READ ALL ABOUT Our Queensland Pickleball Glow-Up!

Wow…What a year! Queensland Pickleball absolutely exploded 🔥 in 2025!

Membership Magic

Membership shot through the roof, enthusiasm hit an all-time high, and pickleballs were flying everywhere (mostly in the right direction)!

By 1 December 2025, we celebrated 6,558 members – that’s a whole lot of pickleballers, paddles, and passion! Over only 2 years, our membership has grown by 213%. What an achievement!

Fun facts:

• 53% female
• Average age: 53
  It turns out that 53 is officially the new 23...! 😁

QPT 2025 Wrap-UP – A Whirlwind of Tournaments, Talent & Triumphs

The Queensland Pickleball Tour (QPT) is a series of tournaments held across Queensland that aims to provide competitive play opportunities for players registered with the Pickleball Association of Australia (PA).

QPT is an ideal opportunity for first-time tournament players and experienced players.

In 2025, we had seven tournaments. Thousands of matches. Endless energy. 

Here’s the snapshot:

• 1,318 unique players brought their A-game
• 311 events
• 6,034 matches (yes…six thousand!)
• Participation: 46% Female | 54% Male
• 60% of players played just one tournament - but what a tournament it was!
• QPT Brisbane: The only event to run a wheelchair division
• Brisbane & Yeppoon: Hosted Junior divisions

🔊 Big Shout-Outs 

✨ Two legendary players attended ALL seven tournaments:

• Garry Eddy
• Colleen Thompson

🏅Medal Masters

• Most Golds: Graeme Clemett – 6 golds
• Most Medals Overall: Craig Taylor – 12 medals

🚀 Growth Galore 

Tournament registrations jumped a whopping 138% from 2024. QPT Gold Coast smashed records with 520 players - a 175% increase from 2023!

What Players Told Us:

You spoke. We listened. Here's the vibe from players across the state:

What We Can Improve

• More water points (hydration = power)
• Additional shade & seating
• More games and divisions
• Court taping colours & maintenance
• Better quality overflow venues
• PA systems that actually… work
• Keep the main court main, not a walkway

What Players Loved

• Clear communication
• Friendly staff
• Fun, upbeat vibe
• Smooth organisation
• Running on time (pickleballers respect punctuality!)

🎉 QPC Winner Announced - Drumroll, Please…! 

We’ve spun the wheel, shaken the box, and drawn the prize - and the lucky winner of the Engage Trident Paddle plus 2× tickets to the Moreton Bay Food & Wine Festival is… 🥳 Stephen Evans!

Stephen flew in all the way from Adelaide… and somehow managed to sneak off with the prize every Queenslander was dreaming about!! Talk about a smash-and-grab victory!

Get ready to paddle, play, sip, snack, and celebrate, Stephen-what a combo!

Bring on QPT 2026!

Time to turn the page and gear up for an even bigger year. Game faces on. Let's see you out there!

In 2026, we jump from 7 to 10 tournaments, giving you more places to play and more chances to shine.

New features:

• A brand-new 70+ age division
• Events must have at least 4 teams to proceed — more competition, more fun!
• At least one player must qualify for the age division you’re entering; the other player can be older.

Player Enter Score – A Queensland FIRST

Queensland led the charge with Player Enter Score, now used successfully in 14+ tournaments (gremlins included… but mostly tamed – lol!)

Players and TD’s (Tournament Directors) are loving it because:

• Less printing
• Faster workflows
• Easy score entry
• Players can manage flow right from their phones

It even shone at the Australian Pickleball Championships (APC), the country's biggest tournament.

A huge thank-you to everyone who embraced the change!

Big Year for Ratings – DUPR Era Begins

2025 saw the shift from Australian Ratings to which officially moved in April. Players had a grace period to play in lower divisions if they met specific criteria. The grace period is now over.

A Few Key Changes:

• Initially, your DUPR rating was about 0.6 points higher than your PA Rating
• No more separate Gender / Mixed ratings - DUPR gives you one rating

During the year, DUPR announced and implemented a new DUPR algorithm means… yes, your rating can go up even when you lose (we know 😱, we’re still blinking about this too…)

Track Your DUPR Journey:

Confused why your DUPR moved after a match?

You can now track your rating history directly on Pickleball.com - finally!

CLICK HERE: 👇

Rating History now LIVE on Pickleball.com

Plus, there are heaps of YouTube videos available to help demystify the system.

As We Wrap Up 2025…

From the entire Tournament Team: rest up, recover those injuries, and recharge for a massive 2026.

We can’t wait to see you all back on court - smiling, competing, making new friends, and collecting a bit of bling.

Best wishes for 2026 🎉 - and see you on the courts! 🥰

Rykie Louw 
Queensland Tournament Desk

PS. 🔊 And don't forget to spread the word, share this link, and follow us on Facebook for all the latest updates, sneak peeks, and tournament buzz!