A new dating app, PickleMatch, is entering the relationship scene in Colorado with a fundamentally different concept: it enables connections through shared pickleball interest rather than baseless chat. It is currently in limited beta testing, with creators aiming for a broader North American expansion later this year.
The founders – Anneliese Niebauer and Michael Watson‑Fore – launched the app in response to Niebauer’s frustration with traditional dating. “I became single for the first time in like 10 years. I was downloading the apps and creating profiles,” she said, and eventually gravitated toward matches with pickleball backgrounds—an approach that sparked real-world interactions without the fatigue of endless messaging.
PickleMatch profiles display players’ skill levels, favorite professional players, and preferred courts, with options to filter by gender, orientation, and location. One user experience Niebauer shared: “You get on the app, you know, you have something in common… if it’s a good fit, you know, you can see each other again off the court, but if not, like, you had fun.” This approach does more than spark curiosity – it removes the pressure of first-date interviews. “First dates can feel like interviews… at pickleball that doesn’t happen,” she explained.
Sports-themed social and dating apps in general have picked up some steam after the pandemic, giving people an excuse to get out and meet one another through physical activity. PickleMatch, despite being a small-scale project, was no exception – a waitlist of over 100 people registered within hours of early outreach and the app heads into public launch soon.
