Photo courtesy of Pickleball USA
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Pickleball players take part in the 2021 USA Pickleball National Indoor Championship at the Finley Center in Hoover, Alabama, in June 2021.
USA Pickleball, the governing body for the sport in the United States, is bringing its second annual National Indoor Championship to Hoover in June.
The tournament is scheduled to be played at the Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex June 7-11.
It is expected to draw nearly 1,000 players from all over the country. As of mid-April, more than 600 people had registered from states including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The tournament is a qualifying event for the 2022 USA Pickleball National Championships to be held in Indian Wells, California, on Nov. 5-13, with gold medalists from each division receiving a pre-registration spot.
The tournament in Hoover was open to anyone of any skill level and age, with players divided by both skill levels and age brackets ranging from a junior division for ages 8-18 to seniors ages 80+.
There will be singles and doubles competitions for men and women, as well as mixed doubles, said Karen Parrish, the managing director of competition for USA Pickleball, who will be running the tournament.
USA Pickleball will be giving out a total of $25,000 in prize money to winners, Parrish said.
This is only the second year USA Pickleball has held a National Indoor Championship tournament, with the first one being held last year at the Finley Center as well.
Parrish said her organization likes the location geographically and believes the Finley Center is a beautiful and expansive facility. The 83,000 square feet of indoor playing space can be divided into 28 pickleball courts with play occurring simultaneously, she said.The tournament last year went great and received a 93% approval rating from participants, Parrish said.
“The Finley Center and staff they have there were just phenomenal to work with,” she said. “It makes it very easy to go back to a place like that. We’re excited to be back there.”
Stu Upson, the USA Pickleball CEO, said in a press release that, aside from being an outstanding facility, the Hoover Met Complex offers an RV park right next to the competition venue and plenty of parking for both participants and spectators.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better facility to stage our indoor championships,” Upson said.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said it’s an honor for the city of Hoover to host the event for the second year in a row.
“We continue to see this sport growing in our city,” Brocato said. “Hosting the tournament will only add to that enthusiasm. I know the tournament participants will receive great hospitality from our city staff, residents, businesses and community. We look forward to another great event!”
Parrish said the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau also played a big role in bringing USA Pickleball to Hoover.
The tournament is free to attend, and Parrish invited people to come and watch and become more familiar with one of the fastest growing sports in the country.
More information about the tournament can be found at pickleballtournaments.com.
