Pickleball Tournament Fees Are Out of Control

Pickleball tournament fees of $10 a person? Yep those were the golden years of Playing Pickleball now over the past 3 years tournament fees are as much as a utility bill or in some cases a week’s worth of groceries.

Our first tournament included medals, refreshments and 6 guaranteed matches all for $10 a person. That's value and that's what keeps people coming back for more. So what changed? 

Did facility rental go up? Did inflation hit the cost of having a tournament? Did T-Shirts triple in price? 

Most tournaments don’t provide great prizes, don’t include decent snacks or refreshments and shirts are limited to the first early bird registrants. All of this is understandable but why did the price of competing in tournaments go from max $60 a person to $90 or $120 a person?

Let’s put this into perspective: No one wants to pay $100+ to play the same people they play every weekend at open play. No one wants to pay $100 or more for a spot at a plastic medal and maybe a T-shirt. Also a family with multiple entries 3+ or more - the cost becomes prohibitive in this economy - especially when you may only get 2 matches. I think reevaluating tournament fundraising methods and money grabs would help revive the tournament space. 

If you are going to charge $75 or more for an entry you certainly need to make it an experience. If you’re a tournament organizer, you need to learn how to partner with sponsors to get athlete perks, vendor villages, complimentary snacks, etc. 

Have you noticed a change in prices for tournament entry fees in your area? If you’re independently wealthy this might not matter but for some folks with multiple family members in the same household that want to compete it can be financially unwise to register. 

Fees in the $75+ range are not sustainable. Join the conversation here and here.