The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) made history again today, announcing plans to launch the newest arm of its industry-leading initiatives for youth pickleball, the APP Academy. Debuting in 2025 at the APP’s headquarters at The Fort in South Florida, the APP Academy will be the sport’s first-ever U.S. and international pickleball training and development program.

Rooted in the same spirit as development academies in the racquet sports world, the APP Academy is designed to develop and educate aspiring APP Next Gen, APP Collegiate and junior pickleball players, while building well-rounded student-athletes. The APP’s family-oriented environment will foster players to reach their goals by embracing challenges on the court, in the classroom, and through daily competition. In addition to a year-round boarding program, the APP Academy will offer after-school programs, summer camps and additional lower-commitment opportunities for players beginning in 2025. The full APP Academy boarding program is slated to begin in fall of 2025.

“I am honored to lead the next evolution in junior pickleball player development with APP Academy,” said APP Founder Ken Herrmann. “It long has been my vision to create a training program for the next generation of pickleball players. The APP Next Gen Series has done just that, and APP Academy will take it one step further for each player’s development journey. This is not just a training ground; the APP Academy is a home. As pickleball continues to ascend new heights every day, young pickleball players have many options for taking their games to the next level. The APP Academy will serve as the crown jewel of such opportunities.”

APP Academy is dedicated to ensuring academic success, producing well-rounded and well-educated student-athletes. Its education initiatives will be specialized for the flexibility and attention necessary for full-time student-athletes, including both ACT and SAT prep courses while providing cutting-edge technology and tutorial support. The primary goal is for all APP Academy students to secure academic scholarships or athletic scholarships to continue to pursue pickleball at the collegiate level.

The academy’s leadership will include Herrmann as director alongside a dedicated leadership team, including: a general manager, a director of school admissions, a player-relations manager and various coaches from the APP national coaching staff for pickleball instruction, strength and conditioning, and mental health.  

The APP Academy will be housed at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – home of the APP and the first-ever dedicated headquarters for a pickleball entity. Set to open in December 2024, the state-of-the-art facility features 43 courts, the world’s first pickleball stadium, a fitness and training facility, a full-service restaurant and more. The APP and The Fort share a mutual vision to support the growth of pickleball and develop the sport’s talent at its core, establishing a wide range of year-round programming tailored to pickleball players of all skill levels and ages.  

The APP is now taking expressions of interest for APP Academy. To indicate interest and elect to receive more information, visit theapp.global/academy.