Why Join Sarasota Youth Pickleball League
Purpose. Focus. Fun.
The league meets Tuesday early evening from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM at the Pompano courts on 601 S Pompano Ave, Sarasota, FL 34237. We offer open-play, round robin matches, as well as drills to help improve our member’s skills. Membership is free. We serve players with little to no experience to more experienced players who are looking to perfect their game while also making new friends.
Our Mission
Sarasota Youth Pickleball League is a nonprofit organization that was co-founded in 2022 by Gillett Cole and Julie Stewart. Sarasota Youth Pickleball League is solely dedicated to creating opportunities for middle school through high school youth of our community to experience playing pickleball in a fun, safe and friendly environment. Our main focus is to create and foster community among a variety of young people throughout Sarasota while they engage in a safe and fun activity – pickleball.
Our Mission is to encourage our youth to get outside, exercise, and build both community and self-confidence through the game of pickleball.
SYPL wholeheartedly believes that pickleball is an ideal sport to attract youth from all backgrounds and athletic abilities to engage in purposeful, fun exercise. Unlike many other team sports, pickleball is accessible to anyone, regardless of athletic ability or prior experience because it can be learned in a relatively short amount of time. Therefore, pickleball has the ability to attract and serve a wider swath of young people than other team sports. Having more young people outside playing a sport together, while fostering community and building relationships with one another, can only raise community spirit and leave a positive impact on the greater community.
A Growing New League
Thanks to our partnership with Sarasota Parks and Recreation we have exclusive use of six of the twelve courts during our meeting time. We have open-play, round-robin style matches on Tuesdays. In the near future, our goal is to create a team with our members who would like to participate in local and regional youth pickleball tournaments.
6
Courts
2
Coaches
30+
Members
Coaching
Meet Our Coaches
Gillett Cole
League Co-Founder & Coach
Julie Stewart
League Co-Founder & Coach
Gillett Cole has been a Montessori teacher for 13 years, teaching elementary through adolescent children. Prior to that time, Gillett started his own business and ran it successfully for 10 years before selling it to follow his passion for teaching and children. The entrepreneurial spirit lives on in him and he enjoys providing his students a holistic learning experience on basic business skills and athletics. He began playing pickleball with his students and family in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2020. After moving to Sarasota in the summer of 2021, Gillett took a teaching position in the junior high program at NewGate Montessori. Along with teaching his students math, humanities and microeconomics, Gillett began teaching his students the game of pickleball.
Gillett soon realized that the sport of pickleball had the unique ability to draw not only athletic students but more importantly, students who would not typically enjoy sports or physical education. Over time, Gillett noticed these students growing in confidence and building stronger friendships outside their traditional social circles. Gillett and his students were led to seek out a youth pickleball league in Sarasota and, discovering that there wasn’t one, Gillett decided to start a league, but knew he needed help. After meeting Julie Stewart and sharing his vision about a youth pickleball league, they decided to partner, and thus, the Sarasota Youth Pickleball League was born.
Pickleball League
Free Memberships
Sarasota Youth Pickleball League is open exclusively to youth players who are middle school through high school. We cater to all skill levels from beginner to experienced players.
There is NO COST for membership. We just ask that you complete the required liability waiver. Ideally, members have their own paddles, but the league does provide paddles if needed.
What Parents & Teen Members Say About Our Pickleball League
SYPL is doing great things to help our youth learn the game of pickleball, gain more confidence, meet other teens with the same interests, and most importantly have fun being active outside.
I have learned so much about playing pickleball after joining SYPL. I’m glad my friend suggested I join, membership is free, and I’m having so much fun playing and meeting new friends.
I received a text from one of my friends who joined the league and was having a good time, so I thought I would join and try it out. Pickleball is cool and we are having a blast playing.