Overland Park, KS, apparently the most pickleball-obsessed city in the U.S., has scored a significant victory by securing the hosting rights for the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour.
Vulcan Kansas City Open
This highly anticipated event is set to welcome over 1,000 professional and amateur players to the city.
Named the Vulcan Kansas City Open, the tournament will take place from August 24 to 27 at Elite Tennis and Wellness. As a “golden ticket” qualifier event, winners in their respective divisions will earn coveted spots in the bracket at the 2023 USA Pickleball National Championships, scheduled for November in Dallas.
Sponsored by Chicken N Pickle, a pickleball-focused “entertainment” brand based in North Kansas City, the Overland Park event is set to be a thrilling spectacle. Chicken N Pickle, which inaugurated its first location in 2016, has now expanded to seven operational venues with eight more in development. Moreover, the brand has recently enlisted professional tennis player Jack Sock as a minority investor, adding to the excitement surrounding the tournament.
A Marquee Event
The Carvana PPA Tour, known as the professional tour for pickleball, boasts 25 events scheduled for this year. Among these, the Overland Park Open will be the second of four events on this season’s PPA Tour World Championship Series. Fans around the world can catch all the action as it streams on Prime Video.
Eric Olson, Visit Overland Park sports tourism and event vice president stated in a press release: “We identified the Carvana PPA Tour as a marquee event for Overland Park, offering the only professional tour stop in the Midwest for 2023,”
Overland Park has been named the most “pickleball-obsessed” city in the country!
— City of Overland Park, Kansas (@opcares) April 4, 2023
Whether you’re a pro or just starting out, these City parks have pickleball courts available:
🎾 Antioch Acres Park
🎾 Switzer Park
🎾 Young’s Park
Learn more at https://t.co/plqZiwOAYP. pic.twitter.com/m2XMl8TGpn
Overland Park is home to more than 75 pickleball courts in over 12 facilities, including SERV and Chicken N Pickle.
The same press release also contained a quote from Elite Tennis owner Mike Wolf:”We are so excited to showcase our facility and represent the Kansas City pickleball community with this event. This provides an incredible opportunity for our community to compete with and watch the world’s top players on the biggest stage.”
Overland Park
In 2023, Overland Park, Kansas, earned the distinction of being named the most “pickleball-obsessed” city in the United States, as more and more new pickleball courts continue to appear in the area.
The sports betting and online casino guide website, Offers.bet, conducted a comprehensive study to determine “America’s Most Pickleball-Obsessed Cities.”
They analyzed Google search volume for 921 pickleball-related terms, including phrases like “pickleball courts near me” and “what is pickleball game,” spanning from January 2020 to January 2023.
They also researched data sets from the 150 most populous cities in the country, drawing information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Finally, Offers.bet sought direct feedback from over 1,000 Americans through a survey, aiming to gauge their sentiments and opinions about the sport.
Based on the data collected, Overland Park, Kansas emerged as the top city, with Salt Lake City, Utah, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, following closely behind in the rankings.
The Carvana PPA Tour
In 2023, the PPA Tour calendar comprises 25 tournaments spread across 14 different states. Each tournament is categorized as a PPA 2000, 1500, or 1000 event, signifying the total number of PPA Points awarded to the 1st-place winners in men’s and women’s pro singles, men’s and women’s pro doubles, and mixed pro doubles categories.
Within each tournament, three distinct professional brackets, known as “draws,” are played: the Pro Qualifier Draw, the Main Draw, and the Points Draw. Participation in the Pro Qualifier Draw is open to all, regardless of professional status. The victors of the Pro Qualifier Draw will be seeded in the Main Draw, while those who do not emerge victorious will be seeded in the Points Draw.
Interestingly, playing on the PPA Tour does not necessitate being a professional player. The tour welcomes amateurs of all ages and skill levels, and they will have their brackets alongside the professional brackets throughout each day of a tournament. This inclusive approach ensures that players of various backgrounds can partake in the excitement and thrill of pickleball on the PPA Tour stage.
Read more about other new pickleball developments in Kansas by reading these great articles.
