Overview of USA national amateur organizations, leagues, and tours
On the national level there are a few leagues and tours that have formed that put on regional and national tournaments. These include USAP Diamond Amateur Championship, Amateur Pickleball Association, and World Pickleball Tour.
USA Governing Body: USA Pickleball or USAP
USA Pickleball, also known as USAP, is the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the U.S. and provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials. The USAP has become the de facto governing organizations in the United States for both amateur and professional players. They sanction both professional tours as well as amateur tournaments.
USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championship
The USAP hosts the annual Diamond Amateur Championship. There are 12 Diamond Amateur Regional tournaments leading up to the national championship. The Diamond Amateur Championship takes place in December 2023. All gold and silver medalists from the 12 Diamond Amateur Regional tournaments are eligible for the Diamond Amateur Championship and can then pre-register during Phase I of the registration process. The schedule of the 12 Regional tournaments can be found here or in our latest newsletter.
The USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championship will be held Dec. 3-10, 2023, and hosted by Pictona at Holly Hill in Florida. Gold Medalists from the Diamond Amateur Championship will earn pre-registration (Golden Tickets) to the 2024 USA Pickleball National Championships.
APA stands for Amateur Pickleball Association
The Amateur Pickleball Association (APA) hosts amateur tournaments around the country. The tournaments run youth (8-18U), “Collegiate Series” (current college students), and an open series (by skill level) of pickleball events. APA events follow the USA Pickleball Association rules and guidelines for play. he format for each event may differ from location to location but will generally include “instruction” for the entry level divisions and competitive tournament play.
Registration is open to all ages and skill levels with Juniors & Collegiate players receiving a discounted entry fee to further grow the game for the next generation of players. Schedule of APA events can be found here or in our latest newsletter.
WPT stands for World Pickleball Tour
The World Pickleball Tour (WPT) is an amateur tournament series. In 2022, the WPT hosted 25 events in 2022 and is hosting nearly 40 in 2023 across the US. Tour dates can be found here.
All tournaments are considered challenger events, as all Gold Medalists from our circuit are invited to the 2024 WPT Amateur Invitational Championships. The Invitational will host the best amateur players in the country as each compete for their share of a cash purse.
Information on professional pickleball organizations, leagues, and tours can be found on this page.
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