Sarasota County to host massive amateur pickleball championships at Englewood

More than 1,000 players and spectators are expected at Englewood Sports Complex when the SW Florida Powerball Amateur State Championships land there May 15 to 17, a turnout that puts Sarasota County’s pickleball push squarely in the sports-tourism business. For county officials and event organizers, that is the point: a weekend championship can send players, families and coaches through local hotels, restaurants and courts, while giving Englewood a bigger stage than open rec play ever could.

The event will debut at the 136-acre Englewood Sports Complex, which has 18 pickleball courts, indoor rental space and an 11,000-square-foot multi-purpose and gymnasium area. Sarasota County also says it now has 98 lined pickleball courts available for year-round outdoor play, a number that shows how deeply the game has taken hold here. The county’s investment in renovated courts at Englewood is aimed at more than casual games after work. It is built for year-round recreation, higher-level competition and the kind of repeat events that keep a facility busy long after opening weekend.

Southern Pickleball is running the championships with Visit Sarasota County, and the stakes are bigger than medals. The Powerball Amateur State Championship Series is powered by the Carvana PPA Tour, and top competitors in Sarasota can qualify for the Southern Pickleball Championships in Macon, Georgia, and the World Pickleball Championships in Dallas, Texas. That gives the Sarasota stop a real ladder to climb, which is exactly what competitive amateurs want: a local bracket with a path to something larger.

Southern Pickleball has been building that ladder for years. The organization says it has hosted nearly 200 tournaments across 12 states and welcomed more than 30,000 players over the past four years. It traces its roots to the Georgia Pickleball Association, which began running tournaments in 2021, and its growth shows how fast amateur pickleball has moved from neighborhood courts to a regional circuit with real economic weight.

That scale is already proven in Macon. A 2024 Southern Pickleball Championships listing said the event drew more than 1,200 registered players, and a later listing projected more than 2,000 for 2025. Another report said the 2024 championships brought in more than 1,200 players from 21 states to Rhythm & Rally Sports & Events. Sarasota’s 1,000-plus crowd will not be an outlier. It is the latest sign that amateur pickleball has become a traveling business, and Englewood is now part of the map.