Pickleball
continues to find its home in SM Supermalls.
Through the SM
Sports and Lifestyle Center (SLC), SM expands its permanent pickleball court
locations to SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa, giving the all-inclusive
sport, its athletes, and enthusiasts even more venues for their next friendly
or competitive matches. Because of this, SM closed 2025 with 61 court locations
across the Philippines with 37 total permanent courts—the largest among mall
operators.
SM empowers the
thriving local pickleball scene with maxed-out sports experiences for picklers
and the active lifestyle community nationwide. Through its launch of SM Active
Hub, the country's largest sports playground, partnered with SM SLC's mission
of revolutionizing fitness and sports engagement in the country, it encourages
tournament play, friendly competition, and fun bonding moments.
"SM launched
SM Active Hub in March last year with the strong intention of giving athletes,
sports enthusiasts, and even casual players alike high-quality and easily
accessible spaces that can house their best sports experiences—whether that's
lighthearted fun or high adrenaline competition," said Joaquin San
Agustin, SM Supermalls Executive Vice President for Marketing. "Closing
2025 with our largest pickleball court locations while adding two new permanent
courts in SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa in Metro Manila is evidence
that sports remains not just a strong interest, but a new way of life for our
customers."
Opened in
partnership with Paloo, the pickleball court locations of SM Center Shaw and SM
Center Muntinlupa boast three outdoor and four indoor permanent courts
respectively, both intuitively designed to accommodate experienced and novice
players, with accessible rates.
The Home of
Elevated Sports Experiences
Through Active
Hub, SM gave local picklers the ultimate spot to maximize movement and active
lifestyles, meeting the athletic appetite of customers through its modular
court approach. With the integration of the SM Malls Online app, players can
easily sign up to be part of the community, discover upcoming events, and gain
exclusive access to the best deals that maximize experiences they'll love.
"On top of
the permanent courts, we also have 24 semi-permanent courts all over the
country to accommodate the maximum amount of activity our customers seek,” said
San Agustin.
This holistic
approach has made SM the favorite go-to pickleball hangout place for customers,
almost doubling the 44 courts initially constructed through the rise of
interest in the sport. Also following strong demand and fully booked courts
until the end of 2025, SM's upcoming thrust focuses on building more permanent
courts to increase its inventory to close to 80 in 2026.
"The high
volume of bookings across all our courts hints that pickleball isn't an
exclusive sport—anyone can play. And because it is inclusive and easy to learn,
SM saw this as an opportunity to naturally drive active lifestyles for our
customers," said San Agustin.
A Favorite for Maxed-out pickleball gatherings
Active Hub caters
to a wide group of picklers—from competitive enthusiasts to casual first timers
looking to play or find a new and fun bonding activity with their friends,
every kind of player can find an event that encourages them to keep playing.
Out-of-the-box
creative concepts like the Glow Ball pickleball event giving the game a fun and
exciting glow in the dark twist, while enrichment activities such as free
coached Pickleball Clinics encouraged newbies and young players to try the
sport out.
Active Hub is also
home of the major competition SM Pickleball Super Series in partnership with
Toby's Sports running alongside local tournaments and events.
It initiated the
Pickleball Power Tour with Filipino-American, world-ranked pro-athlete Lauren
Mercado igniting passion for the sport among the next generation of players.
The event was such a massive hit that SM will be hosting a second iteration
within the first half of 2026.
"This is a
testament to SM's desire of hosting the most creative and commercially attuned
sports events that our customers can always look forward to. As long as the
Filipino desire for community and activity remains ablaze, SM is determined to
continually give that passion for sports a home," said San Agustin.
###
Join SM Active Hub
SM Active Hub is
the premier sports and fitness initiative by SM Supermalls, offering a dynamic
and inclusive environment for sports lovers across the Philippines. Designed to
bring communities together, SM Active Hub provides accessible venues, expert-led
training, and exciting events that cater to all levels of fitness and
athleticism.
Don’t miss out!
Discover a range of SM Active Hub events on the SM Malls Online app and be the
first to earn rewards, discounts, and freebies: http://click.smmallsonline.com/DFqS/SMACTIVEHUB
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