For Immediate Release
Hongkong, China | January 5, 2026
Pickleball Champions League today announced the launch of PCL Rising Stars (U19), a youth development program designed to identify, support, and elevate the next generation of elite pickleball players across Asia.
Rising Stars (U19) is built as a structured pathway for under-19 athletes, combining high-level competition, standardized equipment, and meaningful regional exposure. The program features mixed-gender teams composed of two male and two female players, competing through national, regional, and provincial qualifiers that culminate in a Finals event.
Unlike traditional junior tournaments, Rising Stars is designed with long-term athlete development at its core. The program emphasizes consistency, fairness, and visibility, ensuring young players are not only competing but being supported within a professional, player-first environment that reflects the future of the sport.
The Rising Stars Finals will be hosted at the upcoming Asia Elite Pickleball Academy (AEPA), a high-performance training and competition hub currently in development. AEPA will be located at the Beijing Haidian Foreign Language Experimental School – Hainan Campus, one of China’s premier elite sports and academic institutions. The campus is home to established Olympic-level training programs in sports including tennis, equestrian, and fencing, providing a proven environment for high-performance athlete development.
AEPA is being designed to operate to international standards, featuring professional-grade courts, coaching, and event infrastructure comparable to top-tier global competition environments. The academy is being developed as a joint venture between the school and Ramsports, the leading pickleball brand in China, combining world-class educational resources with deep sport-specific expertise.
AEPA’s long-term vision is to become the world’s leading pickleball academy, offering both residential and visiting training options for elite junior and professional players. Hosting the Rising Stars Finals at AEPA reflects PCL Asia’s commitment to building a sustainable, credible, and globally competitive youth development ecosystem.
As part of the Rising Stars (U19) pathway, the winning team and a select group of standout players from the Finals will be eligible for scholarships to attend AEPA. These scholarships are designed to provide exceptional young athletes with access to world-class training, education, and daily immersion in a high-performance environment, representing a potentially life-changing opportunity to pursue excellence at the highest level of the sport.
“Pickleball is growing rapidly across Asia, and it is critical that youth development keeps pace with the sport’s momentum,” said Alex Yuen, President of PCL. “Rising Stars is about building the foundation properly by investing in young talent, professional structure, and long-term opportunity.”
Through Rising Stars (U19), PCL Asia continues its mission to professionalize pickleball across the region while remaining youth-focused, athlete-first, and brand-safe for partners.
About Pickleball Champions League Asia
Pickleball Champions League Asia is a leading organizer of elite pickleball competitions and development programs across the region, focused on long-term ecosystem growth, athlete development, and professional standards of play.
The PCL Rising Stars (U19) program is expected to feature more than 1,000 players from at least 10 countries across Asia, making it the largest and most broadly based pickleball competition ever staged in the region.
Media Contact:
Mhica Gan
VP, Marketing & Events
mhica@pclasia.org
