The highly anticipated 2025 Major League Pickleball Asia (MLPA) Draft is officially set to take place on January 7, 2025. The event will bring together franchise representatives, top players, and pickleball fans across the Australia Pacific region as teams finalise their rosters for the upcoming season.

This year’s draft features an expanded player pool of 198 athletes, including a mix of seasoned veterans, rising stars, and fresh international talent. Notable names in the pool include USA's Austin Gridley, UK #1 Thaddea Lock and returning superstars Rob Cassidy and Emilia Schmidt.

The draft promises to be a landmark moment for the MLPA, as it continues to showcase the best pickleball talent across the region while fostering international competition. Fans can tune in to watch the event live via the league’s official streaming platforms.

2025 sees the very first inclusion of our other tiers of MLPA, Challenger and Masters 50+. These draft for the teams will take place on Friday January 10th. Final player applications from Australia and New Zealand athletes close December 31st, with preliminary player pools released next week.

Stay tuned for team announcements and exclusive draft-day coverage.

‍

Athlete Draft Pool - See full list here

*Final list will be published December 31st - Please contact sange@majourleaguepickleball.net.au if you have enquires regarding player draft list

**DUPR listed as submission, will be updated for Live Draft on Dec 19th.

‍

The draft will commence at 5:00 pm AEST, on January 7th. Best of luck to all of the athletes. You can follow along on the PPA Australia and MLP Australia YouTube.

‍

‍