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.
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.
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 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.