When a handful of Filipino pickleball enthusiasts first gathered on the courts, they were just 10 friends chasing a shared love for the game. A year later, that small circle has swelled to nearly 200 members — and on August 8, 2026, they came together to celebrate how far they had come.
SmashKadas Pickleball UAE, founded on July 29, 2025, marked its first anniversary with a milestone that its organizers say was about far more than a sports club. According to co-founder and director Norijan Muyco, it was a celebration of the people who turned a group of players into a family. “It was a celebration of the people who turned a group of players into a family,” he shared with TGFM, pointing to the friendships and memories built over the year.
The anniversary gathering drew around 120 participants for a day of games, laughter, and teamwork, timed to coincide with Pickleball Day. For a community that started with just 10 members, the turnout was a marker of how quickly the group has grown into what Norijan describes as the UAE’s first and biggest majority-Filipino pickleball community.
That growth, he says, came from keeping the focus on more than filling courts. From its earliest days, the group set out to create a welcoming space where beginners can learn, experienced players can sharpen their game, and everyone can feel they belong. Through regular social games, beginner programs, training sessions, competitive matches, and tournaments, members can enjoy the sport at every level.
What sets the community apart, according to Norijan, is the culture around the games — players encourage one another, celebrate small improvements, and make sure no one feels like an outsider. “For SmashKadas, every rally tells a story,” he said. “Every game creates a memory. And every new member becomes part of a growing family.”
Today the community gathers several times a week and joins events both within and beyond the club. Its rise from 10 members to nearly 200 in a single year reflects not only the growing popularity of pickleball in the UAE but also the Filipino spirit of camaraderie, hospitality, and belonging.
As the group enters its second year, Norijan says its vision stays simple: keep growing the sport, strengthen connections within the Filipino community, and build a place where every member can say, “This is my pickleball family.” From one court to a community, and from players to family, he says the group is only getting started.
