Find Your Perfect Pickle: New Dating App for Pickleball Lovers Soft Launches in Colorado

When Annelise Niebauer moved back to Colorado after working abroad in the UK, she decided to pick up pickleball to make some new friends. She had also just gotten out of a decade-long relationship and found herself in that dark, dreaded place we’ve all been before…the apps.

“I was surprised by how much admin being on dating apps was,” Niebauer recalls. “You’re creating multiple profiles, managing tons of small talk, and then when you finally meet in person, most of the time, the spark just isn’t there.”

To cut through the chatter, she started doing something different: “If someone had a pickleball photo in their profile, I’d match and just message, ‘Hey, want to go play pickleball?’ It was such an easy way to skip the small talk,” she says. “Not every connection was romantic, but the social connection was real and easy.”

That was the seed of the idea for PickleMatch, a new dating app currently in beta testing that allows pickleball lovers to find their perfect pickle.

“At first, the idea was totally a joke. [My co-founder, Michael Watson-Fore] and I were just chatting about it at our pickleball club, but people kept overhearing us and saying, 'You should actually do this. I’d love to go on pickleball dates.' That’s when we realized there might be something real here,” Niebauer recounts.

Given the unexpected interest, the pair started to take the idea seriously. “We set up a waitlist and had over 100 people sign up quickly, just by posting it in a few group chats. That gave us the validation that this was something people actually wanted,” she continues.

PickleMatch takes its cues from the dating app world but adds an active, community-based twist on the formula. The free app is location- and skill-level-based, matching users who play at similar courts or clubs. Users can filter by age, gender and sexual orientation, then either message potential partners or send them a game invite.

“It’s similar to other dating apps, but the info you see is very much pickleball-oriented – your level, your home courts and a few optional pickleball-related icebreaker questions,” Niebauer adds.

The idea was to create a dating app that skipped the “chat fatigue” and got people out on the court right away. And while users can upload photos, unlike other dating apps, that’s not the emphasis. “We didn’t want it to be super objectifying, just fun and straightforward.”

At its core, PickleMatch reflects a broader trend in online dating that users are tired of swiping and looking for something deeper.

“First dates on apps are often like job interviews. There’s not a lot of joy in them,” Niebauer expresses. “But pickleball is flirty and playful. You’re doing something active together, and even if there’s no romantic spark, you’ve had a good time and maybe made a friend.”

There’s also a surprising upside: accountability.

“In a small community like pickleball, you’re probably going to see each other again. That makes people treat each other better,” she adds. “I dated someone, we ended things, and months later we played together again and had fun. That would never happen on a normal app.”

As for newbies intimidated by the sport, Niebauer says not to worry – gear is cheap, and most open plays are free or low-cost. “You can get a paddle for $30 on Amazon or borrow one from a friend,” she says. “Most courts are filled with people who are happy to teach you.”

There will be a soft launch party for the app on Friday, July 25, at Relish Food Court // Pickleball in Louisville. Over 100 people have already registered for the event, which will give attendees early access to the invite-only beta.

Though the app is still in beta and not publicly available in app stores just yet, Niebauer says the team is aiming for a wider launch in August, starting in Colorado and then expanding to other states.

"I can speak from personal experience and the people I know – I think building a relationship around a shared passion gives you something meaningful to connect over something you both enjoy right from the start. That’s so important in building a relationship," Niebauer says.

Pickleball players looking for love can head over to PickleMatch’s soft launch party on Friday, July 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Relish Food Court // Pickleball, 550 McCaslin Boulevard, Louisville. Sign up here or at picklematch.co.