The National Pickleball League (NPL) is gearing up for the launch of its inaugural season. Today, they’ve announced the third official team for their organization: The Denver Iconics.
The NPL is pickleball’s premier Champions Division (50+) league based in a team competition format. Pickleball’s top senior pros around the nation will participate in a draft this April where the league’s six teams will each draft 16-20 players.
Ahead of the draft, the NPL will be hosting a pre-season Draft Combine event in Oklahoma City next weekend, March 25-26, where players will be able to meet team owners and demonstrate their talents in a round-robin style format. The Denver Iconics announcement comes just in time to start getting players ready to meet the new owners, Chris Montgomery and Mario Boschi.
The Iconics join Naples JBB United and the Boca Raton Picklers as the first three teams in the NPL. With three more teams remaining to be announced, there’s a lot of anticipation to see what other cities across the nation will be represented in the NPL’s very first season.
Chris Montgomery, NPL player and now co-owner of the Iconics, is excited to represent Denver and its growing pickleball community. He believes that the NPL will be able to push the boundaries of representing pickleball’s Champions athletes.
“We are thrilled to join NPL Pickleball and be a part of this fantastic league that will provide a new type of showcase for Champions Pros. Pickleball is a passion of mine, and we look forward to bringing the Denver Iconics to the forefront of this growing sport.”
Chris Montgomery, Co-Owner of the Denver Iconics
After the draft in April, teams will prepare for a regular season starting in June that will consist of five events. The regular season will be followed by a Championship Weekend hosted in Phoenix, AZ from October 13-15.
The NPL strives to not only represent pickleball’s senior pros by giving them a pro-level platform, but they also recently announced that they will have $100,000 in prize money support for the 2023 season. With a cash prize support that is 200% of accumulated player entry fees, the NPL want their athletes to feel financially supported for their efforts in pursuing their professional pickleball dreams.
Beth Bellamy, co-founder of the NPL and #1-ranked Women’s Champions Pro player, believes that Montgomery and Boschi are just the leaders that the league needs for both the growth of the sport and the support of its players.
“We want to enthusiastically welcome the Denver Iconics to the league. Chris and Mario possess a deep passion for the sport, and their commitment to bringing our exciting brand of pickleball to a wider audience aligns perfectly with our mission at NPL Pickleball. We have no doubt they will be a fantastic addition to the league.”
Beth Bellamy, NPL Co-Founder
Champions Division players interested in playing in the NPL need to register for the draft by the end of today, March 17. Visit the NPL’s website to register!
Things are starting to heat up for the NPL, and we can’t wait to see how things go at their upcoming Draft Combine event. Be sure to continue following us here at Pickleball Union for more updates about the NPL’s inaugural season.
