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Hi Anna, thanks for being one of our valued Tournament Directors. Here are your August announcements, highlights, tools and tips.
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Melissa McCurley Elected to Pickleball Hall of Fame
From Pioneer to Hall of Famer: Congrats to Melissa McCurley!
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In 2014, Melissa saw the future of pickleball and purchased PickleballTournaments.com and started building a business around it. Twenty-one years later it is the anchor of the Pickleball Play Solution’s play programming solution that will run over 4,000 tournaments in 2025.
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As one of the principal pioneers of modern pickleball, we are incredibly proud of and grateful to Melissa. She has been a Hall of Famer to us for a long time!
Melissa’s story is a testament to what perseverance and passion can accomplish. Her journey has helped shape the sport we all love, paving the way for future innovators and leaders in pickleball - including you, our valued Tournament Directors!
Read Full Blog ➜
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Decoding DUPR
What you and your players wanted to know!
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Last week, we rolled up our sleeves in a joint webinar with DUPR experts Sarah Carpenter and Caroline Luelf to talk about ratings, algorithm changes, misconceptions, player frustrations and what's in DUPR's future. We covered a lot of ground and answered a lot of questions. No problem if you missed it, you can re-live it below.
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Next Webinar: Thu, Aug 21st, 1pm CST
An interview with referee expert, Don Stanley.
We'll discuss things like:
- What is the role of a ref in pickleball?
- When are refs used?
- How can you get refs for your tournament?
- How to use the integrated PT referee app.
- How can you become a pickleball ref?
Register for Next Webinar ➜
Subscribe to Webinar Reminders ➜
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There's Still Time! Host a Wood Paddle Tournament
Pickleball's 60th Anniversary Special Offer!
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To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of our great sport, we are going back to our roots! Pickleball.com is celebrating by sponsoring local wood paddle tournaments across the country.
You can host an entire wood paddle tournament or add wood paddle events to your existing tournament. Along with our Partner at Pickleball Central, here is this super fun offer:
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- “Vintage” branded Wood Paddles at a discounted price.
- Waived $25 setup fee.
- No texting fees.
- $5 player registration flat rate.
- 1 geo-targeted email announcing the tournament.
- Free Featured Tournament listing for 1 month.
- 1 geo-targeted reminder email 15 days prior to registration closing.
- Placement in the Vintage Wood Paddle Tournament Series Page.
- Vintage Wood Paddle Tournament logos for use in your own marketing assets.
Get Started Form ➜
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Use YouTube to Broadcast Your Tournament
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If you're running a tournament and want to make it easier for your audience to watch live matches, linking your YouTube broadcast directly to your tournament homepage is a game-changer.
Our simple PickleballTournaments setup helps fans quickly find the specific match they want to watch without hassle, enhancing their viewing experience and engagement with your event. This a true "level up" feature you can be using!
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A Deep Dive on Creating Tournaments
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We've embarked on a 10-part video series for every step of creating and running a tournament. Watch them one by one, or find a specific area you'd like more depth on. We cover things like:
- Customization
- Setting up registration costs
- Adding logos, flyers, discount codes and more
- Setting up venues
- Using amenities
Access Full Video Series ➜
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Should You Let Players Play Up?
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"Playing up" is not a new concept, but with the latest DUPR algorithm update, it's a great time to evaluate as a TD if and when you should let players "play up" in your events (joining divisions above their actual rating).
While the DUPR algorithm can handle these situations, if your ultimate objective is for players to have opportunities for balanced, competitive play, you might want to consider how you set your brackets.
We put together an all emcompasssing guide to walk you through some key questions to consider:
- What are the rating increments and what do they mean
- What should you consider when letting players play up
- What's the best software setup for allowing players to register for events outside of a skill set
- When should I update players' ratings after registration has started
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What our survey of players said:
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Why do you care about your DUPR?
📘 I like tracking my improvement
📕 I want better matchups
📙 I'm competititve & want to rank up
📗 I just think it's fun
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How often do you check your DUPR?
📘 After every match
📕 A few times a month
📙 Occasionally
📗 Rarely
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We’ve partnered with leading pickleball vendors just for you to provide items like:
- High-quality balls
- Stylish drawstring bags from Pickleball Central
- Wristbands and serving bands
- Energy and hydration products
- Tasty snacks
- Fashionable hats and visors
- and much more
Learn More and Sign Up ➜
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Want to Grow Your Player Base?
💹 Increase Registrations with Targeted Marketing
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By using PickleballTournaments as your software solution, you have access to over 650K pickleball players all over the world.
As a complimentary offerring to tournaments hosted on our platform, we email our players on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month to show them open tournaments near their address.
But you don't have to wait for us or share the limelight. You can use our geo-targeted power just for your tournament.
Tools at your fingertips:
🎯 Geo-Targeted emails
♠️ First Card Placement
🔦 Featured Tournament
Learn More ➜
Contact Sales ➜
Create a Tournament ➜
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Protection for You and Your Tournament
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As a special benefit to our TDs - LIO's pre-approved tournament insurance coverage can be purchased directly from your tournament dashboard.
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- Complete Liability Protection: LIO’s insurance covers the tournament, director, staff, and volunteers—protecting everyone involved from liability claims during setup, gameplay, and teardown.
- Tailored Plans: Gold & Platinum Options: Gold for standard coverage starting at $600, Platinum for robust protection starting at $925, covering up to 200 participants with tiered pricing for larger events.
- Meets Venue Insurance Requirements with Additional Insureds. Many venues require proof of insurance. LIO’s policy automatically includes Additional Insureds and offers Primary/Non-Contributory and Waiver of Subrogation endorsements.
- Protection Includes Sexual Abuse & Molestation Coverage. Both plans include sexual abuse/molestation liability—up to $1,000,000 per act under the Platinum offer—critical for youth and adult tournaments alike.
- Hassle-Free Process from Quote to Coverage
- Host Liquor Liability Available with Platinum Plan
- Covers a Wide Range of Amateur Sports & Recreation. Whether your tournament is part of a larger organization or run independently, LIO’s program also supports leagues, camps, clinics, and special events.
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Help Your Players Prepare for Tournament Day
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We know you work hard to put on a great event and often times have brand new players who don't understand how tournaments work.
We held a webinar for players to help them learn the basics. We covered topics like: what to expect, how to read brackets, understanding formats, and more. Feel free to share this with your players in your tournament details, email communications or any other tools you use to get them ready for "game day".
Understanding Tournaments Blog ➜
Recorded Webinar ➜
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We're Here When You Need Us
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Thank you for using products by Pickleball Play Solutions (PPS) to build communities and create play! Remember, you can chat with us or submit a ticket any time from the Contact Us link at the bottom of any product page.
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Thank you for making us part
of your PickleballTournament story.
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