Six massive occasions, 24 groups, a handful of high-profile possession teams, and as much as $5 million in prize cash up for grabs. Boardroom is serving up every thing you’ll want to know to prepare for the season.
The 2023 Main League Pickleball season represents a brand new starting for the game.
We’re speaking an entire new season, with much more groups, a brand new dynamic league format, a promotion and relegation system, and a heightened reputation led by a star-studded listing of staff house owners, together with Tom Brady, LeBron James, 35V co-founders Kevin Durant and Wealthy Kleiman, and extra.
Plain and easy — pickleball is again, and it’s certainly higher than ever.
With the 2023 Main League Pickleball season getting going Jan. 26-29 in Mesa, AZ, Boardroom is right here to offer every thing you’ll want to find out about what’s taking place within the reimagined skilled league of America’s fastest-growing sport.
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What to Anticipate from the 2023 Main League Pickleball Season
This isn’t your father’s, or, uh, barely older cousin’s Main League Pickleball.
In its inaugural season in 2021, MLP debuted with eight groups. For the 2022 season, 12 squads had been within the combine. At present, that quantity has doubled.
We’re speaking 24 whole groups and a completely new league format that pits the 12 beforehand current groups towards each other within the Premier Degree and the 12 model new groups within the Challenger Degree.
Each ranges will take part in two “seasons” all year long, every made up of three occasions.
Within the first season, the 12 groups within the Premier Degree will compete towards each other, whereas the 12 groups within the Challenger Degree will solely play towards each other.
Two males and two ladies, taken in a participant draft in December 2022, make up every staff. The primary 48 drafted gamers will take part on the Premier Degree, whereas the following 48 gamers are on the Challenger Degree groups.
After the primary season, the groups will then flip ranges and re-draft gamers for the second season.
Let’s take a look at what the groups appear like:
Premier Degree Groups
ATX Pickleballers
Cabo Vamos!
California BLQK Bears
Florida Smash
Frisco Clear Trigger
Las Vegas Evening Owls
Los Angeles Mad Drops
Milwaukee Masher
New Jersey 5’s
NY Hustlers
Seattle Pioneers
Social Onerous Eights
Challenger Degree Groups
Atlanta Bouncers
AZ Drive
Bay Space Breakers
Brooklyn Aces
Chicago Slice
Columbus Pickleball Membership
Dallas Pickleball Membership
D.C. Pickleball Staff
Miami Pickleball Membership
Texas Ranchers
Utah Black Diamonds
Valhalla Volleys
The primary occasion of the 2023 Main League Pickleball season — MLP Mesa by Margaritaville — takes place over 4 days within the Arizona desert on the sprawling Legacy Sports activities USA complicated. The format will function group play and single-elimination (knockout) rounds — nevertheless, the MLP can alter the format relying on schedule, climate, and extra.
The remaining stops of the 2023 MLP season embrace:
Season One
- March 23-26 – Daytona Seaside, FL – Pictona at Holly Hill
- June 15-18 – San Clemente, CA – Life Time Rancho San Clemente
- Season One Championship: Monday evening, June 19
Season Two
- Sept. 21-24 – Atlanta, GA – Life Time Peachtree Corners
- Nov. 2-5 – La Quinta, CA – LaQuinta Resort & Membership
- Dec. 7-10 – San Clemente, CA – Life Time Rancho San Clemente
- Season Two Championship: Monday evening, December 11
The championships on the finish of every season will function the highest two groups at every stage.
And whereas the breakdown is unclear, organizers are promising $5 million in prize cash and payouts all through the season. We’ll see what the precise payouts find yourself being, however the prime prize pool in pickleball final season was $100,000 ($25,000 per participant).
Now that you’ve got an thought of the brand new league guidelines and format, let’s take a look on the prime gamers watch, in addition to the opposite massive names in possession.
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The Gamers and Individuals Behind Main League Pickleball
Main League Pickleball boasts a deep roster that includes arguably the perfect up-and-coming gamers on this planet.
In 2023, Sam Querrey plans to compete in roughly 10 pickleball tournaments, making him…
I'm a graduate of Biochemistry from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I completed mysecondary education at Living Word Academy Secondary, Nkwere at Imo State. I love reading books, programming, good music, movies and tv shows.
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