Pickleball within the Philippines has lengthy been a big-city story, with Metro Manila courts getting many of the consideration, adopted by main cities like Cebu Metropolis and Dumaguete, amongst others. Now Mindanao needs in. Two provinces have introduced tournaments with critical prize cash, and between them they’re placing greater than ₱2.5 million on the road.
First up is Sultan Kudarat, which is able to host a nationwide occasion with a particular visitor. Then comes Malitbog in Bukidnon, the place an inaugural Mayor’s Cup is ready for early 2027.
Sultan Kudarat: A ₱1.5 Million Nationwide Occasion
The Provincial Authorities of Sultan Kudarat has introduced the first GDPA Nationwide Pickleball Event: Better of the Greatest, working from 14 to 16 November 2026 on the Sultan Kudarat Provincial Capitol Compound. The occasion is a part of Kalimudan Pageant 2026, the province’s annual celebration.
Governor Datu Pax Ali S. Mangudadatu unveiled it on 26 October, asserting ₱1.5 million in marketed money prizes and the particular participation of Vietnamese professional Quang Duong, who will make an exhibition look throughout the three-day programme.
Competitors can be held in Males’s, Girls’s and Blended Doubles, and every class carries the identical prize construction:
| Putting | Prize |
|---|---|
| Champion | ₱250,000 |
| Second place | ₱150,000 |
| Third place | ₱75,000 |
| Fourth place | ₱50,000 |
Registration opened on 27 October at 6:00 p.m. and is ongoing. Extra particulars in regards to the event are discovered on the the GDPA Fb web page. gamers can register outright by scanning the QR code within the poster beneath.
Malitbog, Bukidnon: ₱1 Million Throughout 9 Divisions
Additional north, in Bukidnon, the Native Authorities Unit of Malitbog underneath Mayor Gary D. Casiño is internet hosting the Malitbog 1st Mayor’s Cup Pickleball Open Event 2027 from 21 to 24 January 2027, in partnership with Dya Child-on Smash Society Pickle Membership.
The event options Novice, Low Intermediate, and Excessive Intermediate classes, every with males’s, girls’s and combined occasions, for 9 divisions in all. Money prizes go to the highest three finishers in every division, for a complete of ₱1 million.
Novice
- Champions: ₱30,000
- First runners-up: ₱20,000
- Second runners-up: ₱13,000 (males’s and girls’s), ₱14,000 (combined)
Low Intermediate
- Champions: ₱55,000
- First runners-up: ₱30,000
- Second runners-up: ₱20,000
Excessive Intermediate
- Champions: ₱80,000 (males’s and girls’s), ₱85,000 (combined)
- First runners-up: ₱50,000 (males’s and girls’s), ₱60,000 (combined)
- Second runners-up: ₱30,000
The entry payment is ₱2,000 per participant, overlaying an official event T-shirt, a hat and lunch for 3 days. Gamers register via on-line varieties for his or her ability classes, and the deadline is 31 December 2026. For questions on registration, cost or event particulars, e mail dyakidonsmashsociety@gmail.com.
Organisers additionally say sportsmanship and camaraderie are among the many occasion’s objectives, alongside the competitors itself.
Why It Issues
Put the 2 collectively, and a sample emerges. A provincial authorities in Sultan Kudarat is bringing in a global professional, whereas a municipality in Bukidnon is providing prizes of as much as ₱85,000 for a champion, with divisions designed for novice and intermediate gamers alike. That’s a really totally different image from the game’s early days within the nation, when critical occasions had been largely in Metro Manila and a handful of different cities.
For gamers throughout the Philippines, it additionally means extra causes to journey. Whether or not it’s a nationwide event in November or a four-day Mayor’s Cup in January, Mindanao is rapidly turning into a pickleball vacation spot, and its native governments seem like backing that with cash.
