PPA Tour & Major League Pickleball Announce Asia Leagues
The Kitchen Team
Last Edited
Nov 25 2024
Category
News
Pickleball fever is about to sweep Asia. The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP) have announced the launch of PPA Asia and MLP Asia.
This collaboration brings the sport’s top-level action to the world’s most populous continent starting in 2025.
Why Asia? Simple: the region is a mecca for racket sports, and pickleball’s unique blend of strategy and accessibility is a perfect fit.
Earlier this year, we called 2024 "the year pickleball goes global," focusing specifically on the rise of the game in Asia. It appears these organizations have taken note.
The breakdown:
- PPA Asia kicks off in 2025 with a tour that hits iconic venues across China, Vietnam, Japan, and Singapore. The tour will culminate in a marquee event in October, uniting pros from Asia, the U.S., and beyond.
- MLP Asia rolls out its team-based format in 2025-2026, aiming to build regional leagues and inject some excitement into the local scene.
Leading the charge is Kimberly Koh, a seasoned sports marketer with years of experience in the Asian sports ecosystem.
Players are all-in on this development. Vietnam-born pro Quang Duong called it “a huge moment for pickleball to explode across Asia and globally.”
MVP Anna Bright echoed the sentiment, envisioning the same passion from Asian fans that has driven pickleball’s meteoric rise in the U.S.
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