• Pickle-ball, Inc. which founded the commercial aspect of the "sport" in 1972 after its founders invented the actual game in 1965. They produce paddles, balls, and equipment, and distribute them worldwide. Their ball is the official ball of the US Open, USAPA Nationals, Tournament of Champions and hundreds of other tournaments.
• Pickleball Central, the world's largest retailer of Pickleball equipment. Founded in 2006, they now serve over 200,000 Pickleball households around the US and Canada.
• Pickleball Station, the Pacific Northwest's largest dedicated pickleball athletic facility.
• USAPA Store, the official online store of the USAPA.
• Pickleball Wholesale, the largest wholesale source for Pickleball equipment from 20 different brands

From the Press Release
PickleballTournaments.com President Melissa McCurley will remain President of
PickleballTournaments.com, which will operate as an independent division supported by all the
resources of Pickleball Central. Well known and highly regarded throughout the Pickleball industry for her expertise and commitment in supporting the sport, Ms. McCurley will continue in her leadership role directing the firm’s exceptionally fast growth.

In the past three years, PickleballTournaments.com has grown from managing 93 tournaments for 22,000 players to this year planning to support over 500 events with over 60,000 entrants.

Hechter continues, "This year we also acquired the rights to the International Indoor Pickleball Championships (IIPC) which is held each spring in Centralia Washington. This year's IIPC will feature a $25,000 prize pool and attract over 500 of the world's best pickleball players to play indoors, on hardwood gym floor surfaces. This is where many people start playing pickleball, in senior centers, YMCAs, and schools. We are working to keep that indoor tradition alive. We are also a major sponsor of the US Open, USAPA Nationals, and the Tournament of Champions.

The fact that this year's USAPA Nationals will be held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden is an interesting milestone in the sport's growth. Indian Wells is committed to this for the next 5 years, and will turn their facility into a Pickleball wonderland for a 7 - 14 days each year. This is quite a symbol of how the two sports can work together regardless of what the governing bodies do or don't do."

Pickleball Clubs
"We work with over 1,200 "clubs" - but not a club in the way Tennis players think about a club (as a facility operated generally for profit or mutual benefit with dues, fees, etc. with a pro shop, maybe even a bar, or clubhouse.) These clubs are truly informal clubs that most often use public facilities.

These clubs represent over 200,000 active players in the US. Even though we are a small company, last year we donated over $100,000 back into Pickleball clubs, ambassadors, and USAPA programs to help grow the sport. We take the growth of this sport very seriously, and put our money where our mouth is."

"In 2017 we worked closely with HEAD as their "Official Launch Partner" into Pickleball when they jumped in with both feet. In fact, I'm hosting HEAD North America's CEO Kevin Kempin this Wednesday at my offices. I'm hoping to get him onto the court. We are also a strategic partner of Gamma Sports, and we are currently working with three other "Tennis" equipment companies who are planning to launch pickleball products into the marketplace during Q1 & Q2 of 2018. We will be the official launch partner for all three of them. We see what is going on at the industry side where tennis and pickleball are intersecting.

The most recent SFIA (Sports Fitness Industry Association) 2017 Pickleball Participant Report claimed 2.8 million players. They looked at "core" players as those who played 8 or more times per year. I can tell you without a doubt that the core players of Pickleball don't play 8 times a year, they are more likely to play 8 times month, or even 8 times a week (twice on Sunday). They report the sport is continuing to grow by 10 - 15% each year. At the same time, tennis is shrinking. Industry reports show declines in tennis related spending. The companies and commercial entities in Tennis are chasing fewer and fewer dollars at a time when Pickleball continues to grow explosively."

Edward Hechter continues, "Our company is home to some of the world's best Pickleball players including Glen Peterson (Multiple time Gold Medal Winner at USAPA Nationals, US Open, IIPC, etc.), Brian Ashworth (Multiple time US Open & USAPA Nationals Medalist,), Tonja Major (USAPA Nationals Medalist), and Peter Hudachko (Tournament of Champions Medalist, and Canadian National Championship medalist). Our facility is also the training home to over 10 different USAPA Nationals & US Open medalists.

Our founders have served on the USAPA Board and were involved in selecting and hiring of Justin into the role of Executive Director. Our Kent, Washington facility is the current home of the official Pickleball Museum, and the Pickleball Hall of Fame. The USAPA Inducted 6 members into the inaugural class, all folks with ties to the Pacific Northwest, and most with ties to our company in some meaningful way. A couple of which can regularly be found playing on our courts."

Contacts
Via Email: info@Pickleball.com
Via Phone: 800-377-9915 or 206-632-0119

David Sammel "Locker Room Power" 

Becky Gunn Holmes "Totally Tennis For Me" 

 Bill Patton "The Art of Coaching High School Tennis"

Sidney Wood "The Wimbledon Final That Never Was"

Pat Cunningham Devoto "The Team"

Ara Grigorian "Game of Love"

Stephen Edward Paper "An Army Lost"

Paul Annacone "Coaching for Life"

Barbara Wyatt "Ode to TENNIS"