Austin, TX and Rockville, MD (February 29, 2024) – DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) and JOOLA, a leading brand in pickleball and table tennis, today announced a new partnership that will see JOOLA become the Official Sponsor of DUPR Collegiate Pickleball, the largest tournament series for college players. The partnership will drive further growth and advancement of collegiate pickleball to create more pathways and opportunities for players to compete in college and beyond.
DUPR Collegiate Pickleball Powered by JOOLA will have a total of 26 events in the Spring and Fall, with 8 Super Regional events and 16 Campus Regional events, Individual National Championships in June and the Collegiate National Championships in November. Now in its third year, the 2024 season offers the most extensive series of events and the largest scholarship prize money yet, providing more opportunities for competitive collegiate pickleball players to showcase their skills and jumpstart their professional career.
DUPR has led the way in establishing competitive collegiate pickleball by creating compelling opportunities for players to compete, earn scholarship prize money and identify new pathways to continue to play. Since hosting its first college event in 2022, DUPR Collegiate Pickleball has hosted 16 events for 1300 athletes – including the largest collegiate pickleball tournament ever with over 350 players – and contributed over $250,000 in scholarship money and travel stipends for players.
Tito Machado, CEO of DUPR, said: “College players are the future of the game. DUPR Collegiate Pickleball events are focused on creating more opportunities for players to hit the court and showcase their skills, and bringing new players and fans into the game to grow it for generations to come. JOOLA’s support is instrumental in driving more awareness and excitement around college pickleball. We are excited to work together to host more events, create more pathways for players and increase scholarship prizes.”
Richard Lee, CEO of JOOLA, said: “Collegiate pickleball has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years and it is the fastest growing demographic in the sport. DUPR has established itself as the leader in this space. Its collegiate events are giving players real competitive opportunities to play and even find a pathway to the pros, and are shining a spotlight on the sport overall. These players are the future of the game and we are excited to support the 2024 DUPR Collegiate season.”
The schedule of events for the 2024 DUPR Collegiate Pickleball Powered by JOOLA season is as follows:
Spring Super Regionals
- Illinois Super Regional – February 3rd-4th (Pickle Haüs in Chicago, IL)
- Utah Super Regional – March 2nd-3rd (The Picklr in Kaysville, UT)
- Virginia Super Regional – March 23rd-24th (Performance Pickleball in Richmond, VA)
- Georgia Super Regional – April 6th-7th (Pickle & Social in Buford, GA)
2024 Collegiate Individual National Championships
- June 1st – 2nd (The Pickle Lodge in Cincinnati, OH) $20,000 in scholarship money awarded
Fall Super Regionals
- Nevada Super Regional – October 5th-6th (Green Valley Life Time in Las Vegas, NV)
- Arizona Super Regional – October 19th-20th (The Picklr in Gilbert, AZ)
- Texas Super Regional – October 26th-27th (PALA Pickleball in Houston, TX)
- 4th Fall Super Regional – TBD
Campus Regionals
- 16 Campus Regional events at various colleges and universities across the country, dates and details to be released shortly. Interested parties must apply to host these events.
2024 Collegiate National Championship
- November 22nd – 24th (Life Time Kingwood in Houston, TX)
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About DUPR
DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is the premier global pickleball rating system and technology platform, trusted by the world’s leading clubs, tournaments, leagues and players. DUPR’s dynamic rating system unifies pickleball across age, gender and location by analyzing match results to accurately evaluate all players across a 2.000 – 8.000 scale. Players and operators can visit www.mydupr.com to sign up and learn more.
About JOOLA
JOOLA has been a pioneer in table tennis since its establishment in 1952. In 2022, its expansion into pickleball quickly attracted the biggest names in the sport. As a sponsor of major professional pickleball tours, associations, and to top athletes in the game, the team at JOOLA combines its expertise with fresh perspectives to bring synergy and innovation to the pickleball market. JOOLA creates a variety of equipment, apparel, and accessories for pickleball players, both professional and recreational. JOOLA is based in Rockville, MD, and is owned by Sport Squad, Inc. Learn more about JOOLA and see why the sport’s best are joining Team JOOLA by visiting joolausa.com.