Apollo Sports Capital leads $225M investment in parent company of PPA Tour, Major League Pickleball

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

May 01 2026

Category

News

Pickleball Inc. has become the new parent company of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball following a $225 million investment led by Apollo Sports Capital, which is an investment platform of Apollo (NYSE: APO).

The deal integrates professional and amateur pickleball with leading technology, retail and infrastructure platforms.

Pickleball Inc.’s newly merged business operations combined to generate more than $140 million in revenue in 2025, while setting a host of growth records. Tom Dundon and Connor Pardoe will remain majority shareholders in the business, according to a news release.

Dundon is an owner of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team and the Carolina Hurricanes NHL team and was an early investor in pickleball, while Pardoe is the founder of the PPA Tour and the CEO of Pickleball Inc.

A source told The Kitchen that Pickleball Inc. was valued at $800 million as part of the deal.

“This is a seismic day for the rapidly growing business of pickleball at all levels,” said Pardoe. “This investment allows us to fully integrate the sport into one cohesive ecosystem -- uniting professional pickleball, consumer goods, technology, and media under a single, unified platform. By bringing together the best companies in the space, we’re creating an end-to-end experience that serves every pickleballer on their journey, whether they’re a casual enthusiast or a dedicated fanatic. At its core, this is still about building and delivering the culture, fun, and community that define pickleball’s DNA."

Added Al Tylis, CEO of Apollo Sports Capital: “Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, appealing to players and fans of all ages, and we are excited to be making this structured investment. This is a unique opportunity to support the combination of these assets, effectively reimagining how to create a professional sports league under a single ecosystem and platform for growth. We believe that the Company now has the resources it needs to get to the next level, having already proved itself as the most successful emerging sports league of the past decade.”

The five-person board of Pickleball Inc. includes Al Tylis, Connor Pardoe, Jason Stein, Zubin Mehta and Brian Levine.

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A closer look at Pickleball Inc.

Pickleball Inc. will now include a wide variety of business initiatives, encompassing every level of the sport. Some of the company's new assets -- Pickleball Central, PickleballTournaments.com and Just Courts (a pickleball court installer) -- were previously owned by Dundon.

PROFESSIONAL PLAY - PPA Tour & Major League Pickleball: Pickleball’s leading tour (fall-spring season) and coed team league (summer season) feature more than 150 signed pro players and a combined year-round event calendar. Past PPA Tour and MLP broadcasts have generated more than 500,000 viewers on live CBS broadcasts, and PPA/MLP athletes earn a total of more than $33 million in prize money and payouts.

RETAIL - Pickleball Central: The market-leader in pickleball retail, offering equipment, accessories and apparel. The company has fulfilled more than 1 million orders since its founding in 2006.

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SOFTWARE - Pickleball Play Solutions: The software powers PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball events (PickleballTournaments.com) in addition to thousands of amateur tournaments and league seasons annually. It hosted 4,500 tournaments and 2,000 league seasons in 2025.

COURT CONSTRUCTION - Just Courts: The “Official Court Installer” for many organizations across the pickleball market, including MLP & PPA events, schools, facilities and community centers.

MEDIA - Pickleball.com and Pickleball TV: Pickleball.com is the go-to online destination for live scores, news, video highlights, merchandise, tournaments, leagues, clubs, ratings and clinics, offering the latest updates from across the world of pickleball. Pickleball TV, a joint venture with Tennis Channel, is the only 24/7 digital network dedicated to the sport. It's available on YouTube TV and several streaming services.

INVESTMENTS - Picklr and DUPR: Picklr is the leading indoor pickleball facility brand, with more than 500 locations worldwide. DUPR has more than 1 million rated pickleball players participating in matches.

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