Pickleball Booms in Australia: APC, PPA Debut, Fireball Series Grow
What's the Score?
Pickleball in Australia is experiencing significant growth, marked by the return of the premier Trilogy Funds Australian Pickleball Championships (APC) to the Gold Coast in 2025 with a record minimum $30,000 prize pool. The country is also attracting international attention, hosting a PPA Tour event, the Perth Pickleball Open, in May 2025. This competitive expansion is complemented by increasing accessibility to dedicated courts in various regions, including the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.
Hit it deeper!
Australia's pickleball scene is characterised by major national and international events and expanding infrastructure. The most prominent event is the Trilogy Funds Australian Pickleball Championships (APC). For 2025, the APC is returning to the Gold Coast for the second consecutive year, taking place from September 29th to October 6th at the Pimpama Sports Hub. This event is considered the "signature event of the Australian pickleball calendar" and aims to establish the Gold Coast as the southern hemisphere's "premier pickleball destination". The 2025 APC is projected to be larger than the 2024 event, which itself was Australia's largest and the second-largest outside the US. A landmark announcement for the 2025 championships is the introduction of a spectacular minimum $30,000 prize pool, a first for the APC. This significant incentive is expected to attract over 1,500 players, who will compete for both prize money and the championship title. The tournament schedule is packed across eight days, featuring approximately 56 dedicated pickleball courts and over 230 events. New inclusive events are being added, including combined age doubles, and dedicated events for players with intellectual disabilities and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Trilogy Funds is returning as the Official Presenting Partner for the second year, underscoring their continued support. Entries are open to players of all ages and abilities.
Australia is also attracting international tours. The PPA Tour is bringing a major event, the 2025 Perth Pickleball Open, to the country from May 9-11. Hosted at the Mt Lawley Tennis Club in Perth, Western Australia, the event will feature competition across pro, junior, and masters divisions. Players will compete in singles, mixed doubles, and gender doubles events, with junior singles and doubles also included. The tournament is a collaboration with the Pickleball Australia Association (PAA) and will award PPA points and Australia Ranking (AR) points. Pro and Masters Pro players will compete for prize money and accumulate points for "The Race" towards end-of-season bonuses. Registration for the Perth Open opened in February and closes on April 30th. Players can enter a maximum of two events per day.
Beyond these major events, local tournament series contribute to the competitive landscape. The Fireball Pickleball Series is hosting its Queensland tournament at Beenleigh Tennis Centre from May 10-11, 2025. This event offers divisions for all skill levels, from beginners to pros, with prizes and series points available. Registration for the Fireball tournament opened on April 12th and closes on May 4th, with a fee structure for the first and additional events. The tournament will feature round-robin qualifying games followed by semifinals and finals, adhering to USA Pickleball (USAPA) rules and using Franklin X40 pickleballs.
Increasing access to dedicated playing facilities is also a key part of the sport's growth. In the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), popular venues include the Belconnen Community Centre, offering two indoor wood courts, and the Canberra Pickleball Centre in Fadden, which has eleven indoor hard courts. Both offer permanent lines and portable nets, with amenities available. In Tasmania, players can find outdoor concrete courts with permanent lines at Cadbury Tennis Courts in Claremont, indoor wood courts with permanent lines at Kingborough Sports Centre in Kingston (free to use), and accessible indoor wood courts at Port Huon Sports & Aquatic Centre in Port Huon. The availability of different court types and amenities across these regions caters to various player preferences and contributes to pickleball's rising popularity.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The collective information from the sources paints a picture of an Australian pickleball scene that is not just growing, but flourishing. The scale and prize money of the Australian Pickleball Championships highlight its status as a major national event capable of attracting international attention. The arrival of a PPA Tour event further elevates Australia's profile on the global pickleball map, indicating its importance as a market for professional play. Alongside these elite competitions, the presence of local tournament series like Fireball and the increasing accessibility of dedicated courts in various states like the ACT and Tasmania demonstrate growth at all levels, from grassroots to professional. This multifaceted expansion, supported by partnerships like that with Trilogy Funds, suggests a robust and promising future for pickleball across Australia.