Pickleball growth: Huntsville ranks second by DUPR user growth and Bulacan launches an 80-club league

Two stories published on October 20, 2026 show pickleball growth from very different places. In Alabama, Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) data put Huntsville second in the nation for growth in rated players. In the Philippines, the province of Bulacan launched its own league and held its first major tournament with more than 80 clubs and teams. Neither story is about the pro tour. Both are about how the sport spreads once a place has courts, clubs and organizers.

Huntsville: second-fastest growing pickleball city by DUPR users

According to al.com, Huntsville was named the second fastest growing pickleball city in the country in data collected by DUPR. The ranking was based on growth in DUPR users in each city over one year. Huntsville saw a 70.6% increase in DUPR users over that period. It fell slightly behind Cleveland, which saw a 71% increase.

The DUPR article quoted by al.com said Huntsville "has developed into one of the fastest-growing pickleball markets in the country" and that its growth shows how the sport is expanding into communities outside the traditionally recognized pickleball hotspots. The measure is narrow. It counts people who use the DUPR rating platform, not everyone who plays, so it tracks organized, rated play more than casual open play.

Max Patin, president of Huntsville Pickleball Club, told al.com the ranking "definitely gives us the recognition that I think we've really appreciated." Patin, a data analyst by trade, said he knows the rank applies to the period in which the data was collected. He still said he believes it is characteristic of how intense the community is about the sport.

Who is playing, according to a local club president

Patin has played since 2022. He said the biggest change he has seen in Huntsville is the age mix. In his words, pickleball used to be a sport for people over 50, and now it is almost equally balanced between that group and families with young kids, high school students and college students. He said younger players have not displaced older ones but have enhanced the game for the over-50 crowd, and that he has seen people play up to age 90.

He also pointed to the format. In a typical session, he said, you meet on the court with four players, and after a 15-minute match you mix it up, so whoever was your opponent is now your partner. He described the game and its rules as collaborative and cooperative.

Courts where people live

Patin credited Huntsville Parks and Rec with spreading out the opportunities for play. He said the city has put pickleball courts where taxpayers are and close to where people are playing, with an effort to avoid one centralized place and to give most neighborhoods access. That is a local planning choice, and it fits a pattern Dink Feed has covered in other towns, where court access shapes how fast the sport grows.

Al.com's piece also gives context from nearby. Alabama's indoor facilities have been in the news this month for closures, which Dink Feed covered separately. Growth in rated players and trouble for large indoor businesses can both be true at once, because the first measures people and the second measures whether a specific business can pay for a specific building.

Bulacan launches the All-Star Champions Pickleball League

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Bulacan has launched the All-Star Champions Pickleball League and started its first tournament over the weekend at the Capitol Gymnasium in Malolos City. Vice Governor Alexis Castro, who spearheaded the tournament, said more than 80 pickleball clubs and teams in the province took part.

The paper described it as the first time a major pickleball competition has been held in the province. It said the sport has become a craze in almost all of Bulacan's 20 towns and four cities. Provincial tourism officer Limuel Jan Lobederio said coffee shops with pickleball courts and other creative spaces have become local attractions.

Castro framed the league as health promotion. He said officials are happy to have launched the tournament because busy professionals from many fields find time to play, and that it is one way of promoting healthy lifestyles and sports in the province. He added that he has seen many professionals who were very large and have become slim and healthy. That is his own observation, not a study.

What the two stories share

Both places grew first through clubs and local organizers, and both are now getting official attention: a national rating company's ranking in Huntsville, and a provincial vice governor's league in Bulacan. Neither report gives a count of total players, so the numbers should be read for what they are. Huntsville's 70.6% is growth in DUPR users, and Bulacan's 80 is the number of clubs and teams in one tournament.

For readers, the takeaway is practical. Rankings like DUPR's growth list are a snapshot of a one-year window, and the sources say as much. A city can rise or fall on that list without anything changing on the courts. The stronger signal is local: more neighborhoods with courts, a mix of ages in open play, and clubs that organize league and tournament play. Both stories describe exactly that.

Sources

• AL.com - Huntsville 2nd in the nation in a new ranking that has nothing to do with technology
• Philippine Daily Inquirer - Bulacan launches pickleball league, first tournament

Sources checked 20 Oct 2026. Header image is illustrative, not a photo of the events described.