Young Pickleball Player Serves Up Support for Northfield Hospital Foundation
At just 10 years old, Eli Rich is already making a difference in his community—one pickleball game at a time.
An enthusiastic pickleball player, Eli recently organized a pickleball tournament to raise money for the Northfield Hospital Foundation. What began as a simple search for tournaments online quickly turned into an opportunity to create something of his own.
“Me and my dad were looking for a tournament online, and then it said, ‘Create your own tournament,’” Eli recalled. “I said, ‘Dad, can you come and check this out?’”
His father, Matthew, admitted he was hesitant at first. “I told him it was a lot of work,” he said with a laugh. But Eli was persistent, and the two agreed to keep the event simple and community-focused.
Eli has been playing pickleball for about two years and quickly fell in love with the sport. He regularly plays with local players and has already participated in several tournaments, including a Ronald McDonald House fundraiser and an amateur division event alongside the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) tour.
What he enjoys most about pickleball isn’t just the competition.
“Just the community around it and friends who are playing,” Eli said.
When it came time to decide what the tournament would support, Matthew encouraged him to choose a cause rather than simply charging people to play
“I went right to the hospital,” Eli said. “I always hear the sirens every morning when I wake up, and it’s always helping people and getting people around.”
Matthew added that the connection to the hospital runs deep for their family. “Eli and all of his siblings were born at that hospital,” he said. “We’ve got friends who are doctors, so it seemed like a good spot that’s helping people.”
The tournament quickly gained momentum. Eli promoted the event by hanging posters at the pickleball courts, and word spread throughout the community. Players shared the information with friends and fellow pickleball enthusiasts.
“I wondered how many people were going to sign up,” Matthew admitted. “But he got a lot of people signed up. There were people emailing and calling, excited to be there.”
On tournament day, 16 teams, or 32 players, competed in the competitive division, while eight teams, or 16 players, participated in the fun division. Players began warming up around 8:15 a.m., and matches continued until early afternoon.
The event raised $650 through entry fees and additional donations. Eli will present the check to the Northfield Hospital Foundation Board at an upcoming meeting.
While the money raised will help support the Foundation’s mission, the experience itself left a lasting impression on Eli.
His favorite part? “Getting to meet other pickleball players in town and seeing how everyone was smiling and happy to be at an event that I was excited about,” he said.
He also learned an important lesson about his community.
“I learned that people in Northfield are excited about pickleball and are willing to support local events,” Eli said.
For Matthew, watching his son bring the tournament to life was rewarding.
“It was a good learning experience, and Eli was really excited the whole time,” he said. “I love watching him play, especially when he’s doing it in the community for a good cause.”
Through his passion for pickleball and his desire to help others, Eli showed that age is no barrier to making a meaningful impact. His tournament brought people together, supported a worthy cause, and demonstrated the power of one young person’s idea to inspire a community.