for amateur athletes to earn their spot at the national championships, according to the event's own description, giving weekend warriors a direct route into the same bracket as the sport's top competitors.
San Diego's Return Engagement, by the Numbers
Last year's edition gives a sense of scale for what Point Loma has come to host. The 2025 championships drew more than 2,500 athletes from 47 states and 20 countries, the Reader noted, and USA Pickleball's own recap put total attendance at more than 10,000 with over 2,500 players taking part. Organizers estimated that event's local economic impact at $3 million, a figure that underscores why the city has kept the tournament on its calendar for a second year.
San Diego isn't the only city with a major pickleball event on the calendar this month. The Professional Pickleball Association is holding its own World Championships in Farmers Branch, Texas, from November 2 through 8, with roughly $1.65 million in total payouts, according to the Reader's reporting — a reminder that the competition for top talent, and top dollars, now spans the country.
Why the Sport Keeps Filling Courts
The crowds at Barnes Tennis Center track with a broader boom the sport has been riding nationally. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association reported that pickleball has been the nation's fastest-growing sport for five consecutive years, with 24.3 million Americans playing in 2025, up from just 4.2 million in 2020, according to SFIA. The association also found that so-called CORE players — those who play at least eight times a year — grew from 1.4 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2025.
The demographics behind that growth are shifting too. Teens and young adults ages 13 to 24 posted the highest participation rates of any age segment, SFIA's report found, while women now make up 42.9% of all pickleball players, up from 38.6% in 2020. Those numbers help explain why a facility like Barnes Tennis Center would commit to 50 new permanent courts rather than treat the sport as a passing trend — and why, for the second year running, Point Loma has become the backdrop for thousands of players chasing a national title.
