After winding down his professional badminton career, Jack MacGregor is preparing to move back to Bournemouth to start a new career, but he is heading south having fallen in love with another sport.

The 24-year-old, who has been based in Glasgow, has recently competed at the Skechers English Open having taken up pickleball, a sport which has surged in popularity lately, while still playing badminton, having been introduced to it by his mother.

He achieved some success in the sport, not least when he represented Scotland at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, so he was used to competing in big events.

MacGregor had a busy weekend at the Telford International Centre, competing in the men’s ‘Open’ singles and doubles, as well at the 4.5 18+ mixed doubles, with the power of his overhead smashes giving away his soon-to-be former profession.

On how he found his experience in Shropshire, MacGregor said: “I played pickleball for a week last year when I played here for the first time and I was shocked, to say the least.

“I’m used to arenas where there are six courts, maximum, in a hall, so I’m not used to seeing 40 courts and 2,000 people.

“It was really good, actually, and this year they’ve added even more, it’s crazy, and to be fair they do a great job.

“I’ve known badminton tournaments that have maybe a couple of hundred involved and they can’t run it on time, whereas here they seem to do it quite smoothly, so I think badminton could learn a thing or two.”

The 2024 English Open was the largest pickleball event to take place outside of North America, with a record number of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries set to participate.

Over 30,000 people around the UK now play the sport and there are over 700 places in which to play, with pickleball displaying an exponential growth in recent years.

After moving back south of the border, MacGregor will train to become a PE teacher and, once he qualifies, he is keen to get his pupils into pickleball and include the sport in his lessons.

MacGregor said: “I know one of the guys who teaches at our David Lloyd who’s brought it into his school.

“I’m taking over the badminton academy at my school and I’ll definitely be trying to set up a pickleball one because, especially in PE and sport, it’s so inclusive for everyone.

“That’s why I enjoyed it because it’s something me and my mum could do.

“She won’t mind me saying this but she is a little bit older than me and not quite as mobile, but if you’ve got the skills, you can still compete. You don’t have to be super agile or anything.”

Pickleball England has announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event taking place outside of the USA EVER – visit pickleballengland.org