Photo Credits to: PCL Asia Rising Stars (https://www.pclasia.org/pcl-asia-rising-stars)
Pickleball Champions League Asia (PCL Asia) has unveiled PCL Rising Stars (U19), a groundbreaking youth initiative to discover, nurture, and elevate elite pickleball talent under the age of 19 across Asia. The new program will serve as a competitive and developmental pipeline, tailored for young athletes poised to take the sport to the next level.
Rising Stars (U19) is built around high-level regional play, but with an athlete-first philosophy that prioritizes fairness, exposure, and long-term potential. The format features mixed-gender teams - two male and two female players - who will progress through national, regional, and provincial qualifiers to reach the culminating Finals.
A High-Performance Home for the Finals
The Rising Stars Finals will be hosted at the upcoming Asia Elite Pickleball Academy (AEPA), currently under development at the Beijing Haidian Foreign Language Experimental School - Hainan Campus. The site is already recognized as a top-tier institution for Olympic-level athlete training in sports like tennis, equestrian, and fencing.
AEPA is being designed to meet international competition standards, with professional-grade courts, expert coaching, and robust event infrastructure. The academy is a joint venture between the school and Ramsports, China’s leading pickleball brand - merging educational excellence with sport-specific expertise.
PCL Asia sees AEPA as more than just a host venue - it represents a strategic investment in the future of the sport. The long-term vision is for AEPA to become the world’s premier pickleball academy, offering both residential and visiting programs for juniors and professionals.
Photo Credits to: PCL Asia Rising Stars (https://www.pclasia.org/pcl-asia-rising-stars)
Scholarships and Life-Changing Opportunities
A key component of the Rising Stars (U19) initiative is access. The winning team and select standout athletes from the Finals will be eligible for scholarships to AEPA. These scholarships will support world-class training and education, creating life-changing opportunities for young players to pursue pickleball at the highest level.
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