APP joins forces with iconic global sports fashion brand as its first-ever official on-court apparel partner; To kick off the partnership, ellesse will outfit the APP Tour broadcast team and the 2023 Next Gen National Team

The Association of Pickleball Players (APP), the nation’s preeminent pickleball tour for professionals and amateurs, has announced a significant addition to its partner roster with the iconic sports fashion brand ellesse joining as its Official On-Court Apparel partner.

Founded in 1959, ellesse quickly established itself internationally as one of the pioneers of the sports fashion industry – particularly in tennis. ellesse’s court jackets, t-shirts, and polos introduced a fusion of style and comfort and attracted some of the biggest tennis stars of the 1970’s and 1980’s, including Tommy Haas, Chris Evert, Boris Becker, Pat Cash, Arantxa Sánchez, and Anna Kournikova as brand ambassadors. The Italian-based brand now brings its high-quality, bold and colorful sportswear to the world of pickleball as the Official On-Court Apparel partner of the APP. ellesse will kick off its partnership with the APP at its flagship event, The Boca Raton 2023 APP New York City Open, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York from May 23 – 28, 2023.

As part of ellesse’s sponsorship of the APP, ellesse will outfit the APP’s broadcast team, as well as the recently announced 2023 APP Next Gen National Team, a collection of twelve of the top 16–23-year-old pickleball players in the country. The ellesse brand will be immersed into the APP Tour with in-venue branding and visibility, including signage, social media promotion, and inclusion in APP Tour broadcast productions – spanning coverage on CBS Sports Network and ESPN2 as well as livestream coverage on APPTV and ESPN+.    

“I’m truly honored to be welcoming ellesse into the APP,” commented APP Chief Marketing Officer Tom Webb. “ellesse has a long and rich history in racket sports and is now entering a new chapter with pickleball and the APP. This announcement represents another major step for the APP as we continue our ambitions to expand the sport worldwide. Through our partnership with a globally-recognized creative brand such as ellesse, the whole world of pickleball is about to look even cooler.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with the APP and immersing ellesse in the world of pickleball,” added Jennie Bianco, Head of UK Marketing at ellesse. “The brand’s history is cemented in racquet sports, and we’re excited to be teaming up with APP and be a part of the sport’s flourishing future.”

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