PaddleWar new owner targets expansion to 20 states by end of 2026

A Naples-based pickleball league is moving into a bigger national lane, with Nannette Staropoli taking ownership of PaddleWar and setting a goal of reaching 20 states by the end of 2026. For clubs, retreat operators and players who want more than drop-in play, the shift points to a model built around seasons, rosters and playoff weekends instead of one-off brackets.

PaddleWar said it is already active or expanding in nine states: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, California, Texas, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. That footprint suggests the first wave of growth is likely to deepen in the Southeast and other established pickleball markets, where team formats can plug into busy club calendars and destination events with less friction. The league describes itself as a nationwide amateur pickleball league built for competitive, team-based play, with a pathway from local competition to regional and national postseason opportunities.

The structure is designed for players who want organized, social competition that can carry across a whole season. PaddleWar says team rosters generally run from 8 to 20 players, while its smaller 2-line format uses teams of 6 to 10. The league also says its official PaddleWar Rating, or PWR, is used for all league play and is calculated separately for doubles, mixed doubles and singles, using a system developed with experience from Elo, Glicko and Glicko2, plus USTA NTRP. PaddleWar says it recognizes USA Pickleball rules, with PaddleWar-specific exceptions.

That kind of setup matters in a year when pickleball continues to spread fast. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association said 24.3 million Americans played pickleball in 2025, and USA Pickleball’s 2025 Annual Growth Report said the Pickleheads database added more than 2,300 new locations last year, bringing the national total to 18,258 known places to play and 82,613 known courts. For facilities and retreat hosts, more league play means a steadier pipeline of local rivalries, repeat bookings and travel weekends built around team identity.

Naples already sits near the center of that momentum. The 2026 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples were scheduled for April 11 to 18, 2026, and last year’s event drew more than 55,000 fans and 3,450 players from all 50 states and 40 countries. Against that backdrop, PaddleWar’s ownership change looks less like a corporate shuffle and more like another sign that organized amateur pickleball is becoming a destination game, with Naples once again helping set the pace.