Australian Pickleball Championships 2023

Description

Join us for this year’s Australian Pickleball Championships - expected to be the biggest pickleball tournament ever held in Australia, with well over 600 competitors.

Blacktown Leisure Centre is a huge modern venue which will boast 35 outdoor pickleball courts and 16 indoor courts. This amazing centre offers a free car park, complimentary use of the aquatic centre for all competitors and their families during the APC, with a café and many other facilities. It is located next to Stanhope Gardens shopping centre and no more than a 45 minute drive from almost anywhere in Sydney.

We have a massive range of events offered over 4 days, with competitors able to enter UP TO 4 EVENTS including the combined aged and UP TO 5 EVENTS INCLUDING A HYBRID EVENT (where at least one player in each team has a disability).

Day 1 Friday 29 September - max 2 events: Coed doubles + Hybrid doubles
Day 2 Saturday 30 September - max 1 event: gender doubles
Day 3 Sunday 1 October - max 1 event: mixed doubles
Day 4 Monday 2 October - max 1 event: singles OR skinny singles

Registration includes 1 event, with a fee of $15 for each additional event (no charge for hybrid event).
New for 2023 will be the following events:

• Para events – for players with physical disability
• 75 years plus age category
• Coed with combined age of 100+ years

PAA MEMBERSHIP
Players need to have Pickleball Australia membership (including in your state membership) current to 2 October (last day of the event) to register for Australian Pickleball Championships. Players whose membership expires between now and 2 October will need to renew their PAA membership before they register for the APC. When you renew your membership, your new renewal date will be 12 months after the current expiry date.

EVENTS
Players can enter only ONE singles event, ONE gender doubles event (women’s or men’s) and ONE mixed doubles event. In addition, players can enter the combined age coed event AND the hybrid event.

AGE DIVISIONS ON OFFER: Under 18, 18+, 35+, 50+, 60+, 65+, 70+, 75+
SKILL LEVELS ON OFFER: Open, 4.0+, 3.5 - 3.99, 3.0 - 3.49, 2.99 and below

Skill and age divisions may be adjusted (merged or divided) by the tournament committee once registrations close.

Headline program

Day 1 – Friday 29 September
• Coed doubles with combined age of 100+ years
• Hybrid doubles
• "Oceania Smash Clash" mixed doubles invitational event with teams representing every state in Australia, the ACT and New Zealand.
• Evening welcome party ($25 per person - book online during registration process)

Day 2 – Saturday 30 September
• Official tournament opening
• Women’s Doubles
• Men’s Doubles

Day 3 – Sunday 1 October
• Mixed Doubles
• Para Doubles Coed

Day 4 – Monday 2 October
• Skinny Singles
• Singles
• Para Coed Singles

Changes to the event days and times may be necessary due to wet weather or long matches. Consider this when planning your travel for the tournament.

Additional Information

Open events will be run as double elimination.

To enter the main draw of the Open divisions, qualification rounds may used.

Specified skill and age categories will run as combined round robin and elimination events, with games to 15 (pools with up to 5 players/teams) or games to 11 (pools with 6 or more players/teams).

Players can enter ONE EVENT PER FORMAT (eg one mixed doubles event).

Players can only enter ONE SINGLES EVENT (singles OR skinny singles).

Balls will be Franklin yellow X-40 outdoor and X-26 indoor.

Players in wheelchairs or with other disabilities are welcome to compete in mainstream events, with the two bounce rule and to also enter para or hybrid events (max 5 events).

The exact format and structure of all events will be finalised on close of registrations.
As balls will be yellow, please avoid wearing yellow clothing during play as per USA Pickleball Official Rulebook 2023.

Welcome party 5-8pm Friday 29 September
Enjoy snacks and drinks while meeting new friends and deepening existing connections in the VIP room and balcony overlooking the best mixed pairs in Australia battle it out in the new "Oceania Smash Clash" event on the show court. Live music. $25 per person.

Public transport to the Blacktown Leisure Centre
The venue is well serviced by buses which connect to train stations.
For details use this trip planner: https://transportnsw.info/trip#/trip

Day tours
Competitors and/or their families visiting from other parts of Australia or overseas might want to join a tour before or after the APC or on a day when they are not competing. Here are a few options:

Taronga Zoo
Catching the little ferry from Circular Quay, past the Opera House to Mosman is an unforgettable journey to get to the zoo, where you can easily spend an entire wonderful day enjoying the animal exhibits, shows and harbour views.

Blue Mountains
https://bluemountainstours.com.au/
https://bluemountainstoursydney.com.au/tours/1-day-blue-mountains-tour/
https://www.bluemountains-tours.com.au/tours/blue-mountains-day-tour/

Hunter Valley
https://huntervalleytoursydney.com.au/
https://www.huntervalleywinetastingtours.com.au/
https://wayoutback.com.au/tours/1-day-hunter-valley-wine-tours/

Free things to do in Sydney
Walk from Milsons Point across the Harbour Bridge to the Opera House - approx 90 mins each way.
Walk from Manly Wharf to Manly Beach onto Shelley Beach - 30 mins each way.
Plus 1001 more - just search the internet!

Refund Policy

Refunds will be provided - no questions asked – before close of registration (excluding transaction and service fees).

After registration closes provision of a medical certificate will ensure a full refund minus the transaction and service charges.

General withdrawal after the close of registration will result in a $40 registration payment being retained to cover costs incurred.

Once draws and times are published, NO refund will be given, except when a medical certificate can be provided.

Venue Information

Details