24 October 2024,
New Delhi: PWR and NPL have today confirmed a partnership that
establishes NPL as the exclusive and official tournament and league provider
for the Oceania region in 2025. Through this partnership, NPL’s leagues and
tournaments will now be part of the PWR structure, allowing NPL players to earn
points towards their PWR ranking and assist in qualifying for the PWR World
Series.
PWR is home to the newly created
Pickleball World Rankings, along with the PWR World Tour and PWR World Series.
As a unified global ranking system, PWR offers a clear path for pickleball
players to earn ranking points by competing in regional events. Players
accumulate points through the PWR World Tour and can qualify for the PWR World
Series.
NPL, the leading pickleball
organisation in Australia, runs the flagship Professional Teams League (NPL
ProTour) and a professional tournament circuit.
As PWR’s exclusive partner in
Oceania, only NPL events—both league and tournaments—will award PWR ranking
points in the region. This collaboration aims to unify regional bodies under
one global structure, supporting the long-term growth and governance of
pickleball.
The exact point structure for NPL
Australia tournaments will be announced later in 2024, but all events will fall
under PWR’s established categories: PWR50, PWR100, PWR200, PWR400, PWR700,
PWR1000, and PWR2000.
PWR is a partnership between The
Times Group, the news and entertainment leader in India and Pickleball League
Asia Private Limited. PWR, the PWR World Series, and the PWR World Tour
were launched in Dubai in July’2024, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
announced as the host region for the first PWR World Series.
PWR had also recently announced PWR
DUPR Indian Tour & League, a grand pickleball tour and league for India.
The former World No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi will visit India in January
2025 to officially flag off the PWR DUPR Indian Tour & League.
PWR DUPR India Masters, a PWR700
event on the PWR World Tour, with an impressive roster of 750 players—both
professionals and amateurs, is being held in New Delhi from 24th to 27th
October 2024. This event is a key milestone for pickleball, boosting its
presence on both the Indian and global sports landscapes.
Ron Shell, CEO
of NPL, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with PWR for 2025 and support their
significant investment in the global pickleball ecosystem. PWR’s vision for the
sport is incredibly exciting, providing our players with the opportunity to be
part of a global movement while still enjoying regional competition. The
introduction of a unified, international ranking pathway is exactly what has
been missing. We look forward to delivering top-tier Oceania leagues and
tournaments in 2025, helping players progress in their professional pickleball
careers.”
Vineet Jain,
Managing Director of The Times Group, said:
“The vision of PWR is to unify the global pickleball community and drive
the growth of pickleball in global markets. The partnership with NPL is a step
in that direction and we are excited to partner with them”
Pranav Kohli,
CEO of PWR, added:
“Australia is a key market for the growth of PWR in the Oceania region.
We’re excited to collaborate with Ron, David, and the entire NPL Australia
team. This partnership is a major step in PWR’s global expansion.”
About National
Pickleball League (NPL):
NPL is Australia's premier pickleball organisation, offering a
professional national league, tournaments, corporate events, school and
university programs, social leagues, and introductory pickleball days. NPL is
dedicated to growing the number of pickleball players in Australia through
professional league pathways, marketing, content creation, and venue
investments. NPL plans to expand its offerings internationally in 2024.
Website: www.nplpickleball.com.au
Instagram: @nplpickleball
Facebook: @nplpickleball
Twitter: @nplpickleball
About Pickleball
World Rankings (PWR):
PWR is a unified global ranking system that provides a structured pathway
for pickleball players to earn points, improve their rankings, and qualify for
the PWR World Series through the PWR World Tour, which takes place in various
regions. PWR tournaments are tiered similarly to ATP and WTA events, with
categories including PWR100, PWR200, PWR400, PWR700, PWR1000, and PWR2000.
Website: www.pwr.global
Instagram: @pickleballworldrankings
Facebook: @pickleballworldrankings
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pickleball-world-rankings/
For further
information, please contact:
Ron Shell, CEO
ron@nplpickleball.com.au
Abhijeet Dangat,
Head of Business Expansion
abhijeet@pwr.global