The Association of Pickleball Players (APP) is pairing up with PB5star, a high-performance pickleball apparel and footwear brand, for the APP’s nationwide collegiate events. PB5star will be the exclusive apparel partner of the 2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Championships, as well as its four regional qualifiers taking place throughout 2024.

The partnership paves the path to the 2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Championships, with regional competitions taking place this fall: West Regional on Sep. 26-28 in Glendale, Ariz.; Southwest Regional on Oct. 11-12 in Dallas; Midwest Regional on Oct. 17-19 in St. Louis, Mo.; and East Regional on Dec. 5-7 at The Fort, the APP’s official headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Emerging from the regional qualifiers will be 32 teams securing their spots for the APP U.S. Collegiate Team Championships on January 3-5, 2025, at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Ind. Alongside the Team Championships will be the APP U.S. Collegiate Individual Championships, where all interested college players will compete for individual titles in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.

“We’re excited to have PB5star as a key partner of the APP’s collegiate platform, a very important initiative for the APP,” said Sara Bonds, SVP of strategic partnerships for the APP. “Geared towards one of the fastest-growing age segments in the sport’s participation, PB5star has a phenomenal product that we know collegiate pickleball players will love. We look forward to showcasing the best of the best at all our upcoming collegiate events.”

In addition to prominent branding and signage at each event to showcase its best-in-class pickleball apparel, PB5star is pledging financial support for team hotel accommodations at the 2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Championships. All participants will also receive a player gift from PB5star.

"PB5star is excited to partner with the Association of Pickleball Players for the 2024/2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Regionals and Championships,” said Angela Caltagirone, chief digital and marketing officer for PB5star. We are proud to support collegiate athletes and the future stars of pickleball, providing resources that enhance their experience both on and off the court. We look forward to being a part of their journey and celebrating their achievements. Our motivation is to grow the sport of pickleball within the collegiate space and inspire the next generation of players."  

The 2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Championships will be nationally televised and feature a prize pool of $80,000 in scholarship money. Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield Ind., the training camp home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, will transform its 377,000-square-foot facility into a pickleball mecca for the event, featuring a Championship Court plus various player and spectator accommodations from locker rooms to a large bar and restaurant overlooking play.

Registration and ticket information for 2025 APP U.S. Collegiate Championships and regional qualifiers are available on theapp.global. To learn more about PB5star, visit PB5star.com.