GLENDALE, Ariz. – The National Pickleball League™ (NPL™) with support from USA Pickleball, is hosting a one-of-a-kind charity event on Oct. 12 from 5-9 p.m. at the WaterDance Plaza in the Westgate Entertainment District to kick off its Championship Weekend. This event will be held in support of Play for P.I.N.K. and in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Eventgoers can expect introductions to the game from USA Pickleball, exciting exhibition play from NPL Champion Pros, donation opportunities to pickle with the pros, a silent auction, giveaways, a live DJ and more.
Guests can enjoy the Thursday festivities in the WaterDance Plaza, before the NPL Championship matches begin on Friday morning. All six NPL teams (Austin Ignite, Oklahoma City Punishers, Indy Drivers, Naples JBB United, Denver Iconics, and the Boca Raton Picklers) will compete for the Championship title with play held just steps away at Chicken N Pickle.

“We’re all set to engage with the local community in Glendale and share the fun and excitement of showcasing NPL and the game of pickleball being played at the highest level, while simultaneously supporting Play for P.I.N.K. and raising funds for meaningful research,” said Michael Chen, co-founder of the National Pickleball League. “It’s an opportunity to get physically active and contribute to a common goal in support of everyone affected by this disease.”

Play for P.I.N.K. is excited to be gearing up this October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and expanding into adult and youth sports, games and events to reach members of the community. Proceeds from the event will fund 16 researchers across the country, including local researcher Joshua LaBaer, BSc, MD, PhD in Tempe, AZ through the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

“We are deeply grateful for the support our lab has received from Play for P.I.N.K.® We could not have done our research without it,” said Dr. LaBaer. “We study a form of breast cancer called triple negative breast cancer, which is an especially aggressive form of breast cancer that is more common among younger women, and which doesn’t respond to many of the modern therapies available for other types of breast cancer. How do we find therapies that we can we use to help these women? Most triple negative breast cancers have mutations in an important cancer gene called p53. Play for P.I.N.K. has been instrumental in helping us to study the effects of these p53 mutations and to understand how they lead to this aggressive behavior. These findings, which we have just published, will help us to find new targeted therapies that will help these patients.”

The event is free to the public, with opportunities to donate to Play for P.I.N.K. All guests are welcome to join the fun whether they are experienced Pickleball enthusiasts or first-time players, to get active and support BCRF this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For more information, please visit http://www.nplpickleball.com/pickleforpink. Follow Westgate on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for event updates.

About the National Pickleball League™:
The National Pickleball League™ (NPL pickleball) is a nationwide team competition for Champions Division (50+) professional pickleball players, featuring the best pro players from around the world. Founded in 2022 and led by Champions Pro players Rick Witsken, Beth Bellamy and Michael “Hammer Mike” Chen, NPL Pickleball’s inaugural season is in full swing. After regular season league matches that took place from June to September, they are quickly approaching the season-ending playoff weekend in Glendale, Arizona from October 13-15, 2023 where the Championship title and $100,000 in prize money will be on the line.

As the first and only professional pickleball league for this important demographic, they strive to elevate the sport of pickleball to new heights, fostering a culture of lifelong mental and physical health, connection, and achievement. They aspire to engage local communities to join our league in providing exceptional entertainment and showcasing to the world that age and gender is no barrier to pursuing greatness on and off the court. For more information on NPL Pickleball, visit http://www.nplpickleball.com. To purchase official NPL merchandise, visit http://www.nplpickleball.store.

About Westgate Entertainment District
Westgate Entertainment District, owned by YAM Properties, is in the heart of Glendale at 6770 N Sunset Blvd. Westgate is anchored by high-performing, first-tier tenants such as AMC Theatres, Dave & Buster’s, Yard House, Buffalo Wild Wings, Kabuki, Bar Louie and a synergistic mix of other national, regional and local retails and restaurants. Included in the owned project are 76 premium “loft” multi-family units ±143,872 square feet of office space leased to tenants including Pioneer Title, Carrington College, Stars Alliance and USAF Recruiting Hub. For more information about Westgate, visit its website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

About Play for P.I.N.K.
Play for P.I.N.K. is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization founded in 1990 by a group of women whose friend was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and began hosting golf tournaments and fundraisers for their sole beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), at country clubs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Since 1996 the program has grown to nearly 300 fundraisers across 32 states with an estimated 30,000 annual participants. By December 2022 the organization had raised its total contribution to $75 million and continues to donate 100% of all profits to BCRF. For more information, visit the PFP website.

About USA Pickleball:
USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the U.S. and provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials.

The association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation and governed by a board of directors and professional staff who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued growth and development of the sport.

The mission of USA Pickleball is to promote the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and its territories.