SI Tickets announced that it has signed on as the official ticketing provider of the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP). SI Tickets will handle APP’s primary ticket sales for all 2023 APP Tour events. The deal is the first of its kind for SI Tickets, which launched in 2021 primarily as a resale marketplace but is making moves into the primary ticketing space.

“The explosive growth in popularity and participation of pickleball over the last two plus years has been truly remarkable, and we look forward to teaming up with the APP as an anchor partner for our all-new Box Office primary NFT ticketing platform,” says David Lane, CEO of SI Tickets. “We’re excited to build on this groundswell of enthusiasm, while delivering incremental value to all APP Tour events, its players, and current and new fans through authentic engagement experiences that only SI Tickets can deliver.”

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APP Tour tickets will be sold via Box Office by Sports Illustrated Tickets, its newly launched event management platform. Established in collaboration with web3 leader ConsenSys and powered by Polygon’s blockchain technology,. Box Office touted as the first global platform to merge a full NFT ticket solution for all event sizes with the traditional, non-NFT tickets.

The relationship will kick off at the APP’s crown jewel event, the APP New York City Open, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, May 23 – 28, with a unique on-site marketing activation where players and attendees can create their own commemorative Sports Illustrated digital fan cover to take home and share with family and friends. Tickets to APP Tour events will be available exclusively via SI Tickets starting with the APP Newport Beach Open, held June 28 – July 3.

“Welcoming SI Tickets into the APP family as Official Ticketing and Marketing Partner is truly groundbreaking for our organization, and the sport of pickleball overall,” commented Tom Webb, Chief Marketing Officer of the APP. “The Sports Illustrated brand has a storied history and is now building the future of ticketing. This partnership allows the APP to create one-of-a-kind tickets for our events, connect with fans better than ever before, and add value to their event experience.”

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