All Pickleball BC News

23 February 2026

Pickleball BC (“PBC”) Sponsors Pickleball Charity Event With Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver White Caps, and BC Lions Alumni, Including Pro Pickleball Players

20/5/2025 Click on image to visit: pickleballcharitychallenge.com May 20th 2025, [...]


20/5/2025

Click on image to visit: pickleballcharitychallenge.com
May 20th 2025, Vancouver, BC—On Saturday, June 7th, 2025, Pro Pickleball players, the Vancouver Canucks Alumni, Whitecaps Alumni, BC Lions Alumni players and 6 fortunate members of the public will take to the courts with a charity pickleball tournament at the Richmond Country Club—which PBC is proud to support as a Bronze Sponsor.

PBC is looking forward to attending this first year of The Pickleball Charity Challenge – Celebrity Edition as a Sponsor celebrating sport, community and charitable spirit.

The Professional Pickleball Players that are confirmed include Armaan Jiwa Mawji, Brett Forsythe, Casey Rodgers, Kelsey German, Nathan Choi, Robin D’Abreo, and Steve Deakin.
This Celebrity Charity event is to the benefit of the following beneficiaries:

  • Heart For Music | Rick’s Heart Foundation: Provides 230+ non-profit care homes with music-playing equipment to cultivate moments of peace, joy, and connection in their elders. They believe in respecting and elevating the lives of our seniors.
  • Canuck Place: Canuck Place Children’s Hospice provides complex pediatric palliative care for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families across BC and the Yukon. A full life has many meaningful moments, and at Canuck Place, we believe that the shortest lives should be the fullest of them all. Together, we support families in living the end of life as fully as the beginning.
  • The Whitecaps FC Foundation: Funds raised will be directed to the Whitecaps FC Foundation’s scholarship program helping deserving youth to achieve their dreams on the pitch and in their post-secondary academic careers.
  • HeadsUpGuys: Driven by the urgent need to support men’s mental health and prevent suicide, HeadsUpGuys—an anonymous, research-backed online resource was created. Offering practical self-care tips, screening tools, self-guided courses, inspirational recovery stories, and an international Therapist Directory, along with guidance on how to support the men in our lives.​
Confirmed Vancouver White Caps Alumni includes Bobby Lenarduzzi, Carl Valentine, Paul Dolan, Martin Nash, Tosaint Ricketts, and Sinead King.
Some sponsorships for this celebrity pickleball tournament are still available and can be financial, in-kind product value, or a combination of both. Sponsors will have the opportunity to meet several local sports alumni, professional pickleball players and celebrities, join the luncheon, and watch the entertaining celebrity pickleball games.
BC Lions Alumni includes Mike Crumb, Geroy Simon, Sean Graham, Sean Millington, Tanya Henderson, and Tommy Europe.
David Snell, President, Pickleball BC, states: “If you have ever cheered on these alumni legends in their respective professional teams back in the day, now you can relive those days—but this time in the unique ambiance of a pickleball court with professional pickleball players. What’s more, the sponsorship dollars are benefiting charitable organizations in line with our PBC ‘give-back’ initiatives.”
Several of the Canucks Alumni confirmed are Dean Moore, Ed Hatoum, Nathan LaFayette, John Craighead, BJ MacDonald, and others.
“As a former professional football player and avid pickleball player, I couldn’t be more excited about the 1st Annual Pickleball Charity Challenge – Celebrity Edition. It’s the perfect way to spend a full day of sports, starting with a great brunch, then watching legends from the Lions, Whitecaps, and Canucks—like Geroy Simon, Sean Millington, Bob Lenarduzzi, Carl Valentine, Nathan LaFayette, and BJ MacDonald—compete alongside Canada’s top pickleball pros for a great cause. With the BC Lions game and Snoop Dogg concert to follow, it’s going to be an unforgettable day that brings the community together.”, stated Sean Graham, President, BC Lions Alumni Association ([email protected]).

For more information visit The Pickleball Charity Challenge – Celebrity Edition here.