Breakthrough in sports engagement

There’s a new technology in facilitating sports engagement now on a trial basis at Tela Park Pickleball Center in Las Piñas and it’s set to take off in a big way at a launch in the Bridgetowne Destination Estate linking Pasig and Quezon City next month.

The technology is described as an autonomous, data-driven, highly scalable innovation that interfaces with a sports facility software platform. Six-time Philippine table tennis champion and four-time SEA Games campaigner Ernesto (Jon) Ebuen, 45, used his sport as a take-off point for PingPod, a company that he and two others formed in New York City in 2019 to promote the technology. The concept involves an app-based booking and payment system that a player taps to find a table to play on at a time he chooses. Accessing the app will unlock the PingPod system to confirm a reservation.

Ebuen, who’s in town for a week, said PingPod’s network of playing sites covers New York City, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Cambridge, London, Paris, Berlin and more. PingPod’s success has expanded the business to other sports through PodPlay to include billiards, golf simulators, pickleball, squash and soccer. The evolution to verticals was a natural movement.

Ebuen was a table tennis standout at La Salle and took a bronze in the team event at the 2005 SEA Games. He migrated to the US in 2007 and four years later, was runner-up at the World Table Tennis Championships in Las Vegas. From playing, Ebuen turned to coaching and made a name for himself by guiding 13-year-old prodigy Michael Landers to the US cadet, junior and men’s titles. He also gave lessons to celebrities including actresses Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Connelly.

At the moment, Ebuen said there are no plans to hook up PingPod or PodPlay with NSAs although it’s an exciting option. “We’re an avenue where national athletes can showcase their expertise,” he said. “We’re engaging in pickleball because of its popularity and the tailwind effect of players moving to other racket sports.”

Partnering with PingPod and PodPlay is Kosmas Athletic Ventures Corp. which intends to broaden its collaboration to Asian markets. Kosmas’ Dicky Bachmann said it’s providing design, management and operations of sports facilities for land developers to create foot traffic for townships, commercial hubs and business centers. A project in progress is the construction of an eight-story complex featuring 25 pro indoor pickleball courts, gym, sports clinic and digital booking via PodPlay. It’s called Helios in Bridgetowne. Another project is the building of a 14-court facility in Pasig to be completed in September and lined up to host an international pickleball competition in January.