NEWS RELEASE
FUNDERBALL
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Organizers of the inaugural FUNDERBALL pickleball fundraiser are extremely pleased with the diversity of registrants for the February 22 FUNDERBALL pickleball event.
“We have attracted people from all levels of skill experience from complete pickleball virgins to highly competitive 4.0 players,” said Karen Seliske, co-organizer of the event. “The interest has been overwhelmingly positive from a broad group of player ability and geographic areas.”
FUNDERBALL’s 2025 goal is to raise money to support Niagara-born marathon runner, Michael Seliske, complete his dream to run in the London Marathon, with proceeds supporting Shaftesbury Group, a UK-based charity committed to enabling people with disabilities. As such, the charity fundraiser has attracted attention from several individuals who are committed to helping people with physical and intellectual disabilities.
Marilyn Abbs, a Para Athlete, and current wheelchair tennis competitor, has recently become addicted to pickleball. “Over 15% of the world’s population identifies with some form of a disability, and it is a group that you can suddenly become a part of at any point in your life. There is no age group, no ethnicity, or place of origin that does not already have someone who lives with a disability,” said Marilyn. “Since I love pickleball and the event proceeds are going to support people with disabilities, I felt compelled to participate.”
Morgan Cooper recently founded Community Connect, headquartered in Port Colborne. Community Connect is a community-centred not-for-profit organization who helps individuals with intellectual disabilities become engaged in their community by providing accessible, inclusive and sustainable opportunities to connect with one another. “Pickleball is one of the activities that Community Connect offers so FUNDERBALL is very appealing to us. We are bringing a group of at least five players and several volunteers to join in the fun.”
It is not just skill and ability diversity which surprised event organizers. It is also the geographic interest that the FUNDERBALL has attracted. “I recently heard about this super awesome and fun sounding event while searching online for "Ontario pickleball events". I am quite hooked on this crazy sport and want to get out more this year, meet more people in the pickleball community, hopefully improve my game and gain new skills. I'm super excited!” said Rachel Friedmann, who will be traveling from Owen Sound to participate in the event.
Social media posts have garnered positive comments internationally about the unique structure of the event. FUNDERBALL posts have benefitted from likes and shares from several global pickleball groups including Women’s Pickleball Group, The Pickleball System, Better Pickleball, Nike Pickleball Sports Camps and the Algarve Pickleball Group.
Pickleball enthusiasts are obsessed with the sport and continuously strive to improve their skills. FUNDERBALL is a distinctive event that will create fun pickleball drills and challenging games for participants to demonstrate their physical and mental skills to earn points towards prizing. It will include playful, pickleball-related activities such as dinking-only games, reverse-score games (where score goes back to zero if the ball is hit into the net), rotating partners (think of pickleball musical chairs), serve-to-the-hoop, pickleball trivia and other unusual competitions.
In keeping with the fun theme, there will also extra prize points awarded for the best pickleball attire/costumes.
FUNDERBALL will be held Saturday, February 22nd from 1 – 4pm in Tennis Clubs of Canada’s “Bubble”, located at 6980 Kalar Road, Niagara Falls. A social gathering will be held directly afterwards at the Blackburn Brew House.
All levels of play are welcome to participate. Diversity is obviously welcome. Tickets are $50 per person, with all proceeds going to Shaftesbury Group. Tickets are limited and going fast. For tickets or more information, email [email protected].
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