NAPLES, FL (November 10, 2026) - The YMCA of the USA (Y-USA), the national resource office for the 2,600 YMCAs across the country, proudly hosted its first-ever YMCA National Pickleball Tournament this past weekend, drawing more than 600 players nationwide for three days of spirited competition, camaraderie, and community.
The tournament took place at the USOP National Pickleball Center in Naples, Florida, where athletes ages 18 and up competed across multiple divisions. Division winners earned a coveted invitation to register for the 2026 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships (taking place April 11-18, 2026 in Naples, FL), bypassing the highly competitive lottery process.
“This event exemplified what makes the Y so special; bringing people together through sport, connection, and community,” said Meredith Griffin, Director of Sports and Competitive Events Strategy, Y-USA. “We were thrilled to see so many people come together from across the country to celebrate the joy of pickleball.”
Highlights
Over 600 athletes from across the U.S. engaged in spirited play
3 days of competition and connection at a world-class facility
Division winners earned automatic invitation into the 2026 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships
The event showcased the Y’s commitment to fostering healthy living, belonging, and community spirit
Event Recap Media
📸 Photo Gallery: https://bit.ly/47Knwud
🎥 Video Highlights: https://bit.ly/47BgAPY
Pickleball continues to surge as one of the nation’s fastest-growing sports, drawing players of all ages with its friendly competition and emphasis on community. At YMCAs nationwide, the sport is more than a game; it’s a way for members to connect, stay active, and thrive together.
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About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at ymca.org.
2025 YMCA National Pickleball Championship
Shot List
ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTENT SERVICES, YMCA OF THE USA - NO RESTRICTIONS
Naples, FL, USA - 08 Nov 2024
**SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES**
Storyline: At the first-ever YMCA National Pickleball Tournament in Naples, Florida, players of all ages and backgrounds come together to celebrate community, competition, and connection through the rapidly growing sport of pickleball.
SOUNDBITE (English) Augie Mendonza [00:00:04] Yeah, I had the honor of being a part of the planning committee for this tournament, and it's the first annual YMCA event, and we have a legacy within the Y of swimming and diving and gymnastics. You know, pickleball with the emergence of the sport has just exploded, and so to be a part the planning committees for this first inaugural tournament was a real honor.
SOUNDBITE (English) Colin Cummings [00:00:30] My name is Collin, I'm 36 and my hometown YMCA is Hagerstown, Maryland. It feels great to be able to come out here and play YMCA and put on a great tournament and I'm just thrilled to be here and compete. It's always great to come and represent your community. It's a great part about pickleball is you get to come from all different walks of life all through different places in the entire world and be able come out and compete and it means a lot to be out here to compete and win.
SOUNDBITE (English) Maddy Martinez [00:00:59] Hi, I'm Maddy. I'm 37 years old, and my home YMCA is Naples, Florida. I love competing. We got third place in the YMC national tournament. This is a great environment, great competition, and I love to be here. Representing my community in Naples, Florida is amazing. I think I've been here for over 20 years, straight from Cuba. This is wonderful place, you wanna grow your kids in. Come to Naples, Florida.
SOUNDBITE (English) Odessa Hopkins [00:01:34] . My name is Odessa. And I'm 67 years old and my home is here in Naples, Florida. And I am a part of the Bonita wine, but also frequent the Naples wine sometimes. Well, we love our community here in Naples and we really are advocates of pickleball. So we love the pickleball community. So we try to support it whenever we can. And in all of Naples we're really tight knit kind of community. We're unique. And pickleball is why my husband and I moved here, so of course we do all we can to support.
SOUNDBITE (English) Meredith Griffin [00:02:15] Hi, my name is Meredith Griffin. I'm the Director of Strategy and Quality Practices for Sports for the YMCA of the USA. This is a really exciting event. It's our very first YMCA National Pickleball Tournament. And we've been working on building pickleball membership in the YMCA for a number of years now. And so this is both a culmination and a start of a great connection with community through pickleball. I think that the pickleball community is about community. And which is exactly what the YMCA is about. We are about creating connected communities all over the United States, and pickleball is a chance to go across communities, bring people together with a very accessible sport that they love, and keeps people active from youth all the way through older ages. I think the popularity of pickleball has exploded recently, even though it's been around since the 60s. I think it's exploded recently because it's so... It's easy to get into, it's very accessible, it is a low-cost sport, there isn't a huge financial investment, but it's able to be played across generations. And a lot of families can play it together, even grandparents and grandchildren. It's actually exploding among college campuses right now as well, whereas pickleball has a reputation for being popular with older adults, it actually is spreading into the I think pickleball in the YMCA is really growing quickly because it is about being in community with one another. It matches so well with what we promote in the ymca. It gives you a chance to achieve, it gives you chance to belong to a community and it gives a chance build great relationships that are supportive in sport. We also have a lot of Americans who grew up playing sports that maybe in past generations did not. One more way that they can get connected and be healthy together. It all comes down to the pickles.
SOUNDBITE (English) Meredith Griffin [00:04:14] Right? So I think that there's an interesting connection between pickles and pickleball. We've noticed in past tournaments that the players drink pickle juice to keep from cramping and so this year we actually asked the Mount Olive Pickle Company to be a sponsor of this event and they did so enthusiastically. So we're able to offer the players both pickle juice and little munchy packs of pickles that will help provide them some nourishment but also keep them from cramming and I think it's a perfect time. Marriage of pickles and pickle balls.
SOUNDBITE (English) Lisa Amann and Karan VanDam [00:04:52] Actually met each other on the pickleball courts I think either three or four years ago and we've been just fast friends ever since. We feel like we're pickleball friends but also sisters off the pickleball court so we always make sure that we're out playing we're having fun.
- Wide of players competing in the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples, Fla.
- Mid of players in colorful outfits competing in the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Wide of players competing in the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of players competing in the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of players engaged in a pickleball match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of spectators seated in the bleachers, enjoying the atmosphere at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of a woman intently watching the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of player preparing to serve at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of referee signaling during a match
- Mid of pickleball players gathering and chatting
- Mid of participants relaxing during a break
- Wide of pickleball players competing
- Wide of players competing
- Mid of a player preparing to serve
- Mid of volunteers organizing snacks
- Mid of pickle juice bottles displayed at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of players preparing for a match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of players preparing for a match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of players preparing for a match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of a player serving the ball during the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of a player serving the ball during the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of participants posing with medals at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Mid of two pickleball players holding an invitation to the 2026 US Open Pickleball Championships at the YMCA Pickleball event.
- Mid of players engaged in a match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples, Fla.
- Mid of a player preparing to return a shot during the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples, Fla.
- Mid of players walking on the court at the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples, Fla.
- Mid of a player in action during the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples, FLA.
- Mid of participants attentively listening to instructions at the YMCA Pickleball Championship
- Wide of players engaged in a match at the YMCA Pickleball Championship in Naples
- Mid of players preparing for a match
