Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach, Fla. (Feb. 8, 2022) – The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) tournament returns on Feb. 23-27 at the PicklePlex in Punta Gorda at Florida Southwestern State College. After the huge success in 2020 & 2021, Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau is proud to welcome and support the return of the APP – Punta Gorda Open for the next three years.

“We are excited to be the host destination through 2024 since it has been so valuable for our industry partners. The tournament created an economic impact of over $1 million with top professional athletes traveling as far away as Afghanistan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Zimbabwe. In 2021 they produced over 1 million live streaming views in 50 different countries with over 26,000 social media engagements.  This strong partnership allowed us to become engaged with a completely different audience, which adds so much value to our industry partners and destination,” said Sean Walter, Business Development Director of Sports for the Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau.

APP is the first USA Pickleball sanctioned tour for both professionals and amateurs in America and Europe. This event, having over 600 of the top amateur and professional players from across America, will compete for $40,000 in total prize money at the PicklePlex. Pickleball players compete in pro, senior pro, and amateur divisions. All individual matches will be played on one central court, giving spectators a close-up view to watch all the best professional players compete in their matches. There are 32 APP tournaments scheduled throughout the world to allow all player athletes, professionals, and amateurs to qualify for the season-ending championship, The APP Masters.

“The APP Tour has a special place in its heart for the team at PicklePlex and this beautiful destination,” said the CEO & Creative Founder of APP, Ken Herrmann.” They have been so supportive of the tour since its beginning and is a “player and pro” favorite location on the tour stop. We can’t wait to come back in February.”

Tickets are available for purchase, online at APP Tour Tickets. Tickets are also available for cash purchase at the gate.

A grounds pass gets you entry into the pickleball venue at Pickleplex for each day that you have a valid ticket: Friday: Pro Mixed doubles, Saturday: Pro Gender Doubles, and Sunday: Pro Singles. Players registered to play do not need to purchase a grounds pass on the days that they are participating.  All registered players are allowed to bring a guest each day while they are playing.  Kids under 18 are free.

If you have questions about the APP tournament, e-mail Ken Herrmann at Ken@APPTour.org.

For Media Inquiries, e-mail Gloria Reilly at Gloria.Reilly@pickleplex.org.