The transformative alliance establishes the creation of an unprecedented competitive ecosystem, with a new “Professional Pickleball Circuit” and “Teams Pickleball League” circuits destined to dominate the sport’s landscape in the EMEA region.
MADRID, LONDON – November 10, 2025
Wild Pickleball Agency (WPA), the first and only 360° agency dedicated exclusively to pickleball in the EMEA region, has secured an investment from VVV Sports Limited and strategic partnership with the company to build a definitive structure for professional pickleball outside of North America.
VVV Sports Limited, which is listed on the Aquis Stock Exchange, is the only listed ‘pure-play’ sports investment vehicle focused on the rapid growth of padel, pickleball and other emerging and niche sports.
Pickleball is a racket sport that originated over 30 years ago in the United States and is currently experiencing rapid international growth. There are 36 million players in North America and around 50 million worldwide. Many celebrities play pickleball including Dua Lipa and Emma Waston and it is promoted by former tennis stars including John McEnroe, Maria Sharapova, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
The global pickleball market is projected to reach $2.6 billion in 2025 and grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.9% until 2034 when the market could be worth $9.6 billion.*
VVV Sports Limited was founded with a clear objective: to apply its direct experience building the global padel ecosystem to accelerate the future of pickleball. WPA is convinced that pickleball has immense global potential, similar to that seen in padel, which its founding partners helped to build over the last decade. Having learned firsthand what it takes to create a community, develop talent, and establish successful professional circuits, the agreement between VVV Sports Limited and WPA is simply the next logical step to apply all that knowledge and lead the orderly and spectacular growth that pickleball deserves.
The core of this new era will focus on a three-tiered competition system, designed to control the flow of talent from grassroots to professional elite:
- Professional Pickleball Circuit: The new elite professional circuit for doubles and singles. Inspired by the most successful models in major racquet sports, the tour will offer record prize money, top-tier media production, and attract the world’s best players to iconic venues across the EMEA region.
- Pickleball Series: Our established semi-professional circuit is positioned as the official and exclusive development platform. It will serve as the talent incubator and qualification system for accessing our elite circuits, guaranteeing a sustainable and meritocratic structure for the growth of future professionals.
- Teams Pickleball League: A revolutionary professional team league that will bring to Europe and the Middle East the electrifying, adrenaline-fueled format that has captivated audiences in the United States. Team competition will be our hallmark for creating compelling narratives, rivalries, and a top-tier sporting spectacle.
“This is much more than an investment; it’s the foundation of the future of professional pickleball on this side of the world,” said Jose “Queco” Catalan, Ceo of WPA. “The growth in the United States is irrefutable proof of the potential: multimillion-dollar franchises and massive audiences. Replicating that success requires a dominant vision and the financial muscle to execute it. With VVV Sports Limited, we have found a strategic partner that not only shares our ambition but also provides us with the resources to build an empire: from organizing world-class events and managing athletes to certifying rinks and creating content that will define the sport for millions.”
The funds from this new alliance will be strategically allocated to rapid expansion. Priorities include building an elite management team, developing a proprietary technology platform to centralize the competition, and producing a launch event calendar for 2026 that will set a new standard of quality in the region.
Jonathan Rowland, CEO of VVV Sport Limited commented: “We have analyzed the exponential growth of pickleball and WPA ‘s undisputed leadership position in the EMEA market. Their business plan is not only robust but aggressive. We are not investing in a trend; we are backing the team that will capitalize on it and build the leading sports ecosystem in its category. Their 360° vision is the right one, and now they have the necessary capital to make it a reality at scale.”
This agreement marks the beginning of a new era of dominance in pickleball. WPA is poised to lead with unprecedented strength and resources, setting the rules of the game for the next decade.
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