As a physical education teacher at Butler Senior High School, Andrew Gillan reintroduced an unfamilar sport to the gymnasium.

“We had a little bit of pickleball in phys ed classes,” Gillan said. “We had some very old equipment that I’d never used in probably the first 26 years I was there. ... It was just kind of like a filler thing for the kids who really weren’t playing basketball.”

Upon retiring from teaching last year, Gillan signed up for a YMCA pickleball league with his wife and practiced on courts at Ritts Park, which were completed late last summer.

He’s found a way to combine a relatively newfound hobby with the benefit of the Butler girls soccer program, for which he is a JV coach.

“Usually the fundraisers are things like hoagies and candles and those kind of things that people sell,” Gillan said. “So this is just a little bit different. The booster organization said, ‘Okay, let’s see what we need to do.’”

The group put together a flyer and posted on Facebook and Instagram. Gillan pinned up flyers in Cranberry and North Park.

“We have a few different levels that we were trying to get, with men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles,” Gillan said. “I’m getting inquiries still with people who would like to do it. We still have a couple openings.”

Gillan counted 48 teams that have already signed up for the event. He plans to begin with a round-robin format before moving onto elimination rounds. The cost to participate is $25 per person.

“With the boosters, it’ll go towards maybe some upgrading of warmups, some equipment,” Gillan said. “The district, they buy all the uniforms, but if you’re trying to get warmups or stuff on top of that, that’s what the proceeds go toward.”

Players will be expected to operate under the honor system with calls. Gillan is still trying to determine the lengths of each bracket, being that a good deal of players don’t know their level of competition.

“After this first year, we’ll know a little bit more,” Gillan said.

The event is planned for Saturday and Sunday at Ritts Park in Butler.

The fundraiser, he added, is at the mercy of the weekend’s weather. The courts can get slippery after rain, but there’s a makeup date for the following weekend.

If interested in joining, call or text Gillan at 724-841-1123.