The short answer: PPA Tour Asia has appointed ANCHOR Sports as its official social media partner in China, tasked with building a digital community as the sport grows. ANCHOR’s clients include the NFL, MLB, NBA, FC Barcelona and Chelsea. The tour’s second season begins with the MB Hanoi Cup in April 2026, after a seven-event first year.
What’s the score?
The PPA Tour Asia has taken a strategic leap into the Chinese market by appointing ANCHOR Sports as its official social media partner. The agency is tasked with building a digital community and strengthening the tour’s presence across China as the sport undergoes “explosive growth”. ANCHOR Sports brings elite credentials to the table, with a client roster that includes global giants like the NFL, MLB, NBA, FC Barcelona, and Chelsea.
Hit it deeper!
This partnership is designed to be much more than simple content management; it is a community-building initiative. Tristan Chen, CEO and Founder of ANCHOR Sports, believes pickleball is perfectly positioned to become a central part of the “leisure sports lifestyle” for urban residents in China. The agency will leverage its experience in introducing international sports properties to Chinese audiences who are “hungry for the next emerging sport”.
The next major milestone for the tour is the MB Hanoi Cup 2026 in April, which kicks off the second season. This follows a successful inaugural year that featured seven tournaments, including the Vibrant Linping Hangzhou Open, the tour’s first foray into mainland China. Josephine Tan, Marketing Director at UPA Asia, noted that ANCHOR’s history with the world’s biggest sports properties makes them the ideal partner to deepen fan engagement and expand the tour’s reach in these key markets.
The World Pickleball verdict
China represents one of the most significant expansion opportunities in the history of the sport, and this partnership shows that the PPA Tour Asia is approaching it with professional precision. By partnering with an agency that handles the NFL and NBA, the tour is signalling that it views pickleball as a major-league property. This digital-first strategy is the right move for a country where urban leisure trends are driven by social media, setting the stage for a massive season 2.
