PPA Tour Appoints MLP Founder Steve Kuhn as Chairman of Professional Player Relations
| July 11, 2023
The PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball (MLP) announced a merger earlier this month between the PPA’s VIBE Pickleball League and MLPl, bringing together the biggest team events in the sport. While the PPA Tour and MLP continue to run autonomously, the two entities have embarked on a variety of collaborations to foster enhanced synergy and continued symbiotic growth.
In the spirit of this collaboration, the PPA has appointed MLP founder Steve Kuhn to its expanding team as Chairman of Professional Player Relations, further solidifying the new partnership between the Tour and the League. He will also continue to serve as Chairman of the Board for MLP.
In this role, Kuhn will lead efforts in a number of important areas, including the elevation of pro player experience and player professionalism on and off the court. Pro player advocacy, well-being, rights, and equality have long been tenets close to Kuhn’s heart and are paramount to a consistent long-term vision for professional pickleball.
“I am extremely excited to take on my new role as Chairman of Professional Player Relations at the PPA,” said Steve Kuhn. “Enhancing player quality of life and helping make their experience more joyful are goals I am passionate about. I am thrilled to help us continue to prioritize our greatest asset: players.”
Along with a number of logistic, strategic, and operational items for the PPA, Kuhn will also head up the efforts to consolidate sport guidelines, set industry standards, and introduce protective measures through a pro player handbook. He will also lead charitable efforts, foster awareness of the sport, and introduce new fans and players to the game of pickleball.
“Steve has done a lot of good in pickleball and has a unique creative vision that has taken the sport to places we hadn’t considered possible in the past,” said Connor Pardoe, Commissioner and CEO of the PPA. “We’re excited to continue building out what being a ‘pro player’ really means and what that looks like with Steve’s guidance.”
Since its inception, the PPA Tour has worked to elevate the professional circuit from start to finish, including the introduction of appearance fees, injury insurance, a pro player advisory board, exclusive on-site amenities, tournament nutrition, physical therapy staff and equipment, marketing and promotional help, lodging and transportation assistance, and much more. Tour profits are allocated back to player experience, payout increases, and industry growth as the PPA focuses on showcasing professional pickleball like never before.
In step with the skyrocketing popularity of professional pickleball, Kuhn and the PPA Tour are mobilizing efforts on the largest stages to promote this great sport and prioritize players. Aided by Kuhn’s vision, pickleball enthusiasts can expect big things from the partnership between the PPA and MLP moving forward into 2023.
18 comments
Can u please just make it easier to get to the Denver brackets???!!
I entered the site 8 times and still can’t find them
I had the same problem in that tournament. They had some major admin issues. I hope you got to play. It was fun. But I’ve had difficulty with registering through Tournaments.com and brackets.com every time. VERY cumbersomr system.
SAME!
How would an individual host a player in the Phoenix area.
When the tour come to my area
Hi, Paul! We haven’t released the 2024 tour schedule yet, but this year we were in Phoenix in the month of February. 😁
I played in Rockwall, Texas and received an email telling me that I can register for the National tournament, but just yesterday, I received another email stating that I would be in a lottery. I also want to know why my rating is a 3.0. I have been playing for 14 years and I want to be challenged.
Hi, Cathy! I just checked pickleballtournaments.com and it looks like you received a bronze medal in women’s singles 3.5 70+ at the Texas Open. Only gold medal winners are guaranteed a spot at the USA Pickleball National Championships which is why you have been placed on a waitlist. However, players who finished on the podium at a golden ticket qualifying event will take precedence over players who did not podium so you should be among the first players off of the waitlist. 😁 As for your WPR rating, pickleballtouranaments.com is showing that you are rated 3.0, but because you played 3.5 at the Texas Open, that is the division that you will be required to play at USA Pickleball National Championships. Good luck! 🙌🏼
What apparel line is Martinez Vich wearing at the Takeya Showcase? Looks like a red flag with no name. Thanks.
Hi, Ken! I reached out to our Pro Player Coordinator and she said that Jaume Martinez Vich was wearing Florence Marine X yesterday. You can see their available products at https://www.florencemarinex.com/collections/all-products 😁
Thanks
Hey PPA!! We love pickleball and eager to plan our 2024 tournament schedule! We want to make several PPA events as players and spectators but also busy with work. When will the 2024 tour schedule be released (or at least the Spring 2024 schedule)?
Thanks!
Hi, Seth! I haven’t received word from our team on when the 2024 schedule will be released, but I will follow up with them now and see what I can find out for you. 😁 Thank you for your support! 🙌🏼
How do I watch the games
Hi, Chas! You can find the most up-to-date TV guide for the Carvana PPA Tour at ppatour.com/watch 😁
PPA Masters Tournament in Rancho Mirage 2024 – what are the dates? It would be great to be able to make travel plans/work schedule time off requests, etc, since it is a little over three months away now??
ooops….bad math on my months until the masters tournament in rancho mirage….it’s more like 4 months away!! but still would be nice to have those dates to do some planning….thanks!!!
We have plans to attend the PPA tournament at Hilton Head. Is it true that this is now an amateur event and no pro’s will be there?
Hello Tammy! Hilton Head will an amateur only event. Thanks.