I've played 3 tournaments with WPA and have had a great time each time. John is enthusiastic and in love with expanding the game of pickleball. I look forward to the next tournament hosted in Vegas! read more

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Unfortunately, I didn't read Nancy and Leo's reviews before I played in a WPA tournament. My experience was just as terrible as theirs. You can skip to my summary at the end, or read the details if you like. I should have known something was wrong as soon as I registered. This is no "World Pickleball Association tournament." This is more like "John Gill's tiny pickleball tournament." There was no transparency -- no way to know who else signed up, or even how many others signed up for our event. 3 days before, I got an automated email stating that we would be in the DUPR under 4.00 division, essentially a 3.5 event, not the 3.0 event my wife and I signed up for. I asked the tournament director, John Gill, to withdraw, as this was not appropriate for us. He assured me that there were enough players at our level, that everyone had DUPR ratings under 3.5, or they didn't have ratings. John flat out lied to me. The other players' DUPR ratings were 3.8, 3.6, 3.6, and 3.4 before the tournament. Besides me and my wife, there were only 4 other players under 4.0. These are facts, not my opinion. John knew this, and I think he chose to lie to me because without me and my wife, he would have had to combine all the players (including 4.0+) into one division. We tried to make the most of it. We played the 2 other teams and tried to have fun. Unfortunately, the tournament was utterly disorganized. Want to know why? It's because John played in the tournament, rather than running it! He gave a brief talk at the beginning, and then he was unavailable. There was nobody running the tournament, just one helper writing down scores. After we played a couple games against each team, we waited for someone to tell us what to do next. We waited, and waited, and waited. For about 45 minutes. Finally I interrupted John during a game, and he said that the 2nd place team should play the 3rd place team. I told him we needed help figuring that out, but there was nobody to help us, so we ended up arguging about it. He had one volunteer entering scores, but she had no idea what was going on. One of the other players made a decision, so we went ahead and played the other team, which turned out to be wrong. As I learned the next day through Pickleball Brackets, it was a tricky issue involving the order of the 2nd and 3rd tiebreakers. So we (#3) played the #1 team when we should have played the #2 team, and that was the end of our tournament. We grabbed our 3rd place medals and left. John was still playing. I should also add that the venue (Westgate Hotel, Las Vegas) was disappointing. There were 8 outdoor courts, way too close together, with very little netting or fencing separating the courts. There was no water at the courts, just an empty water jug, so we had to go hunt for it. Snacks consisted of a few bananas and a bag of oranges. There was no swag or anything else to make this tournament remotely worth $70 per person. So here's my summary: 1. There was no organization whatsoever. The supposed tournament director, John Gill, played in the event when he was supposed to be running it. He did not run it at all, and neither did anyone else. 2. John lied to me about our opponents' DUPR ratings. He combined divisions due to low turnout, and our opponents were far above the level we signed up for. There were no other players at our level. 3. The courts were disappointing. Also snacks were poor, and there was no swag, nothing remotely worth $70. Did we have a good time? Well, the weather was nice, and I got to spend time with my wife and play pickleball. We made the most of it. If this sounds like a good tournament to you, then by all means, sign up for the next one. We won't. Addendum: After I posted this review, John Gill called me because he wanted me to take it down. Rather than acknowledging any of my points, he accused me of being a complainer because I lost. I told him that if he disagrees with anything I said in my review, he can respond in writing here. Addendum #2: And there you have it. John replied to my comment, and his disjointed and disorganized response speaks for itself. 3 out of 7 reviews so far are 1 star, because this is how he treats his customers. It is really exasperating talking to a business owner who won't listen to anything you say. If this is what you want, take your chances and play in his tournaments! Addendum #3: Here's an analogy to sum up my experience. Imagine going to a restaurant. The chef, instead of cooking in the kitchen, is eating at a table next to you. There's a guy in the back microwaving food and bringing it out. The customers are all arguing, but the chef insists that his food is excellent. He says, "I volunteer at a homeless shelter, and they like me there!" read more

This was our first pickleball tournament but it seemed like it was a planned event. The staff (especially John) seemed very friendly and did his best to make all of the players and contestants feel welcomed. I liked that the tournament felt casual and I didn't feel that there was pressure. Even my friends that came to watch me play thought it was a cool casual environment that made it easy to enjoy the tourney. Would definitely play again! read more

Played a couple tournaments with WPA and had a great time. The professional referees were a nice touch but what keeps me coming back to WPA are John and his wife. They do a great job connecting with and helping all the players. It's a joy to see them every time. read more

Wouldn't recommend for anyone to sign up, very unorganized, dude John is in it for the money. -Players got kicked off the court in the middle of the game cause was rented by someone else and not the WPA. -Heard the girl telling players your choice if you want to play to 15 or 20! No rules set from WPA -They go with Rally points, so if you're trying to serve hard don't bother! His excuse is games will go faster using rally points ‍! - they don't put numbers on the back of the score papers 1-2 in order to know who's going to serve instead one of the players will pick a number with the other player hiding his hand/number behind his back. - games started late. -all this John dude care about his for everyone to subscribe to his YouTube channel -Was just him and another girl organizing the event, -You have to self input the points score in the system they use swish! Don't bother signing up for those tournaments waste of time and money! read more

Just signed up for WPA California Championships in Carson and thought I'd review my previous experience with a WPA tournament. I've been taking pickleball lessons from John Gill, and really appreciate his help in advancing my skills. If you need a coach look him up, or reach out to WPA, he's their lead guy. During a lesson, John invited me to play in one of his tournaments. As I couldn't get any doubles partners, I played singles. I found the event run well, the competition met my expectations and I had fun. However, I'm not a fan of the Billie Jean King facility in Long Beach. There are a lot of events going on at the park area, and it can be difficult to park. Since the CA Championships are at the new facilities in Carson, I am excited to play the tournament and check out the new venue. John- keep up the hard work. Thank you for everything and see you soon. read more

John and Victoria do such an amazing job with these events! Great people, highly recommend. Can't wait to play in another one. read more

World Pickleball Association - Sports Clubs Near Me

John Gill taught me pickleball and is a great instructor. I was a total beginner with hardly any sports experience and with only 4 lessons John had me hitting the ball correctly . He explained the techniques clearly and in a very friendly and positive manner . John analyzes and corrects technique and explains clearly why a shot needs to be done a certain way . He's very patient and give tips on practicing. He showed me how to warm up before playing . His Youtube Channel has been very helpful to review everything. It's Aussie John Pickleball . I highly recommend John Gill as a pickleball instructor thanks John ! read more

Great tournament. Well organised and a lot of fun. John was great, nice guy. Tournament and easy and simple to be a part of and am signed up for more! read more

John is a nice guy. Quite friendly and energetic. Very amiable and inclusive as well. Would love to participate in his event again

I had a great time participating in one of the tournaments this summer. I thought it was well organized and the organizers did a great job explaining the rules before and after the tournament. They provided snacks and drinks which was very helpful during the summer heat. The rally scoring was a great idea because it was very hot that day and playing traditional scoring would have been very long and difficult. I really like that all scores were recorded in the Swish App because it allowed the scores to be populated to DUPR the same day. read more

ive played in 5 wpa events.... never had a single issue. easily the best tournament around! affordable... great competition... but most of all... its a FUN ATMOSPHERE! read more

John Gillis went above and beyond for me by returning a paddle I had left. Other than that he's a guy that clearly loves the game and its community and I look forward to playing as many tournaments as possible read more