Amateur Pickleball Association

What Amateur Pickleball Association does

The Amateur Pickleball Association (APA), operating under parent company The 1965 Group, LLC and headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, runs the largest amateur pickleball tournament tour in the United States, with nearly 150 events scheduled across 30+ states for 2026 and an annual participation base of over 25,000 competitors. APA's core product is standardized tournament organization, delivered through three flagship formats (Amateur Open Series, Gold Cup Series, Master's Series) plus festival-style PickleFest events, with skill-based division placement at 2.5 to 5.0+ levels, USA Pickleball rule compliance, and 6-game minimum guarantees at most events. The technology stack is a WordPress website integrated with third-party platforms: Pickleball Brackets handles tournament registration and bracket management, DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) provides player skill verification and seeding, and PicklePerks (launched 2025) operates as a national player rewards and wallet system. The company has no proprietary mobile app and does not appear to operate any AI/ML capabilities.

APA's business model is event-driven pay-as-you-go: standard registration is $75 per player, with tiered early-bird discounts for first ($60-$75), second ($40-$55), and third ($20-$35) events, no membership requirement, and optional CASH Pay Divisions offering prize pools up to $800. Revenue is supplemented by sponsorships from equipment and technology brands including Franklin Sports, Selkirk Sport, and Match Play Ink, with Selkirk operating branded Sunday brackets at select events. The company serves amateur pickleball players aged youth through senior across all U.S. skill levels, with discounted entry for juniors and college students. APA is privately held with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed funding, and is led by Executive Director Tom Davidson, VP of Events Dylan Horowitz, and VP of Operations Ana Fischer.

Name

Amateur Pickleball Association

Legal name

The 1965 Group, LLC

Website

https://apatournaments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Amateur Pickleball Association operates the largest amateur pickleball tournament tour in the United States, running nearly 150 standardized events annually across 30+ states for 25,000+ amateur players, with registration and ratings handled through Pickleball Brackets and DUPR integrations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Amateur Sports Tournament Organization

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens) (MPAKACAL), Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF)

Keywords

• Amateur pickleball tournaments
• Pickleball event management
• Sports tournament series
• Player rewards programs
• Racquet sports competition

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Tournament Registration Fees: The primary revenue stream is per-player tournament registration fees. Standard registration rates are $75 per player. Early Bird pricing ranges from $60-$75 for first events, $40-$55 for second events, and $20-$35 for third events. Some events also feature optional CASH Prize divisions capped at 14 teams with payout values based on total attendance (sold out: Gold $800, Silver $600, Bronze $400, 4th $200).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Amateur Pickleball Association organizes and operates amateur pickleball tournaments across the United States, offering per-event player registration, skill-based division placement via DUPR, standardized tournament formats (Amateur Open, Gold Cup, Master's Series, PickleFest), and the PicklePerks rewards program. Nearly 150 tournaments are scheduled for 2026, attracting over 25,000 competitors annually.

Product overview

The Amateur Pickleball Association (APA Tournaments) operates the largest amateur pickleball tournament tour in the United States with nearly 150 tournaments planned for 2026. The core offering is tournament organization and management services, with products including the Amateur Open Series, Gold Cup Series, Master's Series, and PickleFest branded events. The service integrates with Pickleball Brackets for registration and DUPR for skill-based player division placement. PicklePerks serves as a player rewards add-on, while CASH Pay Divisions offer optional prize opportunities. All events follow USA Pickleball rules with divisions for all ages and skill levels (2.5-5.0+).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PicklePerks: The first player rewards program available to all players nationally, allowing players to earn points with every tournament registration and build wallet earnings through tournament wins. Points can be applied to future tournament play and swag purchases.

Products and services

• APA Tournament Series The Amateur Pickleball Association's flagship offering: nearly 150 standardized amateur pickleball tournaments hosted annually across 30+ U.S. states, with per-event player registration, skill-based division placement via DUPR, round-robin play followed by medal bracket formats, and 6-game minimum guarantees at most events. Open to amateur players of all skill levels (2.5-5.0+) and ages.
• PicklePerks Player Rewards Program A national player rewards and loyalty program where players earn 5 points per tournament entry, 1 point per round-robin/consolation win, 2 points per main bracket win, and additional points for medal placements (Gold: 6pts, Silver: 4pts, Bronze: 2pts). Points double when attendance exceeds 200 players or any division has 12+ teams. Each point equals $1 redeemable toward future tournament fees or APA swag.
• Amateur Open Series APA tournament series featuring a 6-game minimum guarantee, doubles/mixed format with pool play matches to 11 (win by 2), medal matches to 15, and singles with rally scoring to 21. Awards include Gold/Silver/Bronze medals.
• Gold Cup Series Premium tournament series with format variations from the Amateur Open, featuring single game pool play to 11 for doubles, medal bracket semi-finals to 15, and best 2 of 3 sets to 11 for finals. Singles use rally scoring to 21 with medal finals as best 2 of 3 sets to 15.
• Master's Series Tournament series with a 6-game minimum guarantee, best 2 of 3 sets for medal bracket semi-finals and finals at 11 points, and singles medal finals as best 2 of 3 sets to 15.
• PickleFest Festival-style pickleball tournament events hosted by APA, part of the tournament portfolio featuring multiple events throughout the year.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 game minimum guarantee at Amateur Open Series events
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pickleball BracketscoreTechnology or IntegrationPickleball Brackets is the tournament registration and bracket management platform used by APA for all event registrations. Players are redirected from apatournaments.com to Pickleball Brackets to complete registration and link their DUPR accounts.
• DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating)coreTechnology or IntegrationDUPR is the player rating system used by APA to verify player skill levels for seeding and division placement. All players must connect their DUPR account during registration. Divisions are set based on DUPR ratings with 60%+ reliability requirement for players with 25+ matches.
• USA PickleballcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA follows USA Pickleball rules during all events and reports tournament results to USA Pickleball and other sanctioning bodies. USA Pickleball is the national governing body for the sport, established in 2005.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USTA (United States Tennis Association): The USTA operates a massive amateur tournament ecosystem for tennis with USTA ratings, sanctioned events, and junior pathways. It is a structural analog to APA for pickleball - demonstrating what a scaled national amateur racquet-sports tour looks like at maturity.
• USA Pickleball: USA Pickleball is the national governing body for the sport. It sets the rules APA follows and sanctions events, making it both an enabler (legitimacy, rule framework) and an indirect competitor through its own sanctioned tournament programs.

Emerging players

• DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating): DUPR is the leading pickleball player rating system used by APA for seeding and division placement. It serves leagues, clubs, and tournaments across the country and shares the same player audience as APA.
• Pickleball Brackets: Pickleball Brackets is the tournament management and registration platform APA uses to operate all of its events. It also powers other amateur pickleball organizers, making it both a critical infrastructure partner and an adjacent operator in the amateur tournament ecosystem.

Others

• Selkirk Sport: Selkirk is a major pickleball equipment brand and APA sponsor (Selkirk Sunday Brackets). It is comparable as an ecosystem participant in amateur pickleball tournaments, though it is primarily a manufacturer rather than a tournament operator.
• Franklin Sports (Pickleball): Franklin is a sporting goods manufacturer with a pickleball equipment line and APA sponsor. It is comparable as an adjacent brand monetizing the same amateur pickleball audience through equipment sales rather than tournaments.

Direct peers

• Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour): The PPA Tour is the leading professional pickleball tour in the US, running sanctioned tournaments that share much of the same player pool, venue partners (e.g., Pickleball Kingdom), and equipment sponsors (Selkirk, Franklin) as APA. It is the most direct competitor for player attention and sponsorship dollars in the pickleball tournament space.
• Major League Pickleball (MLP): MLP operates team-based pickleball events and amateur qualifying pathways. It competes with APA for both spectator interest and amateur players seeking competitive structures, and overlaps on venue and sponsor relationships.

Regional players

• Pickleball Kingdom: Pickleball Kingdom is a fast-growing chain of indoor pickleball clubs and a recurring APA venue host (e.g., New Jersey Open, Charleston Amateur Open). It competes for player time and dollars in its home markets and is a key venue partner for APA.
• The Picklr: The Picklr is a pickleball club franchise with multiple locations (New England, Texas) that hosts APA events. It is comparable as a regional facility operator participating in the amateur pickleball tournament circuit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ApaTournaments
• Facebookfacebook.com/APATournaments
• Instagraminstagram.com/apatournaments
• TikToktiktok.com/@apatournaments
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amateur-pickleball-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amateur Pickleball Association