Chicago's SPF Lincoln Park Hosts 64-Team March Madness Pickleball Championship

SPF Lincoln Park ran a 64-team single-elimination pickleball showdown on Saturday, March 21, modeled directly after the NCAA tournament bracket, bringing full March Madness chaos to one of Chicago's premier indoor courts.

The facility at 2121 N. Clybourn is Chicago's largest indoor pickleball complex, housing a 42,000-square-foot pickleball, dining, and entertainment concept, which gave the tournament the physical footprint to absorb a draw this size in a single day. SPF Lincoln Park features nine courts and a full bar on site, critical infrastructure for running simultaneous first-round matches across a bracket this deep.

Teams battled through four regions in a true bracket format until one pair was crowned SPF March Madness Champion. The seeded 1-64 regional structure meant every match carried immediate consequence: win or go home, no double-elimination safety net, no consolation bracket lifeline.

The event was designed strictly for experienced players, with organizers explicitly flagging that it was not a beginner or low-intermediate event, and that competitors should expect strong competition and high-level play. That's a meaningful bar to set for a community tournament, and it shaped the field accordingly.

Teams received their "school assignment" prior to the tournament, with organizers encouraging players to rep their colors, leaning fully into the collegiate atmosphere that makes March Madness compelling beyond the games themselves.

Due to the size of the tournament draw, first-round matches were scheduled across multiple waves, a logistical necessity when 64 pairs need to play through to a single champion inside a single Saturday. Registration for the event opened February 21 and closed March 19, with a $25 entry fee per player.

SPF Lincoln Park has positioned itself as Chicago's go-to spot for social pickleball, food, and community, and a 64-team bracket tournament is about as far from casual open play as the sport gets. The March Madness format, with its instant-elimination stakes and regional seeding, is a natural fit for a pickleball community increasingly hungry for structured competitive events that go beyond round-robin leagues.