UPA-Signed Players Won't Be Competing in USA Pickleball National Championships

The annual standalone pickleball event scheduled for the end of the year is now two distinct events, as the UPA and USA Pickleball continue to distance themselves from one another.

PPA CEO Connor Pardoe posted this on X Wednesday:

That post got me thinking – Is there a chance the average pickleball fan may not know the difference between the two events at the end of the year? The answer is likely yes.

Here are all the details:

For a little bit of history, last year USA Pickleball and the PPA Tour partnered at the 2023 BioFreeze National Championships. USA Pickleball has been running Nationals since 2009, according to allpickleball.com. 

Back in March, the UPA (United Pickleball Association - the parent company of the PPA and MLP) announced it was no longer acknowledging USA Pickleball as its governing body. The UPA created the UPA-A instead, severing ties with USA Pickleball. 

With many UPA-signed players on exclusive contracts, the UPA created the PPA World Championships to compete with Nationals this year.

So, USA Pickleball is holding Nationals Nov. 10-17, and the PPA is holding the PPA World Championships Nov. 3-10.

Here are all the details:

UPA World Championships

When: November 3rd - 10th

Where: Brookhaven Country Club, Farmers Branch, Texas (suburb of Dallas)

Note - Brookhaven Country Club was the location of last year’s Nationals

Who will be playing

• Amateurs
• State Champions - Amateurs
• All five pro divisions - women’s singles, men’s singles, mixed doubles, women’s doubles and men’s doubles

USA Pickleball National Championships

When: November 10th - 17th

Where: Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, Arizona

Who will be playing

• Amateurs who qualify through the Golden Ticket program
• Three Pro Divisions
  • Pro
  • Champions Pro - 50+
  • Masters Pro - 60+
• Across all three divisions, the prize pool for the USAP Nationals is $225,000

Who will NOT be playing

• UPA signed players