NPL x DUPR - Pickleball in Australia Just Got Serious (3-Year Partnership)

April 2026 - NPL x DUPR - Partnership Announcement

The National Pickleball League has signed a three-year partnership with DUPR, making DUPR the official rating system of National Pickleball League. This is an important partnership - one that gives every player who competes in NPL a globally recognised, mathematically sound rating, and a clear pathway to see where they stand against the rest of the world.

**The Partnership ** Effective April 1, 2026, NPL and DUPR have entered a formal partnership agreement covering all NPL-sanctioned competition - league matches, ranking events, finals, and official competition. The deal runs for three years, with the option to roll forward on an annual basis thereafter.

DUPR becomes the exclusive ratings system for NPL during this period. That exclusivity is intentional. A single, unified ratings framework means cleaner draws, fairer competition, and a number next to your name that carries weight beyond just NPL.

What It Means For Players In Year 1, DUPR membership is not mandatory - but the time to get registered is now, not later. From Year 2 onwards, a paid DUPR membership will be required to compete in official NPL competition. Getting ahead of that is the smart move.

NPL has negotiated preferential pricing as part of this partnership - but it is reserved for NPL members. To access the discounted rate, you need to be registered as an NPL member. If you have played in any NPL league, attended an event, or visited The Jar or any NPL venue in the past three years, you are already in our database. If you are not sure, simply register your email on our website and we will confirm your membership status.

Once confirmed as an NPL member:

Existing Australian DUPR users pay $9.99 USD per year New DUPR users entering via NPL pay $19.99 USD per year

Both tiers are a fraction of the standard rate. Get in early. Sign up for DUPR here →

DUPR Reset: Your Window Is Open Now

This is worth paying attention to. The DUPR Reset window is live globally until May 17 — and it is the single best opportunity to get a rating that actually reflects how you play. If your current DUPR does not reflect your level, Reset lets you prove it using recent match results, with zero downside. Your rating can only stay the same or go up. That is not a gimmick - it is how the mechanism is designed.

To be eligible:

• Play at least 8 matches during the window
• Compete with or against at least 2 different partners or opponents
• Register before or during the Reset period
• Singles and doubles ratings both apply

If you have been sitting on the fence about getting a DUPR, this is the window. There has never been a lower-risk entry point, and with NPL competition becoming rated from Year 2, your number is going to matter.

Register for DUPR Reset here →

Why This Matters For The Sport

Pickleball in Australia has grown faster than most anticipated. What the sport now needs is the infrastructure to match that growth - credible player ratings, structured competition pathways, and commercial frameworks that reinforce rather than undermine what has been built.

The NPL x DUPR partnership is a step in that direction. It connects Australian players to a global ratings network used across the US, Asia, and Europe, while giving NPL a data backbone that will support everything from draw management to sponsor conversations to long-term league development. More details on DUPR-rated competition through NPL and The Jar will follow. In the meantime, the two things worth doing today are straightforward: confirm your NPL membership, and get your DUPR sorted.

**Already an NPL member? Sign up for DUPR → ** Want to reset or establish your rating? Join the DUPR Reset window →

Not sure if you're an NPL member? Register your email on our website and we'll take care of the rest.