CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES FAQ
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a. A series of 6 local member-only tournaments held throughout the year designed to create fun, competitive outlets for our members.
b. Each event is a qualifying tournament to get into the 7th event – the APC National Championship.
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As a member at Ace Pickleball Club, there is no cost for you to participate in this event.
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All players must have an active membership with APC both at Registration and continuously through the date of the APC Championship Series event they participate in.
Please note that Trial Members are not eligible to participate in APC Championship Series events.
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a. Men’s Doubles
b. Women’s Doubles
c. Mixed Doubles
d. Team Event
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Championship Series events for 2025 have not been submitted to DUPR. All 2026 Championship Series events, including our January 2026 National Championship will be submitted to DUPR.
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Any paddle that is currently on the USA Pickleball or UPA-A Pickleball list of certified paddles is eligible for play in the National Championship.
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Open Play will not be available during tournament hours. Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day.
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a. Free opportunity for competition and networking with other members
b. Bragging rights for you and your partner
c. Opportunity to win your local Championship, but more importantly…
d. Opportunity to qualify to play for even greater rewards at the APC National Championships
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All questions related to the Championship Series should be addressed to your local Club’s Management Team or emailed to championships@acepickleballclub.com. One of our team members will respond to your email as quickly as possible.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FAQ
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The APC National Championship is an opportunity to:
Celebrate Ace Pickleball Club nationally
Opportunity to network with fellow APC members nationally
Participate in a fun, competitive environment for all qualified players and guests
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a. Free opportunity for competition and networking with other members from Ace Pickleball Clubs across the country
b. Opportunity to represent your local Ace Pickleball Club at a national level
c. Opportunity to be an Ace Pickleball Club National Champion
d. Opportunity to win part of the $250,000 minimum prize pool
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As a member at APC, there is no cost for you to participate in this event. Players must pay their own travel expenses related to playing in these events
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The APC National Championship event will have a minimum prize pool of $250,000
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The 2026 National Championship will be played across two clubs in the Dallas Texas area.
Ace Pickleball Club – Frisco
2930 Preston Road, Frisco, TX, USA
Ace Pickleball Club – Plano
4801 West Park Boulevard #270, Plano, TX, USA
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Jan 29-Feb 1, 2026
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Thursday, January 29, 2026 - Women’s Doubles
Friday, January 30, 2026 – Team Event
Saturday, January 31, 2026 – Mixed Doubles
Sunday, Feb 1, 2026 – Men’s Doubles
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Play is scheduled to begin at 7am and conclude by 7pm each day. Specific Start Times and Locations for all Skill/Age Divisions for each day of the tournament will be pulled together after registration has closed. With thousands of qualified players, it is essential that we have a full view of the entire field before mapping out the schedule for each day. Specific start Time and Location details will be announced the week of December 8th.
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Eligible Players will register for the National Championship through our normal tournament registration software.
Eligible players will receive specific registration instructions via email beginning October 1, 2025. The registration process will open on November 1, 2026.
Registration will take place in waves.
Wave 1 will include 1st place winners from all local Championship Series events. These teams will have the first chance to register for the National Championship. All 1st place winners will have the chance to register from November 1-Nov 10. During this period, there will be NO LIMITS placed on the number of teams that can register for any Skill Level/Age Group. If you won locally, then you are guaranteed to get into the National Championship if you register during these dates.
Wave 2 will take place from Nov 11 – Nov 18. During this wave of registration, we will continue to accept registrations for a select number of Skill Level/Age Groups slots to fill the field in those divisions. The number of Wave 2 open slots by Skill Level/Age Group will not be determined until after Wave 1 registration is complete. These limited Open Slots will be available on a first come-first serve basis to all 1st place teams that did not register during Wave 1 AND:
any local Championship 2nd place winners
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Qualified players must be members from the time that they participated in the qualifying Championship Series event until the date of the National Championship. Failure to maintain membership will disqualify a player from participating in the National Championship.
If your partner is no longer qualified to play (either no longer a member at APC, has not been a consistent member at APC, or is otherwise unable to participate in the event) or has been notified that they need to play at a higher skill level, you are able to select a replacement player. Replacement players must meet the following criteria:
They must be a current APC member and remain a member through the National Championship dates
They must have played in an APC Championship Series event during 2025
Their participation must have been in the same event that you are qualified in (Men’s, Women’s, Mixed or Team)
Their participation must have been at the same skill level or below as the skill level you qualified for with your previous partner
Their participation must have been at the same age level or higher as the age level you qualified for with your previous partner
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Yes, all qualified players are currently being reviewed in two ways to determine if their skills have advanced to a point that they need to play the National Championship at a higher skill level than the skill level they played when they qualified.
First, each player will be reviewed by their home club to determine if their skill level has increased to a point that they need to move up to higher skill level. Those that need to move up will only be eligible to play in the National Championship at the higher skill level determined by their home club.
Second, all players’ DUPR ratings and reliability scores as of 10/1/25 (if available) will be reviewed by our Championship Series Tournament Committee. If a player’s DUPR score is .5 or higher than the skill level they qualified in and they have a reliability score of 60 or higher, they will only be eligible to play in the National Championship at the higher skill level. (i.e., if a player qualified at 3.5 doubles and either partner’s Oct 1 DUPR score is 4.00 or higher and has a reliability rating of 60+ that team would only qualify to play at the National Championship at the 4.0 level.)
These reviews will be completed and all impacted players/teams will be notified prior to registration opening so that they can make their decisions about registration with the knowledge of what skill level they will be qualified to compete in. Every team will be evaluated based on the skill level of the highest rated player within the team.
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Yes, we are very excited to report that there will be certified referees for EVERY match of the tournament.
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Absolutely! We are planning a fantastic event for the evening of Friday, January 30th to celebrate APC members and their accomplishments in getting to the National Championship.
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The overall prize pool for the National Championship is $250,000. Player payouts will be determined once final registration is complete and we know exactly how many divisions will be played across the 4-day tournament. First place winners in all events will pay out a minimum of $1,200 per player. Second place winners will pay out a minimum of $500 per player.
All players across all events will be eligible to win raffle prizes of all types including a South African safari trip, courtesy of Hippo Lakes.
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Yes, you can get special deals while supplies last at the following hotels (click hotel name to be connected to the booking link):
Drury inn and Suites – Dallas Frisco
$109/night
$119 – King room; $129 Double Queen room
Aloft Marriot – Dallas Parkway
$129/night
Home2Suites Hilton – Plano Legacy West
$139/night
$139/night
Homewood Suites by Dallas Frisco
$142/night
$109-$114/night
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All questions related to the National Championships should be emailed to championships@acepickleballclub.com. One of our team members will respond to your email as quickly as possible.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S DOUBLES FAQ
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Item desAny current member is eligible to play in the tournament
All players need to have active memberships at the date of the tournament
Please note that Trial Members are not eligible to participate in APC Championship Series events.cription
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The format of play is Pool Play followed by a Playoff.
All Division Final matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11, win by 2
Full format details can be found within the Rules document that can be accessed here.
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The tournament will take approximately 3-4 hours to complete should your team make it all the way to the final match.
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Skill Levels available:
Beginner (2.5), Intermediate (3.0), Intermediate Plus (3.5), Advanced (4.0), Advanced Plus (4.5) and Open (5.0+).
Age groups available:
Under 50, and 50+.
All beginner level brackets will have combined age groups. (Ex: Men’s Beginner All Ages and Women’s Beginner All Ages)
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Players 50 and older are able to play in either the Under 50 age group or the 50+ age group, but cannot play in both events. All players are only allowed to register for a single Division within the offered Event Types (Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles).
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Members can find links to register for these Championship Series events on the the APC Championship Series website, on the APC App, and on their local club’s calendar. Special email notifications and advertisements around the club also are used to direct members to registration links.
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Members can utilize the Find a Partner feature within the tournament registration site to let others know that they are looking for a partner at a specific Skill/Age level. Additionally, members can work with their Club Management to take advantage of opportunities to get connected with other members that are also seeking partners.
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Open Play will not be available during tournament hours. Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day.
TEAM EVENT FAQ
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Any current member is eligible to play in the tournament
All players need to have active memberships at the date of the tournament
Please note that Trial Members are not eligible to participate in APC Championship Series events.
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4-person teams competing against each other in multi-round matches.
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BEGINNER through ADVANCED PLUS Skill Levels:
Men’s Teams (4 men on a team) vs other Men’s Teams
Women’s Teams (4 Women on a team) versus other Women’s Teams
Each team will rank order their players 1, 2, 3, 4 based on skill level within the team.
Club Management will have the authority to alter the rank order supplied by the team.
The final approved rank order will remain in place throughout the tournament
OPEN Skill Level:
Men and women play with and against each other in this Division.
Each team will rank order their players 1, 2, 3, 4 based on skill level within the team.
Club Management will have the authority to alter the rank order supplied by the team.
The final approved rank order will remain in place throughout the tournament
Match Format:
Game 1 – Players #1 and #2 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1
Game 2 – Players #3 and #4 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1
Game 3 – Players #1 and #3 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1
Game 4 – Players #2 and #4 from each team will play a doubles game to 11, win by 1
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Pool play matches will not play Tie Breakers. Only Semi-final and Final matches will play Tie Breakers.
The Tie Breaker for this team event is a combination of doubles match ups from both teams that play against each other in a single game played to 11 win by 2. Each team will send out their double’s teams in a predetermined order as listed below:
The first rotation of players (Players 1 and 2) will remain on the court until either team reaches 2 points.
The second rotation of players (Players 3 and 4) will remain on the court until either team reaches 4 points.
The third rotation of players (Players 1 and 3) will remain on the court until either team reaches 6 points.
The fourth rotation of players (Players 2 and 4) will remain on the court until either team reaches 8 points.
The fifth rotation of players (Players 1 and 2) will remain on the court until the game is completed.
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Nothing – all tournaments within the Championship Series are included in your membership.
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Beginner (2.5) – All ages play together
Intermediate (3.0) – All ages play together
Intermediate Plus (3.5) – All ages play together
Advanced (4.0) – All ages play together
Advanced Plus (4.5) – All ages play together
Open (5.0+) All ages play together
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The tournament will take approximately 3-4 hours to complete should your team make it all the way to the final match
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Members can find links to register for these Championship Series events on the the APC Championship Series website, on the APC App, and on their local club’s calendar. Special email notifications and advertisements around the club also are used to direct members to registration links.
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Members can utilize the Find a Partner feature within the tournament registration site to let others know that they are looking for a partner at a specific Skill/Age level. Additionally, members can work with their Club Management to take advantage of opportunities to get connected with other members that are also seeking partners.
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Open Play will not be available during tournament hours. Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day.
MIXED DOUBLES FAQ
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Any current member is eligible to play in the tournament
All players need to have active memberships at the date of the tournament
Please note that Trial Members are not eligible to participate in APC Championship Series events.
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The format of play is Pool Play followed by a Playoff.
All Division Final matches are played as 2 out of 3 games to 11, win by 2
Full format details can be found within the Rules document that can be accessed here.
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Nothing – all tournaments within the Championship Series are included in your membership.
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Skill levels available
Beginner (2.5)
Intermediate (3.0)
Intermediate + (3.5)
Advanced (4.0)
Advanced + (4.5)
Open (5.0+)
Age groups available
Under 50 and 50+
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The tournament will take approximately 3-4 hours to complete should your team make it all the way to the final match
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Players 50 and older are able to play in either the Under 50 age group or the 50+ age group, but cannot play in both events. All players are only allowed to register for a single Division within the offered Event Types (Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles).
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Members can find links to register for these Championship Series events on the the APC Championship Series website, on the APC App, and on their local club’s calendar. Special email notifications and advertisements around the club also are used to direct members to registration links.
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Members can utilize the Find a Partner feature within the tournament registration site to let others know that they are looking for a partner at a specific Skill/Age level. Additionally, members can work with their Club Management to take advantage of opportunities to get connected with other members that are also seeking partners.
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Open Play will not be available during tournament hours. Open Play will be available to members after the tournament events are completed each day.
