National Pickleball (NP) and The Senior Pro Tour are excited to add Senior Pro Doubles and Singles events to six of National Pickleball’s 2023 tournaments.
The Senior Pro Tour will benefit from National Pickleball’s best-in-class operations, marketing, and sales infrastructure, and offer more prize money to medalists than the other tours. The Senior Pro Tour also plans to offer prize money for 4th-8th place depending on the draw size. All prize money, referee fees, and other fees specific to The Senior Pro Tour will be drawn from the senior pro event fees or allocated sponsorship revenue – amateur players at these tournaments will not fund The Senior Pro Tour.
“Senior pros are some of the most iconic and recognizable players in our sport and continue to make a huge impact in the pickleball community. We are excited to provide a tour where the prize money and tournament infrastructure reflects their skill and dedication, and we are happy to support them,” says Seth Burleigh, COO of Advanced Sports Media, which owns National Pickleball.
“As pickleball continues to make huge strides in participation and awareness, it is critical to establish the importance of senior pro pickleball and showcase the skill and competitiveness of the players that are widely regarded as the first generation of pro players for the sport. We will be transparent with payouts based on an easy formula and number of entrants,” continue top senior pros Mattias Johansson and David Furman, who are leading the initiative to start The Senior Pro Tour.
“We run the largest tournaments in the world at our 41-court facility in Mesa, AZ, and senior pros are an integral part of the tournament scene. A high population of pickleball players are in the same age range as the senior pros, so a dedicated senior pro tour is not only what the players want, but also what the fans want, and National Pickleball is the right organization to help facilitate this endeavor,” says Ryan Trefry, Director of Pickleball at Bell Bank Park.
“We are grateful to Seth and NP for their willingness and cooperation to integrate The Senior Pro Tour into their existing events,” concludes David Furman.
The first NP tournament with The Senior Pro Tour will be the NP Sacramento Classic, July 21-23, 2023, at the new Johnson Ranch Pickleball Complex.
2023 NP tournaments with The Senior Pro Tour include:
NP Sacramento Classic – Sacramento, CA – July 21-23
NP Mile High Classic – Arvada/Denver, CO – August 25-27
NP Poway Classic – Poway, CA – September 29 – October 1
NP Punta Gorda Classic – Punta Gorda, FL – October 19-22
NP Palm Desert Open $10k – October 27-29
NP Arizona Open $15k – Mesa, AZ – November 17-19
Registration is open for all players 4.0+ and 50+ in singles and doubles to play in The Senior Pro tour.
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ABOUT NATIONAL PICKLEBALL
National Pickleball is part of Advanced Sports Media Group, a media and events company with over 15 years of experience. National Pickleball specializes in creating exceptional tournaments for amateurs, focusing on a positive player experience and maximum sponsorship exposure. In 2023 National Pickleball has 21 tournaments across 11 states, expecting to serve over 8,500 players. More information can be found at nationalpickleball.com.
ABOUT THE SENIOR PRO TOUR
The Senior Pro Tour is brought to you by a founding team of professional senior players and is excited to bring the outstanding play of seniors around the U.S. to pickleball fans everywhere. We are a tour dedicated to providing a platform for players in the senior pickleball age group to showcase their skills and abilities to the entire pickleball fandom. More information can be found at theseniorprotour.com.
National Pickleball Media Contact:
Seth Burleigh, COO
sburleigh@adsportsmedia.com
The Senior Pro Tour Media Contact:
David Furman, Founding Member
dhfurman5@gmail.com
Mattias Johannson, Founding Member
Mattiasjohansson1000@gmail.com
Mary Palmer, Sponsorship Director
SPTSponsorships@gmail.com