Meik Ahrens has already experienced one or two setbacks and now runs one of the few pickleball clubs in Lower Saxony in Neuenkirchen.
Neuenkirchen – If you come from Hemsbünde, Bothel, Visselhövede and surrounding areas and would like to try out a new sport, pickleball could be ideal for you, says Meik Ahrens, co-founder of the Act Racket Sports Club in Neuenkirchen. Of course, all Rotenburg and Sottrum residents are also invited to try out the trend sport, which combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.
It’s worth taking a look beyond the border, especially since, according to Jörn Leiding, chairman of the Rotenburg District Sports Association, there is no club in the local area that offers pickleball. This sport is currently experiencing a hype in the USA and is increasingly conquering the European market. Pickleball is a racquet sport that is played either in singles or usually in doubles. The game is played with a perforated plastic ball and rackets made of fiberglass or carbon on a badminton court with a low net. What is characteristic is the so-called “kitchen” or non-volley zone close to the net, in which the ball cannot be hit directly out of the air. “It’s easy to learn, quite safe and very popular in many age groups,” says Ahrens.
However, things haven’t always been that easy for him in recent years. In 2021, as head of the tennis department at TSV Neuenkirchen, he introduced the sport of padel. “I wanted to build the club of the future. Tennis should be supplemented with beach tennis, padel and pickleball,” explains the long-time member. Because there has not yet been a majority for this idea, a separate padel division should be created in 2023. But this plan also failed, whereupon Ahrens resigned as division chairman and went his own way for the time being.
The qualified business economist became self-employed with Act-Racketsports. In addition to building a court, the company also supplies the appropriate equipment and offers training. At the end of last year, Ahrens founded the club of the same name. “I just wanted to apply for indoor time from the community and it’s easier to do that as my own club. If I had done this through the TSV, I would have tried to get times that already belonged to other divisions of the TSV and I didn’t want to take that away from anyone,” he explains the step. In addition, he is not dependent on practicing the sport during the week. Ahrens and his 23 club members currently train every Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the hall in Neuenkirchen. “Anyone who wants to join is welcome. All you need are indoor shoes with non-staining soles – nothing more,” says the 54-year-old, who not only acts as a founder but also as a trainer.
He has already gained plenty of experience. Ahrens has been a tennis coach at TSV Neuenkirchen for 37 years. He is also one of the first people in Germany to be trained as a padel coach by the German Tennis Federation (DTB), which is responsible for padel and pickleball sports. He wants to take the same pickleball course as soon as the association offers it.
The Neuenkirchen native also has a lot of other plans. One goal is to draw lines for a pickleball court in the elementary and high school playground in his hometown, “so that the students can set it up outside and play.” This trend sport should also be integrated into lessons. “You can set up four fields next to each other in the hall and thus employ 16 people at the same time,” explains Ahrens. As far as club sports are concerned, he does not rule out a collaboration with TSV Neuenkirchen in the future. The new general board and the new division management give him hope that padel and pickleball will soon be integrated into the tennis department. “They are driving the issue forward,” says Ahrens, and is therefore confident about the year 2026.
