Robinsons Malls adds indoor pickleball courts in Philippines expansion

Robinsons Malls is betting that pickleball in the Philippines has outgrown temporary setups. With indoor courts now open at Robinsons Galleria and Robinsons Las Piñas, the mall operator has pushed its national network to 13 locations, giving the sport a more durable base in climate-controlled spaces where play does not stop when the rain starts.

That matters because pickleball’s biggest bottleneck in fast-growing Asian markets is still access. Robinsons’ new courts are designed for casual games, friendly matches, training sessions and community tournaments, which makes them more than rentable floor space. In a mall setting, the sport gains security, parking, foot traffic and the kind of everyday convenience that helps turn a novelty into a habit.

The expansion also fits the way Robinsons Land has positioned its business. The company says its mall model is built around accessibility, convenience, comfort, safety, security and fun, and it points to more than 40 years in business, 20 mixed-use developments and three landmark Destination Estates. Pickleball slots naturally into that formula, because it thrives where people already gather.

The broader Philippine market shows why the timing matters. Rappler reported that pickleball arrived in the country through a clinic in Cebu in February 2016, the first club was established in 2017, and clubs grew from 13 in 2021 to 123 nationwide by August 2024. The same report said the Philippine Pickleball Federation had more than 6,500 registered players then, with many more casual players outside the official count. Robinsons’ latest openings land in a sport that has already moved well beyond the experimental stage.

The infrastructure push is being matched by governance. On February 23, 2026, the Philippine Pickleball Federation announced a unified national framework and a player registry for athletes, coaches and officials, alongside the country’s first official national rankings. Those rankings will be based on sanctioned tournaments using a 12-month rolling system, a sign that the pathway from recreational play to competitive recognition is getting clearer.

Robinsons is not building in isolation, either. SM Supermalls said it closed 2025 with 61 pickleball court locations across 25 properties, including 37 permanent courts, while Robinsons Land and Kosmas Athletic Ventures Corp. broke ground in July 2025 on the Helios Pickleball Center in Bridgetowne, which Philstar described as Asia’s first tournament-grade pickleball facility and an eight-story complex. Together, those moves show how quickly Philippine retail developers are turning pickleball into a permanent amenity, and potentially a template other Asian markets will copy.