State-of-the-art pickleball courts boost Imus' growing sports scene

A new set of courts in Imus could reshape where Cavite players train, compete and discover pickleball. At Vista Mall, MelMac Sports has opened with state-of-the-art pickleball and basketball courts, giving the fast-growing sport a permanent, professional-grade home in a city that has lacked a true regional hub.

The 3,500-square-meter facility is being presented as more than a booking site. With world-class equipment and a standard tennis court set to be added soon, MelMac Sports was built as a multi-sport complex rather than a single-purpose pickleball stop. That matters in the Philippines, where the sport has often grown through temporary setups in malls, private clubs and event spaces. In Imus, the promise is different: a place that can support repeat training, structured leagues and the kind of consistency players need to improve.

The opening also fits the broader direction of Philippine racket sports and court-based recreation. MelMac Sports was designed to strengthen both 3x3 and 5-on-5 basketball while also catering to pickleball, tennis and volleyball, a mix that reflects how developers are now treating sports space as a commercial anchor, not just an amenity. For Mel Macasaquit, the project’s driving force, the facility gives Cavite a venue that can serve casual players during the week and tournament traffic on the weekend.

Pickleball’s local rise has already moved beyond novelty. The Philippine Pickleball Federation traces the sport’s organized history in the country to 2018 and says it is the world’s first government-recognized national governing body for pickleball. The federation’s partnership with Pickleball Global to manage sanctioned events also points to a sport becoming more formal, with rankings and event structures that reward places able to host dependable competition. Imus, with a modern indoor complex inside a major retail destination, now has a case to be one of those places.

The timing is notable because mall-based sports infrastructure is already proving its scale. SM Supermalls launched SM Active Hub with 44 pickleball courts across 21 malls and 14 running hubs nationwide in 2025, and later reported 61 pickleball-court locations nationwide, including 37 permanent courts. MelMac Sports adds to that growth story, but with a regional twist: instead of merely absorbing demand, it could help create it by giving Cavite players a serious place to play, learn and compete.

If the courts draw regular leagues, junior programs and sanctioned events, Imus could become a model for other fast-growing Philippine cities. For now, the opening is another sign that pickleball in the country is no longer just spreading fast. It is settling into permanent infrastructure that can support the next stage of the sport’s rise.