Pickleball craze arrives on Central Coast

Tomas Vana – also known as TV – is passionate about changing the Central Coast one pickleball game at a time.

The certified pickleball coach is the Central Coast ambassador for Pickleball Association NSW and recently returned from the Amateur Pickleball World Cup in Peru, where he represented his birth country, Slovakia.

A proud Australian citizen since 2005, he calls the Central Coast home and is dedicated to growing the sport of pickleball on the Coast.

Working closely with Central Coast Council and the NSW Department of Sport to develop and promote the sport, Vana coaches at the Central Coast Pickleball Club at Woy Woy and Gosford Pickleball Club, coaching children, school students, adults, players with disabilities, and seniors.

He also delivers pickleball programs in schools from Sydney to Newcastle and works as a volunteer for Come and Try Pickleball Days across the Central Coast.

“Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and it’s gaining momentum here on the Central Coast,” Vana said.

“It’s an inclusive, accessible, and affordable sport that brings communities together—kids, seniors, and people of all abilities.”

With a background in tennis and squash, Vana first came across pickleball on the Gold Coast while travelling around Australia in a motorhome.

“We had stopped at the Gold Coast and were staying near tennis courts,” he said.

“I noticed people playing with a waffle ball and thought what is this?

“As a tennis coach, I had never come across it and thought I would give it a go.

“Now I hardly play tennis, I am a pickleball convert playing six times a week and the more I play, the more I think it’s the fairest game in the world.

“It is so inclusive – juniors to seniors in their 70s, people with disabilities – everyone can play.

“The paddle is light, not heavy like a tennis racquet, it’s fun and it is very social.”

He said the sport was huge overseas and participation in Australia was growing and the dream would be a purpose-built pickleball centre on the Central Coast.

He said there were already a number of pickleball clubs on the Coast including Bateau Bay, Terrigal, the Peninsula and Gosford.

“Participation is through the roof,” he said.

“Come and have a go, you will find a new passion. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the world and it’s coming here, so stayed tuned.”