Michael McCaffrey
Michael is established as a leading pro-level player in national-level Pickleball, and has also represented his country.
- National World cup Captain
- National League Player
- Multiple podiums at large Canadian events
Michael McCaffrey has established himself as one of Canada’s leading competitive pickleball players, competing professionally and at the national and international level.
A two-time Canadian National Pickleball League (CNPL) player, Michael has also tested himself against high-level competition on the PPA Tour in the United States and has collected numerous podium finishes at major Canadian events.
One of the highlights of his career came in 2025, when he represented Canada at the Pickleball World Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Canada was one of 68 nations competing, with Michael serving as captain of the Canadian national team.
His success continued through 2026. He represented Team BC at the IG Wealth Management National Championships and earned a gold medal with Team BC. Michael also competed in several tournaments in BC, earning bronze in men’s doubles at the Kamloops Open, silver in men’s doubles at the Kelowna Open, and gold in mixed doubles and silver in men’s doubles at the Fraser Valley Open.
https://youtu.be/H4JmO_kXSeQ?si=IM7G7T7YM6qo7IGv
Michael’s involvement in pickleball extends beyond competing. He is also the lead author of a research paper examining the health and social benefits of pickleball, along with the injury risks and safety considerations associated with the rapidly growing sport.
Vegan powered
“I couldn’t think of a morally relevant difference between humans and animals that would justify farming one for food”
Michael has been vegan since 2020, a decision driven primarily by his views about animals.
“I’m completely vegan. One hundred percent for the animals. I reached a point where I couldn’t think of a morally relevant difference between humans and other animals that justified farming and killing one for food but not the other. Once I started extending that same basic moral consideration to animals, going vegan felt like an immediate and obvious decision.”
Competing at a high level in pickleball requires a combination of explosive movement, balance, reaction speed and endurance. Tournament weekends can mean playing multiple demanding matches in a single day, and Michael maintains a significant training schedule throughout the year.
“I usually do functional training or workouts two to five times per week, depending on whether I’m competing that weekend. I’ll also drill two to four times per week and play recreationally another two or three times. On top of that, I’m usually competing in tournaments around twice a month.”
And pickleball isn’t his only physical pursuit.
Michael is an avid outdoorsman and regularly takes on multi-day wilderness hikes & canoe trips in Canada, sometimes traveling over 100 kilometres over the course of a week.
Fuelling that level of activity on a vegan diet hasn’t been complicated.
“Every week, I get a lot of fresh farmers’ market vegetables and meal prep a huge bean, lentil and vegetable sweet-and-sour soup. I also eat a ton of tofu and seitan, and most mornings I’ll have overnight oats or chia pudding.”
Michael says he has encountered several other vegan pickleball players competing at a similar or even higher level, and reactions to his diet are generally positive.
“Most people are curious about it. I still get a lot of questions about where I get my protein, which is funny to me because that’s probably the least of my concerns when I’m eating 3,300 to 3,500 calories a day.”
While many athletes eventually shift their focus toward age-group competition, Michael remains focused on competing at the highest open level he can.
“My mantra is: ‘faster and stronger every year’. I understand the reality of aging, but I also know how much of that decline can be offset by training hard and consistently.”
For Michael, continuing to improve while competing against younger athletes is part of the challenge.
And after more than six years powered entirely by plants, his diet certainly doesn’t appear to be holding him back.