The USA Pickleball National Indoor Championship is a golden ticket qualifier tournament held in Hoover, Alabama. It is one of the biggest pickleball events of the year, with singles and doubles tournaments for players of all age groups and skill levels. Gold medalists will qualify for the USA Pickleball Nationals, so you don't want to miss this event!
About the USA Pickleball National Indoor Championship
The USA Pickleball National Indoor Championship is held annually in the city of Hoover, Alabama, by USA Pickleball (USAPA). The tournament takes place over five days, usually during the first week of June, at The Finley Center at the Hoover Met Complex.
Over 1,000 players typically participate. Top pickleball players from all over the country compete for a total of $25,000 in prize money. Gold medalists from each division will receive pre-registration for the USA Pickleball National Championships.
Where Is The USA Pickleball National Indoor Championship?
The tournament is hosted at The Finley Center at the Hoover Met Complex, located in Hoover, Alabama. The event center is equipped to host 26 individual pickleball courts for the tournament and one championship court with audience seating for spectator attendees.
The Finley Center is truly a state-of-the-art sports complex with about 83,000 square feet of space.
An Overview of the Event
This championship is open to players of all ages and skill levels for both the singles and doubles formats. Age groups include a junior division bracket for kids ages 8-18 and also a seniors division bracket for ages 80+.
Pickleball doubles and singles competition events are separated by day. All of the singles events occur on one day, with the remaining days accounting for men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles brackets. Each day will feature separate age brackets and skill brackets in the round-robin tournament format.
The following list outlines the tournament’s events and registration prices:
- Senior Men’s Age/Skill Doubles
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 20 teams by UTPR/Age group
- 70+,75+,80+ will be age events
- Senior Women’s Age/Skill Doubles
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 20 teams by UTPR/Age group
- 70+,75+,80+ will be age events
- Senior Mixed Age/Skill Doubles
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 20 teams by UTPR/Age group
- 70+,75+,80+ will be age events
- Men’s Skill/Age Singles
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 19+,35+,50+,55+,60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 12 players by UTPR/Age group
- 70+,75+,80+ will be age events
- Women’s Skill/Age Singles
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 19+,35+,50+,55+,60+,65+,70+,75+,80+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 12 players by UTPR/Age group
- 70+,75+,80+ will be age events
- Women’s Doubles (4.0 or greater skill levels only)
- (by age groups: 19+)
- Price $75.00
- Limited to 20 teams by Older and Younger group
- 4.0 or greater as long as one of the players is at least a 4.5 player
- Men’s Doubles (4.0 or greater skill levels only)
- (by age groups: 19+)
- Price $75.00
- Limited to 20 teams by Older and Younger group
- 4.0 or greater as long as one of the players is at least a 4.5 player
- Men’s Doubles Skill/Age
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 19+,35+,50+,55+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 20 teams by UTPR/Age group
- Women’s Doubles Skill/Age
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 19+,35+,50+,55+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 12 teams by UTPR/Age group
- Mixed Doubles (4.0 or greater skill levels only)
- (by age groups: 19+)
- Price $75.00
- Limited to 20 teams by Older and Younger group
- 4.0 or greater as long as one of the players is at least a 4.5 player
- Mixed Doubles Skill/Age
- (Skill levels and age groups within skill levels. Age Groups: 19+,35+,50+,55+)
- Price $35.00
- Limited to 20 teams by UTPR/Age group
- Junior Boys Doubles
- (by age groups: 8-18)
- Price $10.00
Qualifying for the Championship as a Player
Online registration is open to USA Pickleball members only. Fortunately, you can easily join USA Pickleball directly on their website for about $35 per year.
You may only enter one event in the tournament, so choose wisely! You may choose to play up in skill or down in age if you can’t find space in your specific skill level or age group.
The general registration fee is $85, with additional fees depending on the event you participate in, as well as a $10 tournament event fee. Junior registration is only $20.
Attending the Championship as a Spectator
Not playing in the tournament? There are still tons of things to do, even in addition to watching pickleball matches.
Not only is the Hoover Met Complex perfect for a pickleball tournament, but it also has many other recreational facilities for other activities during your time at the championship.
- Climbing: The Hoover Heights Climbing Center is also within The Finley Center and has a wide variety of exciting climbing walls to explore! To climb, the minimum age is five years and the minimum height is 48 inches, so it’s perfect for younger kids and up.
- Playground and Splash Pad: Since the championship takes place during the heat of the summer, what could be better for kids than a huge playground with a splash pad? The Explore Playground and Splash Pad connected to the event venue are open to the public and free to use. The playground is highly interactive, with many sensory features, motion and play features, and shaded structures to help keep the kids cool.
- Exploring the City: Outside of the tournament venue, there’s plenty to do in the surrounding Hoover and Birmingham area. Home to lots of beautiful nature, areas for shopping, and an incredible food scene, the greater Hoover area is the perfect spot to relax between games at the indoor national championship.
