APP Next EVents

Players wishing to participate in APP Next are encouraged to register with their partners at no cost to be considered for the ‘selection phase’.  Players selected are notified 45 days prior to the tournament and provided instructions to complete their registration with payment. 

Players not selected or inquiring outside the selection period are placed on a tournament alternate list. On average, we accept 25 new players to the APP Next Series for each tournament.  Email: appnext@theapp.global with any questions.

Players must:

• Have a USA Pickleball Championship level membership with an expiration date past the last day of the tournament you are registering. USA Pickleball membership page – click here  

• Have a UTR Sports player profile - click here to join

• Be age 23 or younger on the first day of the tournament

The APP Next program is available for players 23 and younger.  The age of a player is determined by the age at the start of the event.  

The APP Next brackets are open meaning players compete together with no separation by skill or age.  

Tournaments play consolation brackets. If a player loses a match, the best they can finish is bronze. Doubles events held on Friday and Saturday will use traditional scoring, in which a team scores only when serving the ball.  

• Top side of the bracket & gold play the best 2 out of 3 games to 11 win by 2  
• Bottom side of the bracket & bronze play one game to 15 win by 2  

Singles events held on Sunday will use rally scoring, in which a point is awarded at the end of each rally to the player who won the rally. A player must win the game by 2 on the serve.

• Top side of the bracket and gold play one game to 21 win by 2 on the serve
• Bottom side of the bracket and bronze play one game to 15 win by 2 on the serve

Players earn points for each match win during the three-day tournament.  At the conclusion of the tournament, the $15k prize fund is awarded to the top five female and top 5 male players with the most points.  

Players earn points for each match won during the three-day tournament.

APP Next points:  

• Gold = 300 points  

• Silver = 240 points

• Bronze = 160 points

• 4^th = 120 points

• All players finishing below 4^th place will accumulate 20 points for each match won on the top side of the bracket and 10 points for each match won on the bottom side of the bracket.

Players compete in multiple day events to determine the cumulative points earned to determine the top winners.

APP Next:

• Total Purse Prize = $15k

• Payout = Top 5 males and top 5 females  
  • Men:
    • 1st - $2,500
    • 2nd - $2,000
    • 3rd: $1,500
    • 4th - $1,000
    • 5th - $500
  • Women: 
    • 1st - $2,500
    • 2nd - $2,000
    • 3rd - $1,500
    • 4th - $1,000
    • 5th - $500

• Players competing in APP Next are considered for the APP U.S. National Team and Training Assistance Program (TAP)

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Franklin X-40

APP Next tournaments held at the Chicken N Pickle locations select 85 players to compete.  Players are encouraged to register with their partners at no cost to be considered for the ‘selection phase’.  Players selected are notified 45 days prior to the tournament and provided instructions to complete their registration with payment ($425).

The APP Next Fort Lauderdale tournament will be held December 5-7, 2025, at The Fort in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The Fort is the premier pickleball facility in South Florida, featuring 43 pickleball courts, a pro shop, a full-service restaurant and the training facility for the APP Academy and APP Touring Pros Program. With abundant courts, the tournament will not need a selection phase and will accept registrations with payment ($425).

Yes, we follow all USA Pickleball guidelines.

APP Next events are USA Pickleball MMP sanctioned events. MMP (Medal Match Plus) allows a modified referee requirement for USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments.  You must have a referee for the winner bracket and consolation bracket finals as well as the Gold/Silver and Bronze medal matches

Additional matches may be refereed earlier in the bracket to provide players with the experience of a USAP refereed match. Referees will be onsite each day to assist with starting matches and answering player questions. A portion of your registration is used to provide this service to the players during the event.

USAP MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED –  

Every player must have a current USAP Membership one day past the last day of the tournament. The USAP Championship level membership will be validated during the registration process of the tournament. 

USAP Membership Website

All players/parents/guardians will receive a URL link at the end of registration to electronically sign the waiver. Parent/guardian information is obtained during the registration process for players under the age of 18.

Chicken N Pickle requires a separate waiver for each location and will need to be completed before participation. Click here for the Chicken N Pickle waivers.  Keep a screenshot of the acceptance page to show each day for entrance into the dining room.

Any parent/guardian needing additional information, please email appnext@theapp.global

The following events are held on the UTR Sports platform:

• APP Next
• APP Academy High Performance Summer Camp
• APP U.S. Collegiate Qualifiers, National Championships & Individual Championships  
• APP Tour

When you are ready to register:

Step 1:  Click one of the event links to access the Main Event page

Step 2:  Click Register

If you already have a UTR Sports account:

Step 3:  Click Sign-In

Step 4:  Enter Email and Password and click Sign-In

Step 5:  Select Events and Pay Fee

Any questions concerning your registration, please email appnext@theapp.global.

APP Next tournaments are USAP (USA Pickleball) sanctioned and will be using the UTR Sports UTR-P rating. APP Next ranking points will be used to seed the top 25% of players in a bracket.

Harnessing its expertise and technology solutions in tennis, UTR Sports introduced a new rating for pickleball with the UTR Pickleball Rating (UTR-P) in 2023.

For more information, click on the following UTR Sports FAQ’s

• FAQ: Pickleball
• Understanding The Pickleball Algorithm (UTR-P)

UTR Sports has a page dedicated to pickleball frequently asked questions – here are a few concerning a UTR Sports player profile:

• How to Edit Your Profile
• Having Trouble Logging in?
• How do I Change my E-mail Address, Password or Phone Number?
• How do I report a duplicate profile?