PUPA & MyPickleball.my Sparked Pickleball Across 21 Putrajaya Schools

On 13 June 2025, 92 students from 21 schools across Putrajaya showed up to SMK Putrajaya Presint 9(1) for something most of them had never done before: a proper pickleball clinic.

It was not a recreational afternoon. It was a structured development programme - coaching clinics followed by friendly inter-school matches, for both primary and secondary students. 

The Putrajaya Pickleball Association (PUPA) organized every part of it, and MyPickleball.my backed the event with competitive level paddles that went home with the schools.

This is what grassroots looks like when it is done with intention.

21 Schools. 92 Students. A Full Day of Introductory & A Taste of Competition.

The scale of the event tells the story before anything else.

Ten secondary schools (SMK) and eleven primary schools (SK) participated. Forty-eight secondary students - 26 male, 22 female - and 44 primary students - 22 male, 22 female - stepped onto the courts. Every school sent representatives. Every student competed.

The format was structured with introductory competitiveness: pool rounds, then semifinals and finals for both school levels.

PUPA has been building toward this since its registration under the Commissioner of Sports in July 2024. With more than 200 active members, 50+ monthly events, and a junior ranking program already running, the association came into this clinic with real infrastructure behind it.

The Results: Who Came Out on Top

The secondary school (SMK) bracket went to SMKA Putrajaya, who took the championship. SMK Putrajaya Presint 18(1) finished as runners-up, with SMK Putrajaya Presint 14(1) in third place and SMK Putrajaya Presint 9(1) in fourth.

On the primary school (SK) side, SK Putrajaya Presint 9(2) claimed the title. SK Putrajaya Presint 16(2) was runner-up, SK Putrajaya Presint 9(1) took third, and SK Putrajaya Presint 15(1) finished fourth.

Both brackets ran pool formats before the knockout rounds - giving every team meaningful match time, not just an early exit. That is the kind of event design that keeps students coming back.

MyPickleball.my: 24 Paddles That Stay Behind

The headline stat from the sponsorship is not just the number. It is where the paddles went.

MyPickleball.my donated 24 high performance paddles - 6 per school with total estimate worth of RM 15,000 - to four schools selected from the programme: SMK Putrajaya Presint 9(1), SMKA Putrajaya, SK Putrajaya Presint 5(1), and SK Putrajaya Presint 9(2). Notably, the champion schools from both brackets received paddles. The equipment did not disappear after the event - it stayed in those schools for students to keep practising.

Malaysia's No. 1 pickleball store has built its name on having the widest range of paddles and gear in the country, with pro shops across the Klang Valley. Backing a school-level klinik in Putrajaya is a different kind of move - one that puts equipment in the hands of kids who may never have walked into a pro shop. That matters for what the sport looks like five years from now.

This is part of CSR program led by MyPickleball's founder, Kelvin Goh, in promoting the pickleball development in Malaysia, a privately funded initiative for the schools' society and children to play.

For equipment to support your school or community programme in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, visit mypickleball.my or follow @mypickleball.my on Instagram for further inquiry.

Why This Matters Beyond the Day

Ninety-two students is not a large number by tournament standards. But these 92 students came from 21 different schools, with teachers and parents present, in an event organized by an association less than a year old at the time.

That is not a small thing.

Pickleball's growth in Malaysia has been driven by adults - courts, clubs, social play, competitive leagues. School-level development has been slower to take root. Events like the Klinik Pickleball Sekolah Putrajaya are what close that gap. Students who learn the game now are the competitive players, club founders, and tournament operators of the next decade.

PUPA has set a standard here. The question is who else is ready to match it.