Pickleball Just Went Varsity — And Scholarships Are on the Table
For years, pickleball had a reputation: it was the sport your parents or grandparents picked up after retiring. Fun, social, but let’s be real — not exactly the “Friday Night Lights” of college athletics.
But here’s the twist: over the last two years, the game’s age curve has dropped hard. Teenagers and twenty-somethings are flooding courts across the country. You see them after class, you see them in rec leagues, you even see them stacking up highlight reels on TikTok. Pickleball is no longer the “retirement sport.” It’s becoming a legit path for young athletes.
And now? It just took its biggest leap yet.
Drury University Launches First Varsity Pickleball Program
Drury University in Missouri has officially made pickleball a varsity sport — the first college in the nation to do it. This isn’t a club team that scrapes together practice slots. This is full varsity recognition: funding, coaches, gear, scheduling, travel, and yes… scholarships.
That’s right. For the first time, student-athletes can be recruited to play varsity pickleball and get financial support to do it. What was once a dream scenario is now reality.
Collegiate Pickleball Tournament on the Schedule
Drury won’t just be hitting around on campus courts. Their team will step straight into competition this fall with appearances at collegiate events around the country. On September 27, 2025, their players will be part of the new collegiate circuit that includes stops like:
The Picklr Super Regional (Kaysville, UT)
Pickleball Kingdom Campus Regional (Charleston, SC)
College Cup Roanoke (Roanoke, VA)
Purdue Campus Regional (Lafayette, IN)
These collegiate pickleball tournaments aren’t casual or exhibition matches — they’re national proving grounds, setting the stage for how collegiate pickleball can look and feel. For Drury, it’s a chance to measure themselves against schools coast-to-coast while building the framework for their own varsity schedule.
Will NCAA Recognize Pickleball as a Varsity Sport?
Here’s the challenge: Drury’s varsity recognition is groundbreaking, but it doesn’t automatically fold into the NCAA system. Pickleball isn’t an NCAA-sanctioned sport (yet), which means there’s no blueprint for conferences, postseason play, or recruiting standards.
Even Drury’s athletic department has said they’re in uncharted territory, pioneering a path without a governing body to lean on. They’re essentially writing the playbook as they go, balancing the excitement of scholarships and varsity status with the reality that NCAA recognition is a long process, if it happens at all.
Photo by @druryuniversitypickleball
This makes their role even more important. By taking the leap first, Drury sets the precedent: if varsity pickleball can thrive here, it can thrive anywhere. Other schools will be watching closely, weighing the risks and the opportunities of joining them.
Why Varsity Pickleball and Scholarships Matter
Legitimacy: Varsity status puts pickleball in the same breath as tennis, soccer, and basketball.
Opportunity: Young players can compete, travel, and potentially earn an education through the sport they love.
Future Pipeline: College programs will feed into the pro tours, raising the overall level of play nationwide.
Leadership: By stepping into NCAA gray space, Drury becomes the example for how others might follow.
What’s Next for College Pickleball Programs
Drury might be first, but they won’t stand alone for long. Once one school proves it works — the structure, competition, buzz — others will follow. The college pickleball scene is about to explode, and that means more student-athlete scholarships in pickleball, more rivalries, and more athletes chasing their shot.
The Bottom Line
Pickleball isn’t just “for the older crowd” anymore. It hasn’t been for a few years now. It’s a youth-driven movement rewriting what’s possible. Varsity programs and scholarships are here, but so are big questions about how — or if — the NCAA will eventually get involved.
For now, Drury has planted the flag. And as their athletes step onto courts on September 27 and beyond, one thing’s for sure: they’re not just competing in matches. They’re shaping the future of the sport.
