Pickleball players from all over the world descend on North Texas for four days for the largest pickleball tournament in state history.
The Oasis Pickleball Club in Rockwall brags that it's the largest pickleball club in Texas. Thursday though Sunday, June 4, its 44 courts will host the Professional Pickleball Association Tour.
More than 1,500 amateurs and 300 pros from around the world will paddle up to win more than $238,000 in prize money and a chance to qualify for the USA Pickleball National Championships in Farmers Branch this coming November.
"Texas has become a staple when it comes to pickleball especially this Dallas metroplex area where it's one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas for the sport of pickleball really in the world," said Connor Pardoe, Founder and CEO of PPA Tour.
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"When I started the PPA Tour, Dallas was a place that was a little behind in 2019. It wasn't where Florida or Arizona or Utah or a couple of other places were but it picked up. In the last 24 months, there hasn't been a city or an area that has grown faster than Dallas. The number two player in the world ended up moving here to Dallas."
Texas, in fact, is home to more professional players than any other state. The 2023 event marks the fourth straight year PPA Tour returns to Rockwall.
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The Selkirk Texas Open is set to be the largest PPA Tour event in history and the largest pickleball tournament ever held in Texas.
It's also the first time that the PPA Tour has partnered with USA Pickleball, pickleball's governing body, on a Golden Ticket Event. Golden Tickets provide entry to the USA Pickleball National Championships. The crown jewel of the pickleball competition will take place in North Texas Nov. 6-12 and host nearly 5,000 registered players.
USA Pickleball announced in March that the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships will officially move from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, to the Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch.
“It’s been special to see the Dallas community rally around pickleball-from the city itself, to the Dallas Sports Commission, to our partners at Invited,” Tom Dundon, lead investor in the PPA Tour said in a news release. “Partnering with USA Pickleball to bring its National Championships to a central hub is important to us as we continue making pickleball more accessible for everyone. We look forward to working in conjunction with USA Pickleball to create an incredibly exciting and historic event that will be the biggest pickleball party in the world.”
The news release goes on to say that upgrades planned for the 2023 National Championships include designating the street outside of Brookhaven Country Club as “Pickleball Boulevard” to make space for a stage, live music, and family-friendly activities with sponsors and local businesses. Food and beverage vendors from all over the state of Texas will be on-site as part of the “Taste of Pickle” exhibit that will give tournament attendees the chance to experience traditional southwestern cuisine. Nightly musical performances are planned for the tournament, as well as various interactive events surrounding the event to make the fan and player experience unforgettable.
For Pardoe who founded PPA Tour four years ago, it's the realization of what he knew could happen after getting introduced to the sport a few years ago.
"I started playing it and fell in love with it and saw an opportunity to continue to grow and introduce professionalism into the sport of pickleball. It hadn't been done yet," he said. We've seen it change every day since 2019. Before you used to tell somebody, 'I do pickleball for my job,' and they were like, 'What? Wait. What's that? That sounds pretty cool. Tell me more about it.' So, I think the stigma of the sport has changed a lot."
On average, PPA Tour events have an estimated total economic impact of ~$2,750,000 and attract players and fans from all over the world.
Where and when will the event take place?
Where: Oasis Pickleball Club
5757 State Hwy 205
Rockwall, TX 75032
When: June 1-4, Thursday-Sunday
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
