2025 MLP Player Eligibility Rule: Major League Pickleball (MLP) has announced significant updates to its 2025 season, including roster expansions, new player eligibility rules, and adjustments to the team format. The upcoming season will begin in Orlando at the USTA National Campus, April 24-27, 2025, with new changes designed to enhance team strategy and competition.
Key Changes to Player Eligibility
The 2025 season will bring a significant shift in player eligibility, as only those with a United Pickleball Association (UPA) contract will be eligible to play in MLP events. This means players from the previous season’s rosters who do not have UPA contracts will be dropped from teams.
Several teams are affected by this rule, including:
- Atlanta Bouncers: 2 players under UPA contract
- Chicago Slice: 0 players under UPA contract
- Miami Pickleball Club: 2 players under UPA contract
- SoCal Hard Eights: 2 players under UPA contract
Teams are required to drop at least one player from their roster, even if all players have UPA contracts. The deadline for teams to drop their designated player(s) is February 16, 2025, meaning each team can “keep” a maximum of three players from their 2024 roster.
View this post on Instagram
Keepers and Contract Rules
To qualify as a “keeper,” a player must meet the following criteria:
- Be under UPA contract through at least 2025.
- Be one of the 88 originally drafted players from 2024.
- Have ended the 2024 MLP season on a team roster.
Players added from waivers, such as Quang Duong and Genie Bouchard, are ineligible to be kept under these new rules.
Teams that wish to keep an eligible player must pay half the amount of draft capital spent to initially select that player in 2024. For example, the Carolina Pickleball Club spent 840,000 draft points to select Ben Johns first overall in 2024. To retain him for the 2025 season, Carolina would need to pay $420,000 to the league.
Impact on Teams and Strategy
The new player eligibility rules and the keeper system will significantly impact how teams build their rosters for the 2025 season. Teams will need to carefully consider which players to keep and how to manage their draft capital to stay competitive.
The changes will lead to new strategies for roster construction and match day lineups, making the upcoming season even more exciting for fans and players.
These modifications to MLP’s competition structure aim to increase fairness and competitiveness, ensuring that teams are built with a solid foundation of skilled, eligible players.
The league’s first event in April promises to be full of intense matches and strategic gameplay, with teams adapting to these new rules.
News in Brief: 2025 MLP Player Eligibility Rule
Major League Pickleball (MLP) announces player eligibility changes and updated roster rules for the 2025 season. Teams must drop at least one player, and only UPA contract holders can be kept. The season starts in Orlando from April 24-27, 2025, with new strategies and competition formats.
ALSO READ: 2025 Major League Pickleball: What to Expect from the Upcoming Roster Changes and Waiver Event