Davao City sets first all-women pickleball tournament, aids abused women and children

Davao City will give women their own pickleball stage at Pickletown Bajada, where the Pickleball E-Club’s first all-women tournament is set to bring about 90 players together across novice, low-intermediate and high-intermediate divisions. The setup matters as much as the matchup count: it opens the door to first-timers while still giving more seasoned players a competitive bracket, making the event feel built for growth rather than exclusivity.

The tournament is scheduled for May 16 at Pickletown Courts, with matches starting at 7 a.m. and registration set at P500. That pricing keeps the entry point relatively accessible, a detail that could help pull in women who may have watched the sport from the sidelines but have not yet committed to tournament play. In a city where pickleball has been steadily gaining traction, the all-women format turns participation into something more durable, giving players a setting that is tailored to them instead of borrowed from a mixed field.

The event also carries a clear social mission. Organizers said proceeds, including earnings from pop-up stalls, will support beneficiaries in Katitipan, especially abused women and children. That gives the tournament a second purpose beyond medals and match wins: it links court activity to direct aid, while also giving women a space to compete, build confidence and form friendships around the sport.

The timing is significant for the Philippines as a whole. The Philippine Pickleball Federation says the sport first arrived in the country in 2016 through a clinic in Cebu led by Sara Ash, when there were still no pickleball clubs in the Philippines. From those early days, including street play in Pasig and activity in Makati, pickleball has moved quickly from novelty to organized competition. The federation’s 2026 calendar, which helps tournament directors and organizers manage events, shows how much more structured the sport has become.

Davao is emerging as one of the cities driving that expansion. Pickletown Davao already hosted Kosmas Pickle Fest 2026 events earlier this year, adding to the sense that the city is becoming a reliable tournament venue in Mindanao. The first all-women event now points to the next step in that growth: not just more players, but more programming built specifically for women, with divisions, funding and a competitive pathway that could be repeated long after this one tournament ends.