Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships Powered by Margaritaville Returning to Naples, Florida

NAPLES, Fla., Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships Powered by Margaritaville, a world-class, international competition, return to East Naples Community Park in Naples, Florida, from April 27-May 4, 2019. This tournament, the biggest in the sport's history, comes into its fourth year ready to break last year's records – with plenty of room to spare.

Those who have not yet experienced pickleball, one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S., with more than 3.3 million players (the U.S. figure), up from 3.1 million last year, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, will want to attend the upcoming event.

The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships have been exceeding organizers' expectations ever since the inaugural event. The event has continued to surpass its own records each year, and this year, will see more than 2200 athletes coming from 48 states and 16 countries.

This year's event sold out in all registration categories in only three hours, something no other racquet or paddle sport – and few other sports of any kind – can claim.

"We are really excited about this year's Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships," stated Terri Graham, the event's founder. "Not only do we have another sellout with more than 2,200 registered, but we have a waitlist of over 400 people. Our spectator seats are filling up too and seats in our V.I.P. section are completely sold out!"

The competition will include singles, doubles and mixed doubles play in a variety of skill and age groups. Some of the highlights of this year's competition include the following:

• A wide variety of ages represented: The youngest player is 11 and one is over 86.
• And people are traveling to Naples from all over: Players this year represent 16 countries and 48 states. The player traveling the greatest distance is coming from Singapore – a distance of 10,509 miles.
• The opportunity to see if last year's Triple Crown winners (Simone Jardim and Scott Moore) can repeat: Last year saw Simone capture individual titles in Women's Pro Singles, Women's Pro Doubles and Mixed Pro Doubles – for the second time. The pickleball world will be looking to see if she can three-peat. Scott Moore comes into the 2019 event as the first male Triple Crown winner ever in Naples, winning titles in 2018 in Men's Senior Pro Singles, Men's Senior Pro Doubles and Mixed Senior Pro Doubles.
• A chance to find out why pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America: the sport, played on a court with a solid paddle, uses skills from tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Although it has gained a tremendous following among all age groups, its strongest growth area is players age 50 and up who are moving to the sport from tennis, since pickleball offers the chance to use similar skills on a smaller court, with less wear and tear on joints.
• National television: The event will be covered by CBS Sports Network and live streamed on CBS Sports Live from May 1 - May 4 on their app. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the finals at a later date

In addition to the title sponsor, Minto Communities, and powered by sponsor, Margaritaville, Graham said this year there are more than 30 sponsors for the event, including Paddletek, Gamma, DecoTurf, Headsweats, HEAD, Franklin, Kitsch Pickleball, ILovePickles.org, Harbour Insurance, Volvo of Naples, Florida;s Paradise Coast, ZingZang and Onix.

East Naples Community Park, the site of the event, has 50 pickleball courts surrounding the Zing Zang Championship Court, where high-visibility matches will be played. All courts were recently upgraded and host the highest level of play.

The event is an economic boom for Collier County, bringing in approximately 11,000 spectators and 2200 participants, resulting in an economic impact of $4,500,000 in 2019. For the third consecutive year, the event was named a winner in Sports Destination Management Magazine's annual awards program, Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism.

Background Information:
Minto US OPEN PickleballChampionships: The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships is organized by Spirit Promotions, LLC, a company formed by Terri Graham, president, and Chris Evon, executive director, in 2015.

Information on the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships is available on the event's website, usopenpickleball.com, where visitors can also sign up for e-mail updates about the tournament. For sponsor or other information, e-mail Terri Graham at terri(at)usopenpickleball.com.

Sponsors: The Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships is a success in part because of the generosity and support of its sponsors. These include the following:

• Minto Communities: Minto Communities returns as the title sponsor of the event. The company offers new homes on the Isles of Collier, many of which are adjacent to the East Naples Community Park. Minto Homes also has eight private pickleball courts for residents' use. They also have created the #1 over 55 community with Latitude Margaritaville properties in Daytona Beach, Hilton Head, and more to be announced.
• Margaritaville: Margaritaville came aboard this year as the Powered by sponsor for the event. The Jimmy Buffet-created brand long associated with vacation and leisure is also a proud sponsor of the Margaritaville License to Chill Lounge at the Minto US OPEN.
• Sponsors with Official Products of the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships:

Official Ball: DuraFast 40 Pickleball
Official Paddle: Paddletek
Official Grip: GAMMA
Official Court Surface: DecoTurf
Official Headgear: Headsweats
Official Footwear: HEAD
Official Starter Set, Glove and Bag: Franklin
Official Licensed Merchandise: Kitch Pickleball
Official Volunteer Program: I Love Pickles.org
Official Insurance Agency: Harbour Insurance
Official Car: Volvo of Naples

• Dick's Sporting Goods : This Year, Dick's will present the Dick's Sporting Goods Championship Celebration, taking place on May 4, with events including Pro Finals in Men's, Women's and Mixed; This event is sold out on Friday and Saturday night, and only limited tickets will be available at the event.
• Tier I Sponsors: Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau (Florida's Paradise Coast); ZingZang; Margaritaville; Paddletek; Onix; Franklin
• Tier II Sponsors: Monarch Pickleball; Pickleball Central; Gamma Pickleball; Selkirk Sport; HEAD; I love Pickles.org, Baseline Racket Sports
• Tier III Sponsors: Gearbox,
• Tier IV Sponsor: Engage Pickleball; Abeo Biomechanical Footwear, Wilson
• Tier V Sponsors: CIBC Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management; Headsweats; Naples Botanical Gardens; Maui Jim, Arthrex
• Tier VI Sponsors: Preppyplayer.com; ProLite
• Honorable Partners: Council of Collier County; Pickleball Magazine; Pickleball Channel;) PT (PickleballTournaments.com); Physicians Regional Healthcare System

SOURCE Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships

Related Links

https://www.usopenpickleballchampionship.com/