Every evening at 6 p.m., the rooftop court of Manila Central Adventist Elementary School in Sta. Cruz, Manila, comes to life with the sound of paddles hitting plastic balls.

Here, a group of kids train with their coach, 66-year-old Filipino-American Gelfie Napoles who flew to the Philippines in February to introduce pickleball to underprivileged children.

As an enthusiast of the sport, Napoles saw an opportunity to give back. Before retiring from his job as an X-ray technician in Los Angeles, California, he had a dream of playing pickleball in a poor community in the Philippines.

"Napanaginipan ko, I was playing in the Philippines, the poor section of the Philippines. It was a short dream pero when I woke up something inside says I'm really gonna do this," he said.

Initially, he planned to start the program in Tondo, where he spent his early years before migrating to the U.S. at age eight. But with no available court, he found a home for his idea in Sta. Cruz. 

With the help of an acquaintance and donations from the pickleball community, he gathered paddles, balls, and a net, setting up a space where kids could learn the game for free.

Napoles also hopes to break the notion that pickleball is only for the wealthy. 

"I have friends playing pickleball in America. And they say its for the rich people because they are the ones who can afford these 200 dollar paddle," he said.

"It should be for everybody. In America, yung mga mahihirap na athletes they became famous. Who knows one of these kids could be a champion?" he added. 

Fourteen-year-old Jake Inacay, one of the thirty kids Napoles is training, dreams of becoming a professional pickleball player. He shared that he enjoys Napoles' way of teaching.

"Ano po siya energetic. Pag malayo 'yung tira ko hinahabol niya pa rin," Inacay said.

A tournament is set for February 27, marking the kids' final session with Napoles before he returns to the U.S. at the end of the month. 

While Napoles hopes to resume training once he secures enough funds, the Manila Central Adventist Church, which owns the school’s covered court, has committed to continuing the pickleball program for the children.

"May magtuturo from church para yung mga bata mas mahasa pa. Sa araw-araw naming naglalaro ang napapansin ko sa mga bata is committed silang matuto dun sa larong pickleball," said John Michael Nakila, an assistant at the Manila Central Adventist Church.

"Since wala ring ginagawa yung mga bata after school, naglalaro sila sa kalsada nagce-cellphone. I think isa sa mga good way ito para mabaling yung attention nila sa ganitong paraan," Nakila added.

For Napoles, it’s more than just a game, but it's a way inspire the next generation.

"It gives them hope. It gives them motivation that you can play the sport, be somebody," he said.