In my quest to document the growth of pickleball across Australia, I sat down with Sueme Rajpal to find out more about his journey from an everyday accountant to becoming one of the key figures in Australian pickleball who is reshaping Brisbane’s sporting landscape. As one of Australia’s first professional pickleball players, coaches, and referees, Sueme has witnessed the sport grow from eight players sharing hand-painted courts to a thriving community of over 1,500 enthusiasts across Brisbane.
In this intimate chat, we dive into the story of how a casual attempt to avoid the gym led to a complete career transformation, building Queensland’s largest pickleball community, and even dreams of bringing the sport to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. From late-night court taping sessions to international refereeing gigs, Sueme’s story embodies the entrepreneurial spirit driving pickleball’s explosive growth in Australia.
Strap in, this one’s a goodie!
Seven years ago, there were barely enough pickleball players in Brisbane to fill a court. Today, Sueme is one of the sport’s most active figures in Australia — a former accountant turned full-time pickleball professional who’s helping shape the future of the game.
The career switch
“I was a full-time accountant. At that time we didn’t have any pro leagues here, so I just played nationals and state tournaments. I was doing well, winning some nationals and a couple of state ones. And I was like ‘oh… I can maybe do this full time.’ I quit my accounting job. It was a big risk. I found a retail job in pickleball, part-time at the Pickleball Superstore. I knew this could help me while I focused on playing full-time or coaching. That was almost two years ago.”
The early days of pickleball
“I was looking for a sport to just be fit because I hated going to the gym. I went to try badminton with my partner at the time. After our second session, we found pickleball. It was just a few older ladies and a couple of guys playing and they invited us to try it out… neither of us ever played badminton again. My badminton racket is still brand new— I only used it once!”
“The first pickleball courts in Australia were at Albion, and we painted those courts ourselves. There were eight of us and those were the only dedicated pickleball courts. Before that, we used badminton courts. For the first three years, we had to tape courts every night at tennis centers. It would take about 20 minutes when you first started, but I got it down to seven minutes. It became part of the routine— get there 20 minutes early, start taping. Now when we look for new venues, the first thing we ask is ‘Can we have permanent lines?’ because that was always the hardest part.”
Brisbane’s evolving pickleball landscape
“The Brisbane pickleball scene is just so spread out. There’s no one venue or hub. I was counting 18 to 19 venues all around Brisbane. A lot of players who play at one venue don’t even know the players from other venues. Brisbane City Council has put down so many public courts, which is good, but we still don’t have any proper indoor centre or venue with a roof.”
“[Brisbane Pickleball Club] is still looking for a home. We are applying for tenders around town. We are hoping to get something where we can have permanent courts because we want a place where all our members can come together. That has been the goal of this past year.”
The best things happen now. If I’m on a train or someone sees pickleball written on my t-shirt, they know what pickleball is. You can have a conversation now. Before it was like, what is that? Nobody would have heard of it.”
The unexpected growth of the sport
“Prisons in Australia are playing pickleball. Retirement villages are getting permanent courts. Even the fire services— they’re waiting for emergency calls, and they’re just playing. They have their own pickleball court there. Nobody really talks about these stories, but sometimes I get contacted to coach or do a come-and-try session for them, and then they just start their own community.”
“The sport really exploded during the COVID lockdown. Queensland was the only state which was relatively lockdown-free where we could go out and play. It just exploded here. The other states were very behind but now they’re catching up. New South Wales has just caught up— they now have more members than Queensland, and it’s just happened very recently.”
Life as a professional referee
“I’ve been reffing for five years, but now it’s getting professional. I got to go to Vietnam as a referee, so I get to travel and get paid. Just last night I got a call from Mumbai for a tournament. They cover accommodation, travel, everything. Vietnam was cool because reffing in a different country was a new experience.”
“As a ref, I feel you should never be the main show— it’s all about the players. A ref is just there to facilitate the game, make sure it’s running at a good pace and all the rules are being followed. Players are responsible for their line calls, which isn’t always comfortable for them. But right now, because it’s a new sport, we don’t really have all the cameras and technology. As a ref, you actually rely on players to make the calls. You only try to get involved if it’s something very black and white.”
A day in the life
“Every day is different, but it always starts with emails. Handling queries for Brisbane Pickleball Club or coordinating with Pickleball Australia/Queensland about tournaments, equipment or media requests. Then I might coach in the morning before heading to the Pickleball Superstore warehouse. In the evenings I host club sessions – we run them Monday to Friday from 6 or 7pm until about 9:30. By the time I pack up the nets and get home, it might be 10:30pm.”
As a referee, I feel you should never be the main show— it’s all about the players. A ref is just there to facilitate the game, make sure it’s running at a good pace and all the rules are being followed.”
“When I quit accounting, it was very scary. I was thinking, ‘What if I don’t have money to pay rent? What will I do?’ A lot of people were saying, ‘Are you crazy? Why would you do that? You studied your degrees.’ But now when I tell people what I’m doing and they see my life, that I’m loving it, doing 16 hours and still don’t feel tired, I’m happy in the morning, I’m happy all day. Even though you might not make the same level of money, you’re working for yourself now. So you love it, you’re more motivated, and you want to do more and more. It’s definitely worth it.”
What people would be surprised to know
“Before I was an accountant, I was a DJ in Brisbane for a while and even worked as a croupier/games dealer at the casino. I’ve had many different types of jobs! I still love music — I go to a lot of festivals and on weekends I’ll look for DJs who are in town. Because of my DJ background, I used to be heavily involved in events management, getting big DJs to town and working with them.”
Building community through pickleball
“You need to give back. When I’m coaching, it’s mostly 2.5 to 3.5 level players and very few 4.0+ players. Because that’s what pickleball is— it’s about the community. The pro players are very few. If you want to grow this sport, you need to focus on the 95%, not just the 5%.”
“A lot of players, when they get better, they never play with players who are lower level than them. I always tell them— when you started, there was someone better than you and that’s how you got better. You’ve got to give back to the community. Last night I was hosting a social session with players who’ve only played once — 60, 70-year-old ladies. They needed a player, so I jumped in. I still enjoy it. It’s just fun.”
Brisbane pickleball today
“We’ve grown to around 1,500 players in Brisbane. We have about 750 registered members of Brisbane Pickleball Club and we run about 40 sessions a week across 17 venues— everything from ‘come and try’ sessions for complete beginners to advanced play and round robins. Our biggest challenge now is bringing everyone together. With the venues so spread out, many members never meet each other. That’s why we’re working hard to find one home venue with 15 or 16 courts and why we organize social events like Christmas parties where everyone can connect.”
A lot of players, when they get better, they never play with players who are lower level than them. I always tell them— when you started, there was someone better than you and that’s how you got better. You’ve got to give back to the community.“
The evolution of professional pickleball
“When I started, we didn’t have any pro leagues here. It was just nationals and state tournaments. At our first nationals in Sydney, we had maybe 70 players total and there were six advanced players, maybe, in the open category. It’s crazy how much it’s grown.
The NPL finals last year were actually our most viewed matches. All the Queenslanders were watching and going for their Queensland teams. Same for New South Wales and Victoria — they’re supporting their teams. There’s always been this massive rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales because of rugby and everything, so it creates a really good energy.
You can’t really make a full-time living just from playing pickleball in Australia right now… you need backup plans. That’s why I do coaching, reffing, retail and all these different things related to pickleball. A lot of players are the same keeping their full-time jobs, but it’s getting there slowly. We just need to keep the pro players connected to the community level — playing with newer players, coaching, being involved. That’s what makes pickleball special.”
“There’s so much happening in Australian pickleball right now. We’re seeing changes in professional leagues, state tournaments, local tours, but what excites me most is seeing how the sport is reaching every corner of the community.”
“My biggest dream is seeing pickleball in the Brisbane Olympics. There’s a lady on the committee for Brisbane Olympics and I coach her and her husband. They’re both addicted to pickleball. They keep planting that seed. Seeing it in the 2032 Olympics would be special, especially if it’s in Brisbane, since I was one of the OGs who started here.”
Sueme’s pickleball hot take!
“I’ll be honest – I used to call NPL a ‘bush league.’ I’d say it everywhere, even on Dylan’s podcast. It was mostly singles players back then, and the format was different— just six players in a team with so much focus on singles.
Now they’ve completely changed my mind because they’ve signed all these great players and changed the format. They’re not a bush league anymore, they’re right up there with MLP. Actually, I think a lot of people are more excited to watch NPL games this year because it’s mostly Australians or locals we know about. With MLP, sometimes we don’t even know the players. They’ll come for one tournament and then you never see them again.
NPL is building something special with local talent and that’s what we need for the sport to grow here.”
To get involved with pickleball in Brisbane and learn more about Brisbane Pickleball Club, be sure to get in touch via the Club’s social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram, or send an email to secretary@brisbanepickleballclub.com.
xx,
Tati
Loved Sueme’s story? Dive into more inspiring ‘People of Pickle’ profiles! From the early warriors to current tournament champions, discover the passionate players and community builders shaping Australian pickleball.
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So great to see how much Sueme has progressed in the pickleball world. He was just a beginner in the early phases of the game in Brisbane when he first joined BLC. It’s amazing to see how much the game has grown all around Australia since my first games with Mark Jagger in early 2017.
Great guy! Great article!
I happen to be one of the group of “Old ladies and some guys” who were enthusiastically and noisily running around the court at Newmarket (which no longer exists)….. having the time of our lives ….. when Sueme began asking questions after his Badminton game. We explained the rules etc ….. and carrying on the friendly tradition pickleball is renowned for worldwide, invited Sueme and his then partner to “have a go” using our paddles . ….. They were intrigued – and as dear Sueme said, he never played badminton again! ….
Apart from all his coaching and official duties and on-court achievements, Sueme is outstandingly one of the nicest all-round guys in Pickleball.
I am so proud of you, Sueme, of how you’ve developed from being a rather shy, penniless student to all you have achieved both personally and professionally. You are a wonderful role model for all our younger players and a real credit to Brisbane Pickleball. Well done.
It is an honour to call you my friend and fellow pickleballer.