By Jerry Niemeyer, Pickleball League Vice President
By the time you read this, the 2024 summer season will be fading in the rearview mirror, and we will be looking ahead to 2025. The summer season was highly successful! We had a 31% increase in players to 6,230 by the end of the season. There were more than 360 teams in the summer league, and we continue to see solid growth after only three seasons. Our numbers increased from 4,815 ALTA pickleball players in 2023 to 8,219 in 2024. There still are rough edges to be smoothed out, but with continued growth, I know the league will continue to improve.
Over the large metro area covered by ALTA Pickleball, travel time to away matches is a difficult problem to solve. One way to help is the use of four-team divisions. It is not a solution that most players like, but you will see fewer four-team divisions as the league grows.
The end of the summer season produced three rounds of playoffs and an exciting day of City Finals at ITA. It was exciting to see both the winners and the finalists sporting their medals. Many thanks to ITA for their help in making the day a first-class event!
2025 will bring a change in seasons for ALTA Pickleball. Based on the results of a survey we conducted earlier in the year, spring and fall were the favored seasons of play. Winter is never an ideal time to play, and with the hot temperatures of the last two summers, it seemed like a suitable time to transition to spring/fall play for 2025. We are looking at other changes for next year, including a format change (two men’s doubles, two women’s doubles, no mixed doubles) and a change in criteria for new facilities that would provide a more uniform playing environment moving forward. Of course, any change in facility criteria would include a grandfather clause for existing facilities. No format changes have been approved at this time. Please watch your email for any updates.
Be on the lookout for ALTA-sponsored pickleball events and further announcements regarding the spring league. Thank you for your support as we continue to grow ALTA Pickleball.
