PHOENIX, Ariz. — USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball, today announced an expanded sanctioning partnership with National Pickleball, a subsidiary of Advanced Sports Media Group (ASM) that promotes and helps grow amateur athletics in the United States.
“Our sport is fundamentally built upon grassroots play and local communities, so we are delighted to see National Pickleball continue advancing its mission to provide an incredible playing experience,” said Justin Maloof, USA Pickleball Chief Operating Officer. “We are excited to directly support the National Pickleball team’s efforts to bring tournaments and events of the highest caliber and quality to our recreational players nationwide.”
National Pickleball specializes in creating exceptional tournaments and providing a “professional” experience for amateur players, focusing on a positive event experience and maximum sponsorship exposure. In 2023, National Pickleball will host 21 USA Pickleball-sanctioned tournaments across 11 states, expecting to serve over 8,500 players. A schedule of events can be found at nationalpickleball.com.
“We have aligned with USA Pickleball on tournament sanctioning since 2019 and are proud to expand our partnership in new ways to benefit amateur players, who are the backbone of the pickleball community,” said Seth Burleigh, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Sports Media Group. “Sanctioning tournaments with USA Pickleball has proved extremely beneficial, providing us with accuracy for bracketing and seeding, access to different types of insurance, software use, and so much more. We look forward to collaborating with USA Pickleball to continue improving the tournament experience and creating new channels for media exposure.”
National Pickleball has the most flexible refund policy in the industry — players can withdraw within 24 hours of the date of their match for a full refund. The organization prides itself on responsive customer service, fair pricing, and is the only amateur tournaments offering equal prize money across all divisions.