PPA Tour Wants to Funnel Amateurs to the Pros with New Challenger Series Events
Last Edited
Dec 04 2024
Category
News
One of the PPA Tour's taglines is that anyone can "play where the pros play." The Tour has established itself as both "the big leagues" and a place where enthusiasts can compete.
But now, they've announced a formal feeder league. The PPA Challenger Series, powered by JOOLA, is a new tour designed to nurture the sport’s grassroots while paving a clear path to the Carvana PPA Tour.
This isn’t your typical amateur league. With more than a dozen stops nationwide, the Challenger Series offers aspiring pros (ranked outside the PPA Top 20) a shot at ranking points and wildcards to PPA Tour events.
Each stop brings a $10,000 prize purse, but the real prize will likely be climbing the leaderboard and earning a moment on the PPA Tour’s main stage.
Connor Pardoe, the PPA Tour’s CEO, calls it a mission to grow the game.
“This series will inspire amateurs and connect communities with electric pickleball action,” he says.
Fans can watch every match live on the PPA Tour’s YouTube channel, making the Challenger Series a must-see event in 2025.
The format mirrors the pro-level events:
- Fridays: Singles
- Saturdays: Doubles
- Sundays: Mixed doubles
Amateurs and pros will share courts in high-octane showdowns, kicking off March 28 in South Carolina and wrapping up October 20 in Arkansas.
Registration is open now at ppachallenger.com.
Event Dates/Locations:
- Columbia, SC Caycee Pickleball Complex March 28-30
- Baton Rouge, LA Stacks Pickleball April 4-6
- Portland, ME The Picklr May 9-11
- Opelika, AL Opelika Pickleball Facility May 16-18
- Punta Gorda, FL PicklePlex May 23-25
- Boise, ID The Flying Pickle May 30-June 1
- Springfield, IL Premier Pickleball June 13-15
- Rochester, NY Dinkers Pickleball Campus June 27-29
- Eau Claire, WI Chippewa Valley Pickleball Club July 24-27
- Edwardsville/St. Louis, IL Plummer Family Park August 1-3
- Quad Cities/Davenport, IA Quad City Tennis Club August 8-10
- Orlando, FL IHG Orlando Sept. 5-7
- Evansville, IN Wesselman Park Sep. 19-21
- Fort Collins, CO Zero Zero Two Sep. 26-28
- Little Rock, AR Rebsamen Tennis Center Oct. 18-20
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