Pickleball continues to find its home in SM Supermalls.
Through the SM Sports and Lifestyle Center (SLC), SM has expanded its roster of permanent pickleball courts with new locations at SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa—providing athletes and enthusiasts more spaces for casual games and competitive play. By the close of 2025, SM reached 61 pickleball court locations nationwide, including 37 permanent courts, marking the largest network among mall operators.
Further strengthening the local pickleball community, SM delivers elevated sports experiences for picklers and the wider active lifestyle crowd across the country. With the launch of SM Active Hub—the Philippines’ largest sports playground—aligned with SM SLC’s goal to transform fitness and sports participation, SM continues to foster tournaments, friendly rivalries, and shared moments on and off the court.
“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.
The SM Pickleball Super Series, a major competition organized by Active Hub in collaboration with Toby’s Sports, is held there in addition to regional competitions and events.
World-ranked pro-athlete Lauren Mercado, a Filipino-American, started the Pickleball Power Tour, inspiring the next generation of players to take up the sport. Because the event was so successful, SM plans to hold a second one in 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.
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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