Professional Pickleball “Contract Shuffle”: The Rules, Rewards, and Risks Behind the Prize Money Game

Summer 2025 marks a quiet revolution in the professional pickleball world. If you’re still stuck in the old “PPA vs. MLP” narrative, it’s time to update your database. The question is no longer “Which league are you in?” but rather, “Have you signed the new contract?”

As the United Pickleball Association (UPA) rolls out its latest player renewal scheme, this seemingly calm signing season hides turbulent waters. Many top players could fall from the spotlight in the coming year. We are witnessing a major reshuffling that will determine both career trajectories and the future commercial path of professional pickleball.

Rewind to 2023. PPA and MLP planned to merge but ended up in a “signing war of nuclear proportions.” MLP aggressively locked in players, while PPA countered swiftly. Instagram became the “announcement battlefield,” where every top player’s movement stirred industry nerves.

Eventually, the merger happened, giving birth to UPA. But the aftershocks of that storm are now resurfacing in the form of contract reconstruction.

UPA aims to convert the lucrative guaranteed contracts from the tour wars into incentive-based prize contracts. The new structure includes:

• Annual guaranteed salary of $150,000 reduced to $50,000 per year over the next three years.
• Expanded prize pools, e.g., MLP championship prize up to $1,000,000, with winning teams earning $250,000 per player.
• Signing the “extension renewal contract” is mandatory to access these prizes.

Early signees enjoy the Gold Grid, where winning a major event can earn $45,000. Late signees get standard prizes, and the Futures Grid offers only $6,000, creating a significant gap.

While this may resemble a “limited edition package,” it’s more than marketing. It represents a full financial model transformation, aiming to balance cost control and sustainable professionalization.

Current signees include:

• Tyra Black (4 years)
• Federico Staksrud (4 years)
• Catherine Parenteau (5 years)
• Tyson McGuffin (2 years)
• Jack Sock
• Hayden Patriquin
• Anna Bright

But two superstars remain undecided: Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.

Their decisions are pivotal, not just for fans, but for the success of the entire transformation. Rumor has it that UPA requires a critical number of sign-ups for the prize system to fully activate. Too many waiting, and it won’t start.

Not signing isn’t risk-free. Consider this: Player A signed a $1,000,000 salary in 2023, while Player B hasn’t signed and relies on prize money. If Player B signs the extension and maxes out prize potential while Player A refuses, UPA faces paying both high salaries and large prizes, driving costs up and destabilizing the system.

UPA’s current approach isn’t coercion but to attract maximum participation through prize incentives.

Amid the rollout, the World Pickleball Players Association (WPPA) quietly emerged. Led by top players such as Tina Pisnik, Collin Johns, Dekel Bar, and Jessie Irvine, their goals include transparency and protections around health, safety, and compensation.

The WPPA’s full influence remains uncertain. It’s likely some players may adopt a “wait-and-see” or even protest stance regarding the new contracts, adding another variable for UPA to manage.

UPA is also investing in global talent:

• Chris Haworth – APP Tour Men’s Singles World No.1
• Armaan Bhatia – Top Indian player and multi-event APP champion

International expansion and new talent integration are key drivers behind this contract reform.

Key deadlines: August 15, 2025, for first-round signing bonuses; September 23, 2025, for standard prize eligibility.

Who will navigate the balance between prize incentives and long-term stability? Who might exit the top tier before 2026? The answers may be brewing in some unposted “Signed!” update on Instagram.

UPA aims to create a more sustainable and exciting professional environment, while players are calculating how far they can go on this path.