WELCOME TO
USA PICKLEBALL!
Pickleball’s momentum as one of the fastest
growing sports in the country continues with
a brand relaunch aimed at building awareness
and promoting the sport’s development and
growth across America.
The new brand name officially changed from USAPA
to USA Pickleball, aligning it with other sports governing
bodies and our USA Pickleball National Championships.
The brand relaunch also includes a new, modern logo
and an updated website. The new name, logo and
website will strengthen USA Pickleball’s worldwide image
as the official National Governing Body for pickleball
in the U.S. and will help attract new players and future
ambassadors.
The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) was formed
in 2005. The last time the USAPA logo was updated,
in 2013, the governing body had 4,000 members. By
January 2020, membership had accelerated ten-fold,
surpassing 40,000 members. The Sports Fitness Industry
Association (SFIA) estimates that the number of active
pickleball players in America is 3.3 million.
“The unprecedented growth of pickleball and a new
strategic plan meant it was time to set the stage for the
next wave of growth and excitement that the sport
brings to so many people,” said USA Pickleball Board
Chair Phil Mortenson. “And we chose to relaunch during
the 55th anniversary and month pickleball was created,
in July 1965.”
The evolution from USAPA to USA Pickleball started
at the 2018 Margaritaville USA Pickleball National
Championships held at the iconic Indian Wells Tennis
Garden. A discussion between USA Pickleball executives
and the Desert Champions team centered on increasing
awareness of the sport, while making it easier to market
to fans and spectators in high-playing locations like
southern California and the Southwest.
“The rename to USA Pickleball will make it easier for us
to attract new participants and members, and get more
people playing,” said Managing Director of Marketing
and Communications George Bauernfeind. “It also
reinforces our goal—to the community, our members
and the sport—to make pickleball an Olympic and
Paralympic sport.”
One of the pillars of the brand relaunch is the
evolution of USA Pickleball’s logo, which builds off the
current elements while incorporating a sleek, modern
aesthetic. The logo incorporates red, white and blue, and
features a blue arc attached to a pickleball.
“We wanted a logo that would capture the passion
of pickleball players, as well as the motion, energy
and excitement of the sport,” Bauernfeind said. “The
pickleball community serves players young and old,
recreational and skilled, and we wanted to create a
logo that was all-encompassing. The sport is still in the
introductory and educational phase. We believe the new
logo helps people who don’t know about pickleball learn
what the sport is and pick it up quickly.”
The third installment of the brand relaunch includes a
new-and-improved website that’s easier to navigate and
features a new URL (usapickleball.org). Using data and
analytics, the new website was designed to improve the
user experience and make information easy to find and
share—with an emphasis on visual design.
The speed of the website was improved, allowing
for faster loading and page refresh times for users.
The site receives more than half of its web traffic from
mobile devices, ensuring that the user experience is
optimized for any and all devices—not just desktop. A
new framework and theme were built to showcase the
site’s modern design. And a new “What is Pickleball?”
animated video was produced to support one of the top
web pages on the site and build awareness by providing
an overview of the basics of the sport. Check it out!
“The new website is an important part of the brand
relaunch,” Bauernfeind said. “It’s all about the user
experience, and we believe this improved version makes
for the best version of pickleball’s digital presence yet.”
USA Pickleball’s brand relaunch will help us
better prepare for the rapid growth the sport is
experiencing, both domestically and internationally.
Twenty-five countries are now formally playing
pickleball. The organization is aligning with U.S. and
international organizations on the journey to Olympic
recognition. As an aside, five new sports were added
to the Olympic lineup for Tokyo 2020 (pushed to next
summer), including baseball/softball, karate, skateboard,
sport climbing and surfing.
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