Only Game in Town: New Major League Pickleball league launches in Dripping Springs

Major League Pickleball officially launched at outdoor entertainment, arts and recreation venue Dreamland in Dripping Springs on September 21.

The new sports league held a ceremony at Dreamland, including statements from MLP executives, professional players and VIP guests. The ceremony preceded season one of the sport, which is set to begin in early November.

“I am proud to be at this historic occasion,” said MLP President Mellie Price. “MLP is a celebration of the sport, and it’s a platform for us to showcase players and inspire others.”

The MLP will stage an inaugural draft in Rockwall on Friday, Oct. 1, in which each of the eight team owner groups will select four players for the season from a group of the world’s best professional players.

Pickleball — a mixture of tennis, ping pong and badminton — can be played with singles (two players versus each other) or doubles (four players in teams of two).

On Nov. 5–8, 32 pickleball players (16 women and 16 men) will compete in a nationally broadcast competition at Dreamland. Eight teams will compete for the Pritchard Cup, named after the founder of the sport, Joel Pritchard.

“As they say, everything is bigger in Texas — and Major League Pickleball is no exception,” said professional pickleball player Irina Tereschenko. “MLP is bringing a new format, a team event that will bring people together, and a draft that I expect to be epic. I think this is going to be huge; I know I can’t wait for season one to start, and that’s how a lot of my fellow pros are feeling.”

Although pickleball has not yet become mainstream, it is certainly on the rise. The Economist dubbed the game as “the fastest-growing sport in America,” and more than 4 million people played pickleball this year. The sport is also reported to have experienced a 21% increase in participants from 2019 to 2020.

“Pickleball is taking America by storm,” said Marc Lasry, new MLP team owner and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. “If you are new to the sport, welcome. If you’ve been in the sport, we are excited to see you. An exciting future lies ahead of us.”