Latest news with #Pickleball
Associated Press
7 hours ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Pickleball 4 A Purpose to Host Largest Tournament Yet on September 28, 2025, in Coconut Creek, Florida
07/29/2025, Plantation, Florida // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Plantation, FL – Pickleball 4 A Purpose, the fast-growing teen-led nonprofit connecting generations through pickleball, will host its largest event yet on September 28, 2025, at the Diadem Pickleball Complex in Coconut Creek, Florida. Founded by Ava Weissman, a rising senior at American Heritage School, the organization has raised over $30,000 in less than a year and now boasts 14 chapters across 9 states and participants reached in 17 countries. The September tournament will be the third semi-annual event organized by Pickleball 4 A Purpose, with a goal of raising $10,000 for the Florida Council on Aging. The format features intergenerational teams—one youth and one senior—highlighting the organization's core mission of building meaningful connections across age groups through play. Ava is actively securing sponsors and community support for what promises to be the most impactful tournament yet. 'Not only does raising money create impact for the community, but the bonds I see made at every tournament are what keep the organization going. It's a way to heal generational divides, spark joy, and create something lasting—not just in our communities, but across the world,'said Ava Weissman. Inspired by playing pickleball with her grandmother, Ava launched the organization in June 2024 to address rising youth anxiety and senior loneliness. Her efforts have been recognized by United HomeCare, who honored her with the 2025 Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Medal Award, and she will receive the Public Service State Service Award in Orlando on August 7. Past tournaments have seen impressive community engagement and fundraising outcomes. The inaugural event raised over $6,000 and included a $2,000 donation to AVUSConnect, a nonprofit supporting intergenerational connection through technology. The second tournament generated $10,000 and contributed $4,000 to United HomeCare to fund meal delivery programs for South Florida seniors. Additional chapters in Philadelphia, Scarsdale, and Washington, D.C. have since hosted their own events, raising thousands more for youth and senior-focused causes including children's hospitals, food security programs, and summer camps With over 4,000 people reached, 1,000+ student service hours provided, and a growing international footprint, Pickleball 4 A Purpose is scaling rapidly. Ava has authored a Chapter Playbook to help students launch local chapters, and new tournaments are already planned for the months ahead. The September 28th event will serve as a national showcase of the movement's momentum and impact. About Pickleball 4 A Purpose Pickleball 4 A Purpose is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 to foster intergenerational connection through inclusive pickleball tournaments. The initiative promotes physical health, emotional well-being, and social impact by uniting youth and seniors around a shared purpose—and raising funds for causes that serve both generations. Media Contact: Heather Weissman Phone: (215) 498-0066 Email: [email protected] Original Source of the original story >> Pickleball 4 A Purpose to Host Largest Tournament Yet on September 28, 2025, in Coconut Creek, Florida
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
What to know about Hong Kong Open 2025 pickleball tournament and 6 places to play
Pickleball is becoming increasingly popular in Asia, with new courts opening regularly and rising numbers of players. Advertisement In 2024, Seymour Rifkind, a US-based pickleball ambassador, said that Chinese officials told him they expect there to be 10,000 courts and 100 million players in China over the next five years. In Hong Kong, the inaugural Hong Kong Open, part of the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour Asia, will take place at the Kai Tak Arena in Kai Tak Sports Park this August. The tournament will be hosted by the United Pickleball Association (UPA), the parent company of the PPA Tour, who are positioning the activity to be the next leading sport in Asia. The tournament is open to players of all ages and experience levels, and amateur players can play alongside professionals. The contest will be organised according to skill level and age, with 'Pro League' gold medallists eligible for prize money up to US$50,000, as well as 1,000 points that count towards the PPA Tour Asia Rankings. Amateur players can win up to US$9,000. Advertisement Categories include men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Since registration began in late June, there have already been over 600 applicants, including star Hong Kong player Jack Wong, who is aiming for a triple-crown win at the open, as well as China's gold medallist Long Yufei, who ranks among the top 12 in the UPA Asia Trailblazers programme.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
PICKLEBALL KINGDOM OPENS KENTUCKY'S LARGEST INDOOR FACILITY IN LEXINGTON!
LEXINGTON, Ky., July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pickleball Kingdom, the premier indoor pickleball franchise, announces the Grand Opening of its newest state-of-the-art facility in Lexington, Kentucky, on Saturday, August 2, 2025. The facility, located at 152 Turner Commons in Lexington, KY, will be hosting free open play throughout the weekend. The Grand Opening Day will be packed with excitement for all ages and skill levels, including: Free Open Play All Weekend – (Reserve your spot now on the Pickleball Kingdom App.) Open Play Times: 6:00 AM – 9:00 AM, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM Grand Opening Ceremony – Join us as we officially cut the ribbon and celebrate this major milestone with a Ribbon Cutting at 2:00 PM! Prizes & Giveaways – Enter to win exciting gear and memberships throughout the day! This location will be opening in Lexington's newest upcoming development, The Commons. Lexington native and president of Pickleball X, Sheehan Lake, is very excited about opening this facility. "We are thrilled to open Kentucky's largest indoor pickleball facility and plan on it being the hub for pickleball across the Bluegrass." In the days leading up to our public launch, Pickleball Kingdom will be hosting exclusive events: Thursday, July 31 – Member Night – An invite-only experience for members to be the first of the general public on the courts. Friday, August 1 – Friends & Family Preview (Private Invite Only) – A closed celebration of Pickleball Kingdom's launch with staff's family and friends invited. Whether you're new to pickleball or a seasoned player, come see why Pickleball Kingdom is redefining the game. With a day of free open play planned on Saturday, August 2nd, this is a great chance to rally on Lexington's newest Pickleball experience. Not a Member? Sign up today and get an Ace Membership, your first month for $1, and the $100 initiation fee waived. Questions? Reach out at info@ About Pickleball Kingdom Pickleball Kingdom is the premier indoor pickleball franchise, dedicated to fostering community and providing world-class facilities. With a mission to create a global network of pickleball venues, Pickleball Kingdom is at the forefront of the fastest-growing sport in the U.S. For more information, visit Website: info@ Facebook: Instagram: Download the Pickleball Kingdom app: iOS: Android: View original content: SOURCE Pickleball Kingdom Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Sunil Gavaskar explains why he would choose to watch badminton over cricket on any day: ‘That's my favourite sport'
India legend Sunil Gavaskar said that he was a huge fan of badminton and he would prefer to watch badminton over cricket any time. He also said that it was his favourite sport and compared the 2022 Thomas cup win by India to the iconic 1983 World Cup win. 'I would play badminton. That's my favourite sport. You ask me to watch cricket and badminton, I'll go for badminton any time. It's just a fabulous sport and I think India is doing so well in recent times. Winning the Thomas Cup a couple of years ago is almost like India winning the World Cup in 83. So there's a lot of progress and we've had great champions. I love watching the sport,' he said in a video shared by Sony Sports on X. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨! Sunny G offers Pujara a spot in his Pickleball team 🤝🤣 #SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 26, 2025 In recent times, some of the rallies, they go on for a couple of minutes. I saw one which was like a 100 shots. It was a doubles match and doubles are more likely to have these rallies. It's amazing, their reflexes and everything,' Gavaskar added. In 2022, India defeated the 14-time champions Indonesia to win the Thomas Cup for the first time. India were off to a perfect start as Lakshya Sen defeated Anthony Ginting by 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 in a thrilling tie. India's doubles pair Satwik and Chirag defeated Ahsan-Sukamuljo! 18-21, 23-21, 21-19, the most sensational victory of their career, to give India a 2-0 lead. In the third game, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 to make it 3-0. They have done it without losing a match in the final. On Saturday, however, India's top doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament after suffering a straight-game defeat to Malaysian second seeds Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the semifinals. The Asian Games champions once again found themselves on the losing side against the world No. 2 Malaysian duo, who have proven to be a persistent hurdle in their path. Satwik and Chirag went down 13-21 17-21 to 2022 World champions and two-time Olympic bronze medallists Aaron and Soh.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Pickleball Pros forming World Pickleball Players Association Advisory Group
WPPA opens its doors for business, and opens up the sport for a lot of questions. Are we about to have another 'Tour Wars' chapter? A potential shot across the bow of the United Pickleball Association, parent group of the leading Professional Pickleball Association, has been fired in the recent wake of radical contract renegotiation demands being made of its 150+ pro players, and it's coming from some surprise sources. Late Friday, word broke on both ESPN and the Sports Business Journal of a new advisory organization called the World Pickleball Players Association (WPPA), a 'player-led organization formed to strengthen our sport through unity, professionalism, and collaboration.' The WPPA's named board is: The WPPA claims 'a few dozen' pros to start, but what's immediately interesting is the nature of the named WPPA Board. It includes several PPA stalwarts who have never previously wavered from allegiance to the tour. Tina Pisnik (the WPPA president), Dekel Bar (its Treasurer), and board members Collin Johns & Jay Devilliers have been PPA-true-blue since day one of the tour wars, dating back to when the PPA's fight was with rival tour Association of Pickleball Players and through the PPA-MLP August 2023 split. These four signed PPA-exclusive deals in 2023, which barred them from the rival MLP league that year, plus they stayed true to the PPA's cause in August 2023 during the massive pro tour split in Kansas City. However, today, these four stand with veteran Irvine, respected low-key pro Ge, and perhaps most surprising teenage sensation Tardio, who just a few months ago signed a massive 3-year contract worth more than $800k to commit to the tour. This week also saw the UPA re-announce its established Player Council, called the UPA Pro Player committee, a group who (in theory) has the same goals as the new WPPA. The UPA's Pro Player committee consists of: What's interesting here? Navratil (now the elected president) was an incredibly out-spoken critic of the PPA in the pre-tour wars era, yet is now the president of its internal player council. This group includes an interesting mix of never-wavered PPA players (Buckner, Jones, Parenteau, Waters, and Wright) along with some Aug 2023 MLP signees Bellamy, Johnson, Staksrud. Missing from either group? Ben Johns, the highest paid male player and brother of Collin, who's intimately involved in the breakaway. When prompted for comment by the Dink, 'The UPA confirms that this committee is the only formally acknowledged and authorized voice of its athlete base.' According to press releases, the new group's interests are in 'include health and safety along with transparency as it pertains to compensation.' While there's definitely been some griping on tour lately about the use of rollout courts in certain venues, the driving factor here has to be the compensation changes coming to the sport. A month ago, the tour sent out new contracts that it's essentially demanding that its pros sign, which convert their salaries into 3-year runway payoffs and pivots to an entirely prize-purse driven revenue model for players. This pivot may be welcomed by some and may very well be the necessary way to move forward as a professional sport, but it still represents essentially a forced change to signed and executed employment contracts with relatively harsh penalties for not abiding by its terms. Non-contracted pros are by definition only eligible for a small fraction of stated prize money (for example; a non-contracted pro who wins a Grand Slam doubles title would get just $3,000 prize money, while a full-member PPA player would get $45,000 for the same win), and that's if they're even allowed to compete (the PPA has put in contract terms for its 'gold card' members this year that basically block out certain players from ever being able to compete if they're not contracted with the tour if they're ranked high enough). The new WPPA is being advised by the same group (Sports Solidarity) who helped minor league baseball players unionize, and they the support of the Professional Tennis Players Association, an organization that pursues similar goals for touring tennis players. This is notable since (like tennis) pickleball pros technically are independent contractors, and the disparate priorities of the players make unionization nearly impossible across such a wide group of players. Will this group have any meaningful voice in the state of the contract negotiations? It remains to be seen. In the fall-out of the late 2023 Tour Wars saga, the 100 or so players who signed with MLP at the time formed a Player's Collective led by fierce PPA critic Jill Braverman, in an attempt to counter the 40% salary cut demands being made of them by the UPA. The monopoly-power of the UPA won out, and players by and large were forced to take the cuts or face being effectively ousted from the tour (Braverman no longer plays on the UPA, whether by choice or by banishment, and many MLP players took far larger cuts than their PPA aligned fellow pros). One thing seems sure; we're heading into another interesting chapter in the growth of the professional side of the sport.
