Inspire. Impact. Ignite.
Little Dragons is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation through pickleball by breaking down barriers and creating inclusive opportunities for kids of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Our mission is to promote physical activity, foster connection, build confidence, teach resilience, and create lasting community through the sport of pickleball.
Our nonprofit is built on five core missions, each targeted to making a tangible impact in Little Dragons communities, families, and individual kids.
Our central strategy and mission is hosting pickleball clinics for kids in communities across the country. These clinics will provide introductory experiences tailored to specific age groups and abilities, including adaptive sessions for children with disabilities. By partnering with local pickleball clubs, schools, and recreational organizations, we aim to make these clinics accessible regardless of participant skill, location, or background. We will also work with schools and community centers to integrate pickleball into after-school programs, offering kids a safe, fun, and inclusive activity that promotes both physical activity and social development. Last year, we launched our first 6-week season of the Little Dragons Academy, and the turnout and feedback exceeded all expectations, confirming what we’ve always believed: pickleball has the power to connect and inspire young players.
This year, we are currently running four more 6-week Little Dragons camps, all at full capacity. These camps, designed for both beginners and intermediate players, have been a resounding success, providing kids with not just skills and exercise, but also confidence and community. We’ve partnered with two facilities so far, including the country’s largest indoor pickleball facility, and anticipate launching even more sessions at more and more locations – including international partnerships – in the coming weeks and months.
To expand our reach, we are developing a pickleball curriculum that not only Little Dragons Academies but schools, recreation centers, and other organizations can use to teach kids the sport. This curriculum will include age-appropriate drills, lesson plans, and adaptive content to ensure inclusivity. We plan to make these resources widely available through online platforms and direct partnerships, offering an easy way for educators to incorporate pickleball into their programs. Our current Little Dragons Academy sessions have proven an invaluable ground for developing a world-class curriculum – each of our coaches is involved in practical development of strategies for making principles of gameplay, strategy, mechanics, and sportsmanship accessible to all ages and abilities. And through our partnership with Komodo Pickleball, we’re also blessed to have connections to professional PPA and APP athletes who will consult and ensure that our approach is consistently aligned with the evolution of pickleball at the pinnacle of the game.
For additonal impact in our work, we will train coaches and clinic leaders on how to teach pickleball to kids effectively. Through workshops, webinars, and certification programs, we will ensure that our coaches are equipped with the skills and knowledge to create fun and inclusive learning environments. Currently, we are partnering with the Special Olympics to help Special Olympics coaches develop their adaptive pickleball program for athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities. We’ve also established plans to send two of our Academy head coaches to a national pickleball instruction certification event with Collin Johns and Anna Leigh Waters this spring. Our instruction initiative will include creating tailored training resources, providing coaching support, and supporting our coaches as they host events to showcase the abilities and achievements of our young athletes.
Our fourth key focus is running youth pickleball tournaments and events that encourage competition, connection, and sportsmanship. Our tournaments will cater to various skill levels, emphasizing growth and learning over winning. By providing a space for young players to connect and compete, we hope to inspire a love for the game that lasts a lifetime. In addition to formal tournaments, we will host community-building events to introduce families to pickleball and encourage intergenerational play. These events, such as parent-child tournaments and free family pickleball days, will help create lasting connections between kids, their families, and their communities – at home and around the globe.
We have held three youth tournaments and one all-ages tournament to date, which included over a dozen divisions across singles and doubles events – and we are thrilled to announce that planning is well underway for two additional youth tournaments. The courts are booked, our tournament director is in place, and registration will open soon!
In pickleball, as in any other sport, some young athletes have exceptional talent but lack the financial resources to cover the costs of participation. To ensure that talented youth players have the opportunity to pursue pickleball at higher levels, we will also financially sponsor high- potential athletes who lack access to necessary monetary resources. This sponsorship will cover expenses such as tournament entry fees, high-quality gear, and access to professional coaching or training camps. Currently, we’ve identified four promising junior athletes to sponsor as they compete in state-level tournaments. These young players show incredible potential, and Little Dragons wants to provide them with the resources they need to pursue their dreams.
At Little Dragons, we believe every child deserves the chance to experience the joy, connection, and lifelong lessons that pickleball can offer. Thanks to the support of our partners, the hard work of our team, and the many ways we’ve been blessed so far, we’ve already begun making that vision a reality—and we’re just getting started.
Please consider partnering with us today and help us keep inspiring, impacting, and igniting the future of youth pickleball. Thank you for believing in our mission and for being a part of the Little Dragons family – let’s keep the momentum going for these amazing kids.
Inspire.
Impact.
Ignite.
