Hello APPL Enthusiasts,
With team registration closing in two weeks and player registration in full swing, it’s time for a brief update in a few areas.
Age divisions complicate things a bit: As you know, APPL implemented age divisions for the upcoming season. The primary motivation for this change was to allow more age groups to participate in the State Championships. We knew this decision would result in some smaller flights but there seemed to be enough interest so we moved forward. Originally, it was stated that a flight in any age division would need to have three teams to form a flight and register. In the spirit of positive player experience, all teams have been allowed to register. If, at the end of team registration, there are still only one or two teams in a flight we will consider several options. The most common option, which we have used in the past in the East Valley Region, is to merge that flight with another flight of similar skill level. Typically this would result in merging the age group flights of the same skill level. This is essentially how we were structured last year, in all regions, when we had one all age flight for each skill level. However the difference would be that the top teams in each age group would move on to the State Championships. Much like tournaments, age groups are merged by skill level to provide more matches but winners will emerge at the end in each age group.
We have also looked at the option of merging skill levels up or down one half a point. Although this isn’t our first choice, sometimes it makes sense (the tournament world does this occasionally) and of course winners in each skill level move on to the state championship. In the tournament structure, winners in each skill level are awarded medals. In the event that only one or two teams form in your flight we will contact you and are confident a solution will be manageable.
Captains please do a quick check: We have found instances where some team information was incorrect. Captains please take a moment and check in your region’s website that your team is in the right age league and flight skill level. Please also verify that your team’s home venue location is correct and that the address is correct. Once we start the schedules (November 15th) it is critical that this information is correct.
Key Dates to Remember:
- Team Registration Closes: 11/13/22
- Schedules Published: 12/3/22
- Last Date Payments Due for Venue Contracted Courts (where applicable): 12/23/22
- Matches Start: 1/2/23
- Player Registration Closes: 2/18/23
- Regular Season Ends: 3/25/23
- State Championships: Friday 3/31 – Tuesday 4/4*
Our State Championships will be held over a “long” weekend this season. We’re not certain if we’ll need Tuesday at this point. We are pleased to announce that the City of Casa Grande’s Dave White Regional Park will be the location once again.
Our Player Resources is a must see web page: If you haven’t looked at it yet, I urge you to go to our APPL website, hover over the “Get Started” tab and click on the “Player Resources” drop down. It will take you to a page loaded with information. In addition, it has a rapidly growing list of short training videos on how to do some things. So even if you have looked at it already you will want to periodically check it for updates. We will continue to add to this list throughout the year. If you are captaining a team, please be sure to use your Captain’s Guide as a reference for any information you may need or be unsure of. It’s a great way to get your answers quickly.
In closing, our hard working team of APPL volunteers are all looking forward to another record breaking season filled with great fun, competition and community playing the sport that we all enjoy so much. We wish you all a safe and fun Happy Halloween!
Greg
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Greg Mather
480-220-7021
ArizonaPickleballPlayersLeague.org
Arizona Pickleball Players League Inc. – President
A nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers
TEAM UP! PLAY APPL!
