Steve Deakin

WE’VE HIRED A PICKLEBALL DIRECTOR !!!!!

Steve Deakin Pickleball (SDP) Appoints Neil Parker as Director of Pickleball

Vancouver, BC, April 17, 2024 – Steve Deakin Pickleball (“SDP”) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Neil Parker as the newest member of its team and the Director of Pickleball for the SDP brand.

Parker brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role. He has been actively involved in the pickleball community, demonstrating a deep commitment to the sport’s growth and development. As a certified pickleball instructor and tournament player, Parker is well-positioned to lead SDP operations and contribute to its expansion.

Prior to joining SDP, Parker was a head pro and tennis director at clubs across Canada, and has certified hundreds of coaches as a Tennis Canada course facilitator. He also produced instructional videos for both Tennis Canada and the USTA. More recently, Parker worked for a global consulting firm in marketing and an IPO company in New York.

“I‘m honoured to join the SDP team and take on the responsibility of leading pickleball programming for Steve, one of the world’s top contracted players on the PPA tour.  I’m a pickleball junkie who is committed to the values of respect and excellence, both of which align to Steve’s brand. I look forward to offering unique experiences through our clinics and events.”

For any upcoming clinics, questions or event planning you can reach Neil @  neil@stevedeakinpickleball.com

Well Texas was exciting for Steve Deakin. His first time partnership with James Ignatowich turned out to exceed expectations and although they lost the second round to Wilson/Koller which knocked them into the back draw….they were able to move forward playing 8 matches that day to fight back to a Bronze medal, which included their win over Wilson/Koller in a second meeting in the consolation bracket.

Hitting a Podium on his third tournament back was an exceptional achievement and the PPA referred to him as the ” Comeback Kid “.

His mixed results were not as successful with his other first time pairing, Sarah Burr from Australia. Sarah is a top player back in Oz that wanted to dive into the American tour and see how she did. We all know how tough it is for a newcomer to find partnerships before they have a resume so we know Sarah had  a tough time securing these partnerships this early in her budding career. We wish her the best of luck moving forward on this side of the pond.

Steve is looking forward to getting back to work with his full time mixed partner and newly PPA signed athlete, Brooke Buckner. They have had some early success and gel well together.

Next up…Orlando !

 

VEGAS LINE UP !!

Extremely excited to get to what I do. Playing competitively on Tour. In Vegas I’m teaming up with Spencer Smith in Men’s and Brooke Buckner in Mixed. Hoping to make a decent run while getting used to the hard pace of the Pro’s once again.

Tune in to PPA TV. Search PPA Tour on Youtube and Tennis Channel October 6-9 to watch some great matches !!