Spring has barely sprung and already USA Pickleball has made three major announcements that underscore the crucial role that we , as the National Governing Body for pickleball , play in promoting and growing the sport .

The first announcement was relocation of the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships from Indian Wells Tennis Garden , where the tournament has been held since 2018 , to the Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas . The dates for Nationals as originally announced ( Nov . 4-12 ) will remain unchanged .

The board ’ s decision to move the world ’ s premier pickleball tournament to Dallas , one of our country ’ s great cities , was driven by several factors . First and foremost , the new venue will enable us to host a much larger competition , giving more of our members — now numbering 73,000 and growing — an opportunity to qualify and play . In years past , due to capacity limitations , we could only accommodate approximately 2,200 players . That will no longer be the case . With an expected total of 65 courts this year , we anticipate that at least 4,000 amateur and professional players will be able to participate , which would make this year ’ s Nationals the largest pickleball tournament ever held .

We also believe Dallas ’ geographically central location will make Nationals more accessible for our members , especially those based on the East Coast . Last , but certainly not least , is the opportunity to partner with the PPA Tour , operator of the top-flight professional pickleball series . The PPA Tour is making significant capital improvements and other enhancements to the venue . In addition to constructing new courts , PPA Tour is adding exciting , festival-like activities , all of which will combine to make the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships the best one ever ! Whether you are a competitive player or just a fan of pickleball , we hope that you will make plans to join us in “ The Big D .”

Our second — and equally as important — announcement was that USA Pickleball has joined with the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball to issue best-in-class equipment compliance testing standards . By working in collaboration with other key stakeholders in the industry , USA Pickleball is better able to deliver on one of our most important obligations to our members and the pickleball community at large : ensuring both fair play and player safety .

Third , USA Pickleball has joined with the National Governing Bodies for Canada and Mexico to create the Pickleball Federation of the Americas . By creating this continental federation and working with our neighbor nations , USA Pickleball will play a key role in building pickleball throughout the Western Hemisphere , while remaining laser-focused on growing the sport here in the U . S .

As pickleball continues to grow at exponential rates and opportunities continue to present themselves for USA Pickleball to partner with others in the industry to promote and grow the sport , I am confident that you will see more exciting announcements from USA Pickleball in the coming months .

BOARD CHAIRMAN Robert Quicksilver

BOARD VICE CHAIR Suzanne Guerin

AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS

Philip Bullen Mark Fabbro Bob Franceschelli Ernie Medina Stephanie Russell

USA PICKLEBALL STAFF

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Stu Upson

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Justin Maloof

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Dan Ellsworth

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Chuck Menke

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS

Hope Tolley

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP

Nikki Greene

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING

Mark Peifer

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF EQUIPMENT STANDARDS & FACILITY DEVELOPMENT

Carl Schmits

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS & PRO PLAYER RELATIONS

Donn Paben

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS

Lance Cowart

MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS

Brady Kellogg

DIRECTOR OF SANCTIONING Karen Parrish

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTENT

Melissa Zhang

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES Jocelyn Walsh

DIRECTOR OF TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS

Baylee Opperman 10 TO SUBSCRIBE , CALL 412.914.8294 OR GO TO PICKLEBALLMAGAZINE . COM USAPICKLEBALL . ORG

Pickleball Magazine 8-3 WD | Page 12

Spring has barely sprung and already USA Pickleball has made three major announcements that underscore the crucial role that we , as the National Governing Body for pickleball , play in promoting and growing the sport .