CEBU CITY — Pickleball booking platform Onda Fit officially brought Cebu-based band The Wonggoys into its roster of brand partners on Saturday, July 11, 2026, in a contract-signing ceremony that doubled as a showcase of the sport’s rapid growth in the country.
The event, held in Punched Coffee at Johndorf Tower, brought together Onda Fit CEO Pat Loren, Pacific Equities Group President George Padin, and Pacific Equities Group Director Danielle Villa-Padin, alongside members of The Wonggoys, Gabriel “Gabe” Keith, Kyle Miguel, and William Jr. Wong “Bill” who signed on as the platform’s newest partners.
A Fast-Growing Market
Opening the program, Pacific Equities Group President George Padin laid out the numbers behind the partnership. By the company’s estimates, the Philippines already has around 100,000 active pickleball players, with roughly 400 new courts built in just the last 12 months. This accounts for about 65 percent of local court inventory, which now stands at close to 1,000 courts nationwide. Player retention is high as well, with the platform citing a repeat play rate of more than 90 percent.
To size up where the local market is headed, Onda Fit pointed to the United States as a benchmark, noting the U.S. pickleball boom of the past five to seven years. The U.S. now has about 82,000 courts serving an estimated 24 million players, or roughly 7 percent of its population. This penetration rate in the Philippine market has yet to approach despite already showing strong demand.
By comparison, with a national population of over 115 million, the Philippines currently has a fraction of the court inventory the U.S. has built, meaning utilization and the runway for growth remains enormous. Onda Fit estimates the sport could generate between $5 billion and $7 billion a year in the U.S., against roughly $7 million a year domestically today, underscoring how early the local market still is.
On the ownership economics side, the company shared that a single, well-utilized court can generate roughly ₱100,000 a month in revenue, while a facility with seven courts under one roof can bring in ₱700,000 to over ₱1 million a month. This is often run by a single staff member managing bookings and customer experience, with none of the overhead of a traditional food-and-beverage business.
“More investors building courts supports more players being introduced to the sport,” Onda Fit’s team explained, describing the relationship between court supply and player growth as a self-reinforcing cycle meaning more courts drive faster returns for owners, which in turn draws more investment into the space.
What’s Inside the App
The event also served as a walkthrough of the Onda Fit platform, which is available on both iOS and Android. Onda Fit CEO Pat Loren demonstrated how users can browse nearby courts, check real-time availability, and complete a booking in under five minutes, eliminating the fragmented, screenshot-and-chat booking process that has long been the norm among local players and facility owners.
Key features highlighted included:
- Court booking — real-time availability search and booking, with built-in verification so users can confirm who else is joining a session, adding a layer of security for players.
- Clubs and communities — users can create or join clubs, turning informal group chats into organized communities with home courts and shared events.
- Open play hosting — members can host and monetize their own open-play sessions directly through the app, with ID verification for added safety and the ability to link sessions to existing court bookings.
- Coach marketplace — a directory of vetted, facility-endorsed coaches that players can browse and book directly, reflecting the company’s view that coaching is a critical growth driver for the sport.
- Maps and community discovery — a map view showing nearby players, clubs, and open-play sessions.
- In-app messaging — consolidated chat for coordinating bookings, coaches, and games without switching platforms.
- Player profiles and stats — a social feed where users can track stats, follow other players, and share updates from the community.
Additional features are set to roll out in the coming weeks, the company said.
Why The Wonggoys
Onda Fit’s decision to partner with The Wonggoys, the band explained, grew out of the group’s own history with the sport. Several members played pickleball while based in Hawaii years before the sport’s local boom took hold and returned to Cebu to find a thriving community waiting for them.
The tie-up builds on the momentum of the band’s recent single, “Pickleball State of Mind,” released last month, which has already become something of an anthem in local pickleball circles. A dedicated jingle for Onda Fit is also in the works and expected to drop soon.
“It’s an honor to partner with people who really speak for the community,” Gabe said, noting the group’s roots as homegrown Cebuano artists partnering with a homegrown platform. Onda Fit’s team echoed the sentiment, saying the partnership reflects “Cebuano craftsmanship and artistry” with ambitions for the sport and the brand to reach a bigger stage.
With the signing complete, Onda Fit and The Wonggoys said the partnership marks more than a brand endorsement. It is a shared commitment to making court access more organized and building sustainable pickleball communities, starting in Cebu and, they hope, well beyond it.
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