USA Pickleball and PPA Tour Announce Partnership; Will Hold National Championships in Dallas

PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 8, 2023) - USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball and the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour, today announced that the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships presented by the PPA Tour will take place Nov. 4- 12 at Invited's Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, TX.

The 2023 National Championships will represent the world's largest-ever pickleball tournament, serving an expanded field of up to 4,000 amateur and professional players - more than a 50 percent increase over the event's capacity in 2022 - utilizing 65+ courts. Last year overall prize money for professional divisions was $150,000, with the tournament's 2023 payout set to be revealed later this year. Event attendees are expected to increase to 7,500+. Also through USAP's new partnership with the PPA Tour, top amateur players across the country will now have more opportunities to qualify for the National Championships with the addition of three new Golden Ticket events.

"We are thrilled to partner with the PPA in our ongoing efforts to enhance the USA Pickleball National Championships and further cement its position as the premier pickleball tournament in the world," said Robert Quicksilver, Chairman of the USA Pickleball Board of Directors. "Given the PPA's proven track record of running exceptional pickleball tournaments and the added involvement of Invited as the umbrella corporation for Brookhaven Country Club and the operator of professional sporting events around the world - USA Pickleball is confident that the 2023 National Championships will be the best tournament ever for our amateur and professional players, as well as for our fans, sponsors, and media partners. The move to Dallas, one of the great cities in the U.S., will make the 2023 National Championships more accessible geographically for players seeking to qualify among our membership that is more than 70,000 strong."

With this announcement, the USA Pickleball National Championships will officially move from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., where it has been successfully held since 2018. After a competitive bidding process that encompassed proposals from multiple city governances, Dallas and the Dallas Sports Commission presented the best combination to take the National Championships to the next level. Furthermore, Invited's Brookhaven Country Club was marked as the perfect venue to host an event of this size and prestige.

"It's been special to see the Dallas community rally around pickleball - from the city itself, to the Dallas Sports Commission, to our partners at Invited" said Tom Dundon, investor in the PPA Tour.

"Partnering with USA Pickleball to bring its National Championships to a central hub is important to us as we continue making pickleball more accessible for everyone. We look forward to working in conjunction with USAP to create an incredibly exciting and historic event that will be the biggest pickleball party in the world."

Upgrades planned for the 2023 National Championships include shutting down the street outside of Brookhaven Country Club and designating it as "Pickleball Boulevard" to make space for a stage, live music, and interactive activities with sponsors and local businesses. Food and beverage vendors from all over the state of Texas will be on-site as part of the "Taste of Pickle" exhibit that will give tournament attendees the chance to experience traditional southwestern cuisine. USAP and the PPA Tour are working together to book musical performances for the tournament, as well as collaborating on various ancillary events surrounding the tournament to make the fan and player experience unforgettable.

[Quote from Invited executive]

Three tournaments on the 2023 Carvana PPA Tour will now be sanctioned by USA Pickleball and serve as Golden Ticket events for players to have the opportunity to automatically qualify for the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships: the Selkirk Texas Open (rescheduled to May 31-June 4), the Seattle Open (July 27-30) and the Kansas City Open (August 24-27).

The 2023 Carvana PPA Tour schedule includes 25 stops with the top pro players in the world competing for the largest payouts in the sport and precious ranking points as they battle to the top of the podium. While the National Championships remains USAP-owned, the PPA Tour will aid in operating the event and disburse waivers to its pro roster so that they may compete in the tournament.

Last year's National Championships welcomed 2,291 players - including the sport's best professional and amateur players, comprising 4,158 matches officiated by 102 USA Pickleball- certified referees in 176 brackets. The event also hosted 5,522 fans on Championship Sunday, the largest-ever pickleball attendance in history.

More information about the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships presented by the PPA Tour - including how to qualify - can be found [here].

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ABOUT USA PICKLEBALL

USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of pickleball in the United States. Its mission is to promote the development and growth of the sport while sanctioning events and providing annual members with premier tournaments, educational opportunities, player rankings, official rules and other exclusive benefits. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that is governed and operated by a Board of Directors and a national office staff, who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued expansion of the sport.

ABOUT CARVANA PPA TOUR

The Carvana PPA Tour is the professional tour of pickleball, organizing events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players worldwide and awarding more than $5.5 million in annual prize money with equal play and pay. The Carvana PPA Tour is set to host 25 events in 2023 at world-class facilities like the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati, Mission Hills Country Club in California, and the Darling Tennis Center and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Inviting all to compete