Major League Pickleball (MLP)

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Major League Pickleball (MLP) is the premier team league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. MLP is committed to perpetuating the sport's larger role in society and permeating every facet of pickleball’s business, marketing, and community relations. With iconic team owners, a co-ed team format, an innovative draft, easy to understand scoring, groundbreaking broadcast quality, MLP’s goal is to elevate and grow the sport in everything it does. 

MLP is made up of 22 co-ed teams split into the MLP Premier Level and MLP Challenger Level. 

Premier Level is home to the top 48 players drafted while Challenger Level boasts the next crop of 48 draftees looking to make their ascension to the top of the league. The creation of MLP Premier Level and MLP Challenger Level will ensure the highest caliber of competition while providing a pathway and opportunities for the next generation of pro pickleball stars to break through.

The 2024 MLP schedule will feature 11 total events - hosted in nine different states and in our Nation's Capital - showcasing eight regular season events, a Mid-Season Tournament, and two rounds of the 2024 MLP Playoffs. 

Each MLP Team is made up of four (4) players consisting of two (2) women and two (2) men. All MLP teams will appear in five of eight regular season events, with a combination of six Premier Level and six Challenger Level teams in action at each event. D.C. Pickleball Team will be participating in the regular season events that will take place in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, New York, and Miami. 

Every team will play a total of 23 regular season matches over their five events. Results from these matches will accumulate throughout the season creating season-long standings.  

Standings Format: A total of three standings points will be earned in every regular season match. The cumulative season-long standings will be calculated at both levels and points will be earned in every match as follows:   

• 3 Points: Regulation win (i.e.: 3-1 or 4-0 win; no DreamBreaker needed) 
• 2 Points: DreamBreaker win (i.e.: 3-2 win)  
• 1 Point: DreamBreaker loss (i.e.: 2-3 loss) 
• 0 Points: Regulation loss (i.e.: 1-3 or 0-4 loss; no DreamBreaker needed) 

A Match consists of four Games to 25 (win by 2) with rally scoring, starting with one women’s doubles Game, followed by one men’s doubles Game, and then two mixed doubles Games. If two teams are tied after these four games, an innovative tiebreaker known as the “DreamBreaker” is played, with a rotational system involving all four players.In each game, players will change ends when one team reaches the score of 13. All Games must be won by 2 points. 

The 2024 season will conclude with the MLP Playoffs that will take place over two separate weekends in two locations. In both Premier and Challenger, the top six teams will qualify for the season-ending MLP Playoffs. If there is a tie between two or more teams with the same number of points, the tiebreaker will be net games from regular season matches. 
The top four Challenger Teams from each season will earn promotion into the Premier Level.