{"id":4410,"date":"2026-07-12T23:52:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T14:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/?post_type=news&p=4410"},"modified":"2026-10-15T18:56:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:56:05","slug":"asics-sansan-partnership","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/pickle-times.com\/en\/news\/asics-sansan-partnership\/","title":{"rendered":"Shoes are there to rent \u2014 why Asics started supplying gear to Sansan Ikebukuro"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 10, an official partnership with ASICS was announced at Sansan Pickleball Court Ikebukuro, the large pickleball facility Sansan opened in Higashi-Ikebukuro. The substance is not flashy sponsor signage but an equipment supply arrangement: visitors can rent ASICS court shoes for 500 yen a pair, and a sales corner goes inside the facility. A major sporting goods maker is entering a sport still in its start-up phase not through player support or tournament sponsorship but from the footwear up. This way in stands apart from ASICS'April investment in the same pickleball operating company, alongside Dentsu and others, to build the industry's foundations<\/a>\u2014 a more grounded move on a different axis. Here is what actually changes for players and facility operators in Japan.<\/p>\n\n

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The deal comes down to three things: lend shoes, sell shoes, promote together<\/h2>\n

The announced partnership has three main parts. First, paid rental of ASICS court shoes to every player who comes to the facility. Second, a display and sales corner for shoes and apparel inside the facility. Third, promotion at lessons and corporate taster sessions, plus joint content featuring ambassador players.<\/p>\n

The rental shoes are two models, the SOLUTION SPEED FF 4 and the GEL-CHALLENGER 15. Both are court shoes ASICS has sold for tennis, not designs created specifically for pickleball. That is the telling part: ASICS is not yet pushing a pickleball-specific shoe for Japan, and is instead putting existing tennis court shoes, with their lateral support and shock absorption, straight into the new sport.<\/p>\n\n

Involvement that came down from venture investment to the facility floor<\/h2>\n

This is not the first time ASICS has become involved in the sport. In April 2026, ASICS Ventures invested in Pickleball One, which operates the facility, joining a five-company lineup alongside Sansan, TBS Innovation Partners, Dentsu Group and Mitsui Fudosan. That investment was about capital for building the foundations of the whole industry; three months later, this equipment supply makes it concrete one layer down, at the shoes players actually wear.<\/p>\n

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A 500-yen rental that completes the empty-handed visit<\/h2>\n

Equipment supply pays off at the beginner's entrance. The Ikebukuro facility rents paddles, shoes and apparel for 500 yen each, and offers an 80-minute first-timer session for 4,000 yen. Until now paddles and apparel could be borrowed but court shoes had to be your own; ASICS shoes fill that gap, so players can now literally arrive empty-handed and step onto the court.<\/p>\n
Item<\/th>Details<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Rental shoes<\/td>SOLUTION SPEED FF 4 \/ GEL-CHALLENGER 15 (500 yen each)<\/td><\/tr>
Paddles and apparel<\/td>Available to rent at 500 yen each<\/td><\/tr>
First-timer session<\/td>80 minutes, 4,000 yen<\/td><\/tr>
Facility size<\/td>3 indoor courts + 4 outdoor courts (2 indoor courts + 2 mini practice courts planned on the third floor)<\/td><\/tr>
Bookings<\/td>More than 1,800 in the month after reservations opened on June 10<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n

Court shoes are the piece of equipment beginners tend to leave until last, but in pickleball, with its constant sharp changes of direction, whether a shoe stops lateral slipping bears directly on the risk of a rolled ankle. Beginners who made do with running shoes and paid for it are common enough in Japan and abroad. Having the facility supply that first pair carries real weight for both the quality of the experience and safety.<\/p>\n

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Major sporting goods makers are each coming in through a different door<\/h2>\n

How major brands get involved in an emerging sport differs from company to company.<\/p>\n