A Message from the Commissioner
Hello, Pickleball Players!

It’s that exciting time again — a new APPL season is just around the corner. Team registration has officially closed, and we’re thrilled to announce 550 teams in our 2026 Winter League — a 20% increase over last year! Even more impressive, we already have over 5000 registered players, with more joining every day. 
Whether you’re returning for another season or stepping onto the courts for the first time, welcome to the APPL community. This season promises great competition, plenty of fun, and the camaraderie that makes pickleball truly special.
A heartfelt thank-you to our 40 incredible APPL volunteers, whose dedication and teamwork continue to make this the best team-based pickleball league in the country. Their time, energy, and passion are the driving force behind every smooth match, every organized division, and every memorable moment on and off the courts.
We also thank YOU, our league players and team leaders, for your exceptional support and participation. Let’s make this our best season yet — full of new connections, spirited matches, memorable rallies, and the outstanding sportsmanship that defines APPL.
 
Greg Mather

Important to Note

Below are some key rule updates for the 2026 APPL season. This is not a complete list — please refer to the full APPL League Rules document for all other pertinent information. If a situation isn’t covered within our document, we follow the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook.

Forfeits – A forfeit gives the opposing team an automatic 36–0 win, which can unfairly affect flight results. If you’re short of players, we strongly encourage you to compete with a minimum lineup of four instead of forfeiting the entire match. To keep standings fair, new penalties will apply for entirely forfeited matches. Penalties will include:

  1. First entire match forfeit: The team loses one standing point.
  2. Second entire match forfeit: The team is removed from the league, and all its matches are deleted from the standings.

Weather Cancellations – Matches may only be canceled for rain or sustained winds of 20+ mph. No match can be canceled earlier than the Away Team’s travel time plus two hours before the scheduled start time. Both Captains must agree to reschedule or to contact the League Coordinator to make the final decision.

Balls – All APPL matches must use new, USAP-approved outdoor balls in a bright, highly visible color (such as optic yellow or neon green). Pink balls are not allowed.

Late Players – Matches must start within 5 minutes of the posted start time. If a player hasn’t arrived by then:

  • A listed substitute may play in their place, or
  • The affected game(s) may be forfeited. (See the full rules document for details.)

Non-Volley Zone (NVZ) Faults – Players may call NVZ faults and service foot faults on the opponent’s side of the court. Faults must be called immediately when seen. If the teams disagree about the call, the point is replayed. (USAP 13.D.1.c)

Wrong Score Called: If the wrong score is called, a player may stop play before the Server serves the ball with no risk of penalty. A player can also stop play before the return of serve to correct the score, but if they are wrong or stop play after the return of serve, they will lose the point. After the return of serve, play shall continue to the end of the rally and the score correction made before the next serve. (USAP 4.K)

Spectator Etiquette

We love having spectators at our pickleball matches! Friends, family, and teammates bring great energy and make the games more fun for everyone. But there’s an important line between cheering and coaching — and it’s one we all need to respect. In unrefereed pickleball, only the players on the court make calls and decisions. That means spectators cannot give advice, instructions, or opinions — even if it’s well-intentioned.

What Spectators Cannot Do:

  • No coaching or direction — don’t yell things like “slam it,” “drop it,” “move up,” or “let it go.”
  • No line calls — never say “that was out,” “it was in,” or even gesture. Line calls belong solely to the players on the court.
  • No scoring help – if players disagree on the scores, spectators cannot help resolve it.
  • No signals or reactions — if a player glances outside the court for help, don’t shake your head, nod, or respond. Stay neutral.

What’s Encouraged:

  • Positive applause and encouragement. Feel free to say “nice shot,” “great rally,” or clap for good play — for either side.
  • Keep it fun and friendly. Good sportsmanship and respect for both teams make the experience better for everyone.

Remember: Spectators influence the tone of the match. When fans stay positive and neutral, players can focus, play fairly, and enjoy the game the way it’s meant to be played. THANK YOU for helping us maintain a great environment for everyone on and off the court!

Get Social

Players, don’t miss out on the latest league news, highlights and community updates. Our social media channels are a great resource for you to stay connected. Follow us on Facebook & Instagram and help us grow our social presence.

We also have a private APPL Facebook Group that we encourage ALL players to join.

Here’s your chance to participate in the conversation, ask FAQs, share team spirit, upload your player photos and get plugged in with the APPL community online!

Have You Seen the New APPL Video?

You may notice a new video clip on our website highlighting the fun and community spirit of being part of the most popular team-based pickleball league — APPL! A special THANK YOU goes out to the pickelball venues that made this filming possible.

First, a huge shout-out to Shea Homes at Trilogy Verde River — not only do they have one of the most picturesque pickleball settings in Arizona with beautiful courts and a stunning backdrop, but their enthusiasm for APPL shines through with over 20 teams participating this season!

We also want to thank Center Court Pickleball in Glendale for welcoming us to film indoors at their facility. They’ve become a valued partner, providing us a tremendous number of APPL home match slots across all three of their Valley locations.

American Girl Joins the Pickleball Craze

Pickleball is so popular these days that even the dolls are getting in on the action! American Girl just released a charming pickleball outfit for their dolls. It’s a fun reminder of how far the sport has spread across ages, hobbies, and even toy aisles. Beyond the cuteness factor, it shows just how deeply pickleball has worked its way into everyday culture. From local leagues like ours, to national tournaments, and now toy shelves, pickleball’s popularity keeps on soaring!

Captains’ Training

If you missed the Captains’ Training, there is a video on our website now in the ‘Captain Resources’ page. Click HERE to view the training.

A Championship to Remember

The American Team Pickleball League Inaugural National Championships, hosted by APPL, took place at the Pueblo El Mirage Pickleball Complex in El Mirage from November 6–9. They were nothing short of a smash hit! The Arizona weekend delivered great competition, perfect weather, and plenty of sportsmanship and smiles from players and spectators across the country, both on and off the courts.

A special CONGRATS to the APPL teams participating, who collectively brought home 8 Gold, 6 Silver and 5 Bronze medals.

A huge THANK YOU to the Pueblo El Mirage volunteer staff, who kept the water flowing, managed the medical station, maintained the courts, provided security, and handled countless behind-the-scenes details that kept everything running smoothly.

We also extend our sincere appreciation to the APPL volunteers and staff — from registration and score reporting to court monitors and tournament administration — for executing every detail flawlessly.

Capping off the four-day event was a fantastic Players Party on Friday night, where more than a hundred players enjoyed delicious food, a live band, dancing, and a beautiful patio under the Arizona stars.

The American Team Pickleball League (ATPL) proudly brings together the nation’s top team-based pickleball leagues — including those in Arizona, California, Florida, and Oregon — with even more states gearing up to join this growing movement. The energy, camaraderie, and competition on display in El Mirage were just the beginning!

Shop APPL Gear

Attention APPL Captains!

PickleHigh has made it even easier to outfit your team with team uniforms. Rather than go through a complicated process with one of the many local printers, you’ll definitely want to check it out. It’s formatted for quick reference—perfect for use now or anytime down the road. Even better, a bunch of new items and styles have been added to the lineup that we think your teams are going to really like. Go to the APPL Team ProShop and click on the APPL Custom Uniform button or click here. Contact David Randall at PickleHigh (440-567-4959) if you have any questions.

Confidence Matters!

Brian Martin, NPL Senior Pro

Yogi Berra, a famous baseball player, once said, “Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical.” Math experts will quickly point out that the statement makes absolutely no sense, but athletes understand exactly what he meant. As a pickleball player, you are an athlete and, regardless of your size, shape, gender or physical ability, you need to consider yourself an athlete. With that, comes physical preparation and mental preparation. To perform your best, your mind and your body need to work together as one.

There are many aspects of mental preparation, but the one I want to share today is about confidence on the court. There are two types of confidence in sports – Reactive Confidence & Stable Confidence.

Reactive Confidence is when your mental focus ebbs & flows with the result of every point. Your confidence or mental toughness suffers when something bad happens and it spikes when something good occurs. That’s a roller coaster that athletes do not want to be on! If your mind is thinking about how bad you are based on that last shot, you’ve started a downward spiral that often ends up in multiple bad shots over and over again. Similarly, that person who hits a miraculous winner and struts around the court like the next Ben Johns gets filled with a false sense of reality and often follows up with riskier attempts, leading to errors that place them right back on the “I’m terrible” train. Can you see how frustrating and exhausting this might be?

A more helpful approach is leading with Stable Confidence! Your mental focus is not dependent on the result of the last play; it’s as strong as the work and preparation that you’ve put in. Whether you miss a dink or hit a winner, your mental focus doesn’t waver because you trust that your time on the practice court will bring out the best you have. Everyone misses shots, and with Stable Confidence you can quickly move on to the next play knowing that you’ve put in the work to hit the next shot better. Aligning your mental state, based on the skill you’ve practiced and not on the result of an action that you can’t always control, will allow you to perform better.

Stable Confidence is realized by building your skill through practice. Consider how silly it is for me to get frustrated that I can’t play a song on the piano, when I don’t regularly practice playing the piano. With practice comes skill, and with skill comes confidence. Align your mind with your physical ability and trust that you’ve practiced these shots hundreds or thousands of times, and the next one is going to be great. The mind is powerful in sports. Those who believe they can do something, will have success – those who believe they can’t, will struggle to achieve their goals.

 If you want to learn tips to better practice and other ways to build confidence on the court, CLICK HERE to schedule a Team Training with National Pickleball League Senior Pro Brian Martin today!

Here are some Charity Tournament Events around Arizona that you may be interested in. Click on the image to link to the event information.