Professional Pickleball Coming to Baton Rouge

The Professional Pickleball Association is proud to bring the inaugural season of the PPA Tour Challenger Series Powered by JOOLA to Baton Rouge in April of 2025 for the Baton Rouge PPA Challenger. The electrifying tournament will be held at the Stacks Pickleball sports complex and will be the first ever professional pickleball tournament held in Louisiana.

With a commitment to fostering growth and development within the pickleball community, the introduction of the PPA Tour Challenger Series aims to nurture emerging talent, encourage participation, and ultimately elevate the sport to new heights. Bringing together the power of the PPA Tour brand with the grassroots energy and passion of amateur pickleball players, the PPA Tour Challenger Series will create an avenue for players across America to break into professional pickleball and earn their way onto the Carvana PPA Tour. Spanning the country with over a dozen tour stops in 2025, the series will feature amateur and aspiring professional pickleball players battling for victory and chasing their dreams.

“We have been excited to create more grassroots opportunities for amateur players as well as a structured pathway to the Carvana PPA Tour for aspiring professionals for a long time and we have done just that with the Challenger Series Powered by JOOLA,” says Connor Pardoe, the Founder & CEO of the Carvana PPA Tour. “This new tour will not only elevate the level of play but also inspire and motivate amateurs to reach new heights in their pickleball journey while bringing the PPA Tour’s brand of electric pickleball action to new levels of intensity.”

For further information about the PPA Challenger Series, please click here.

Stacks Pickleball is located on the campus of Celtic Studios and is where you can keep playing—rain or shine—in Louisiana’s first and largest climate controlled pickleball facility. The facility features 12 indoor courts along with a pro shop, event room and lounge area. Learn more at stackspb.com.

“Visit Baton Rouge is excited to partner with Stacks Pickleball and welcome the PPA Challenger Series to our community,” said Jason Suitt, Director of Sports Development for Visit Baton Rouge. “We look forward to sharing our unique culture with the players and their guests by providing a rich Louisiana experience. As the first professional pickleball tournament held in Louisiana, this event will help elevate Baton Rouge’s position within the fast-growing pickleball community within the state, region and nationally,”

Full of hidden local gems and in a central location, Baton Rouge is the perfect city to explore the eclectic culture of this amazing state. Beyond the world-class venues, attending a sports tournament or event here is an immersion in the best of Louisiana’s flavors, personality and genuine hospitality – from boudin to swamp blues and pink flamingo parades. With numerous facilities that can accommodate sports ranging from baseball and soccer to waterskiing and golf, the "Red Stick" takes sports and recreation to the next level. In addition to professional venues, the city offers several recreational options through various parks like skating, biking, boating, and kayaking.

The PPA Challenger Series event is estimated to bring in around $800,000 of revenue to the Baton Rouge area with the lodging, retail and food and beverage categories providing the highest local economic impact.

Participants in the Baton Rouge PPA Challenger are encouraged to continually stay tuned for the latest information as  it becomes available. Player registration is currently LIVE. Please click here to register today!

The schedule for PPA Tour Challenger Series events will be Friday through Sunday, and professionals will run on the same schedule as amateurs.

• Friday - Men's and Women's Singles
• Saturday - Gender Doubles
• Sunday - Mixed Doubles

Ticketing for the Baton Rouge PPA Challenger will be powered by TIXR. All pro and amateur players will receive a grounds pass with their fee to participate in the event. There will also be $15 grounds pass tickets for sale to friends, family and fans. To purchase tickets, please click here.

Championship Court action from the Baton Rouge PPA Challenger will be streamed LIVE on the NEW Tennis Channel App.

The Baton Rouge PPA Tour Challenger Powered by JOOLA promises to be an exhilarating experience for amateur players, offering them an incredible opportunity to take their game to the next level alongside aspiring professionals seeking to join the ranks of the world’s preeminent pickleball tour. With its enthusiastic grassroots approach and commitment to growing the sport, the PPA Tour Challenger Series is set to make a lasting impact on the Baton Rouge pickleball community.