It started with friends looking for something to do. A sport that turned out to suit everyone. A community that kept getting bigger.
Event organizer Keith Yap traces the Hearter’s Alumni Pickleball Social back to exactly that. “It all started with us friends looking for a pastime. We picked up pickleball. I think it’s a sport for everyone. The community became bigger and bigger,” he says. What began as a casual group of Sacred Heart School alumni rallying around a new sport grew steadily with more players joining, more rallies booked, and more familiar faces showing up week after week.
That growth eventually called for something more organized. “Me and my fellow organizer came up with the idea of setting up an event for our fellow alumni. So here we are,” Yap says. What started as an informal pastime among friends has since taken shape as a regular social gathering, one that has opened itself to a wider community beyond just the original group.
The energy is familiar and easy, the kind that comes naturally when people already share a history and a language, and find a new reason to keep showing up.
(L) Jmi Gullas, owner of The Courts of Cebu; (R) Keith Yap, event organizer of the Hearter’s Alumni Pickleball Social
Pickleball gave them that reason. It’s a sport that doesn’t ask much of you to get started, but rewards you the more you invest in it. For a group like the Hearters, it became the common ground that made the reunion feel effortless. The game is fast enough to be exciting and social enough to keep conversations going between points, which is exactly the kind of sport that works for a gathering like this.
The Courts of Cebu became their home court. For owner Jmi Gullas, groups like the Hearters are central to what the venue is building from the ground up. “Providing a venue for the Hearter’s Alumni group, as well as many other clubs in the city, allows us to accomplish both at the same time,” he says, referring to The Courts’ twin goals of growing pickleball in Cebu and building genuine community around it. “Community building is one of our four strategic pillars, alongside growing the game of pickleball here in Cebu,” he adds.
The timing matters. Pickleball in Cebu is still relatively new and finding its footing. “I think it’s fair to say the sport only really picked up in 2025, but it has grown exponentially since then,” Gullas says, pointing to a shift from having no dedicated facilities in the city to a growing number of venues opening in quick succession.
It’s a sport in its early days locally, which means the communities forming around it now are the ones that will define what it looks like long term. “The clubs that will last are the ones that truly nurture community and offer value beyond just the game,” he says.
The Courts is built with exactly that in mind. “We see ourselves as a ‘third space,’ an environment outside of home and work,” Gullas says, describing a setting where people gather by choice and stay well beyond the length of a match.
It’s not just about court time. Open play sessions, clinics, and new formats keep activity consistent throughout the week, while a food and beverage mezzanine featuring local Cebuano brands is in the works, giving players and guests more reason to linger after the last rally. “At our core, we see ourselves as a paddle and social club,” he says.
For the Hearter’s Alumni, that description fits naturally. The courts give them a reason to show up, the sport gives them something to compete over, and the people they find there give them a reason to stay. What started as a pastime has become a weekly ritual. If the energy inside The Courts of Cebu is any indication, it’s one that isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
The Hearters Alumni Pickleball Social is open to everyone, Sacred Heart alumni or not. To join or stay updated on upcoming sessions, download Reclub and search for The Courts of Cebu and the Hearter’s Alumni Pickleball Socials.
Photography Kyrra Kho
