Dallas Ties Make Nationals Feel Special

Dave Fleming isn’t from Dallas, but he’s called North Texas home for the past 20-plus years.

Riley Newman isn’t from Dallas either, but he’s a recent transplant.

And the PPA Tour didn’t originate in Dallas, but it’s based here now.

And just like Fleming, Newman, and the tour itself, the USA Pickleball National Championships has a new home starting Nov. 5 as the biggest pickleball event in the world comes to Dallas for the first time.

“I’m definitely looking forward to sleeping in my own bed,” said Newman, one of the tour’s top talents, who will be competing in the tournament. “Dallas has been one of my favorite stops before I moved here because the fans are very engaged and not afraid to make some noise after each point. Great energy. And hopefully I’ll get a few more cheers my way now since I’m a Texas resident. It would be bittersweet to win in my new ‘hometown,’ but I am not putting added pressure on myself. I will take it one point at a time and enjoy the moment”

The festivities kick off Sunday at the Brookhaven Country Club as thousands of participants are expected. There will be food, fun, entertainment, vendors, chances to mingle with the pros and more. And it’s the perfect location.

More than 100 PPA employees are based out of Dallas, the hometown of the PPA Tour, which has its office downtown. Most have spent the last two weeks working overtime on-site at Brookhaven in order to ensure that the venue is ready to go Monday morning.

“It’s honestly surreal to hold an event this big and historic right in our own backyard,” said a representative from the PPA Tour. “We’ve been grinding through rain and shine to get this thing ready – a massive Championship Court buildout, dozens of sponsor activations, 48 courts – it’s been all hands on deck. We can’t wait to see it brought to life tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, calling all the action as one of the on-air talent broadcasters for the tour is Dallas resident Dave Fleming, who’s from Pittsburgh, Penn., but lives in Dallas now.

“It’s absolutely epic that Dallas will be the center of the pickleball universe for two weeks,” Fleming said. “Really proud of the hard work of many to grow the game in the city. I’m so excited we get to host the best pros and amateurs in the world. To wake up in my own bed and drive 25 minutes to the biggest pickleball event in history is amazing, and the chance to call the action all week is a special privilege.”

And that’s not all – PPA Tour pros Brandon French and Ivan Jakovljevic, as well as PPA Tour broadcast talent Michelle McMahon also hail from Dallas. McMahon, who works with Dave Fleming to call pickleball events from one side of the U.S. to the other, was previously a long-term Dallas resident and sideline reporter to the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers before moving this year to sunny Florida.

So c’mon Dallas, join the hometown throng this week on-site and help us make history!