UTR Sports Announces Franklin as Official Ball

All participants in the Pickleball Amateur Series will compete with Franklin X-40 pickleballs, including at the Golden Ticket events.

By Franklin Sports

March 22^nd, 2024

Palo Alto, CA, (Feb. 22, 2024) — UTR Sports (formerly Universal Tennis) is announcing Franklin Sports, a leading manufacturer and retailer in the sporting goods industry, as the official pickleball ball partner of UTR Sports and the UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series.

The UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series is a new year-round series of pickleball tournaments held across the United States throughout 2024. Two of the Pickleball Amateur Series events are USA Pickleball Golden Ticket qualifiers, where players have a chance to earn the exclusive opportunity to pre-register for the 2024 USA Pickleball National Championships.

The UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series will cultivate a world-class experience for amateur players and offer value that exceeds registration fees by providing participants with multiple guaranteed games, competitive matches, and quality playing environments.

All participants in the Pickleball Amateur Series will compete with Franklin X-40 pickleballs, including at the Golden Ticket events. Franklin Sports will work with UTR Sports to develop exclusive member benefits for UTR Power Subscribers.

UTR Sports Announces Franklin as Official Ball

“Franklin Sports is the ideal partner for UTR Sports as we continue to innovate the sport and improve the player experience with our rating, technology solutions, and the newly launched UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series,” said Mark Leschly, CEO and Chairman of UTR Sports. “The partnership between UTR Sports and Franklin Sports will provide players at all levels with the industry’s highest-quality balls and the best possible on-court experience.”

The first stop of the UTR Sports Pickleball Amateur Series will be just outside of Atlanta in Rome, GA on March 15-17, 2024, followed by Dallas, Texas, on April 5-7, 2024. As part of the Series, the UTR Sports Golden Ticket events will take place May 29-June 2, 2024 in Macon, GA, and July 10-14, 2024, in Arvada, CO. Divisions will include men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, at multiple skill and age levels.

"Franklin Sports is thrilled to become the official ball partner of UTR Sports,” said Adam Franklin, President of Franklin Sports. “Franklin Sports and UTR Sports are aligned in supporting the growth of pickleball and providing players with the opportunities to compete and succeed. Together, we aim to cultivate a world-class playing environment for amateurs across the U.S. and look forward to seeing Franklin pickleballs in action throughout the Series.”

The USA Pickleball-approved Franklin X-40 balls are the top pickleball in the sport and ball of choice for over 500 tournaments worldwide each year. The X-40 is designed to withstand hours of competitive play and is the official ball of USA Pickleball and the US Open Pickleball Championships.

ABOUT UTR SPORTS

The mission of UTR Sports (formerly Universal Tennis) is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with accurate global ratings, innovative events, and a global community centered around level-based play. The UTR Sports Platform is anchored by our patented ratings technology. UTR Sports provides the technology tools and solutions relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers. UTR Sports is creating opportunities and pathways, for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun, affordable, and flexible experience. Follow UTR Sports on social media @UTR_Sports.

ABOUT FRANKLIN SPORTS

Founded by Irving Franklin in 1946, Franklin Sports is a Stoughton, Massachusetts-based sporting goods brand that manufactures and sells over 10,000 products across many different categories. Franklin Sports is proud of its partnerships with Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, USA Pickleball, Pro Volleyball Federation and Hasbro’s Nerf brand including the leagues’ youth participation programs. Franklin also works with hundreds of elite athletes through sports equipment and apparel collaborations. Franklin is a multigenerational, family-owned business with a rich history and trusted reputation as a quality sporting goods brand – from recreational sports all the way up to the professional level – has made it one of the perennial leaders in the industry. At Franklin Sports, the team believes that sports make life better. Driven by Franklin’s passion to get people moving, playing, and competing, the Franklin mission is to bring sports to life for athletes of all ages. Whether designing a product for a World Series MVP or a child enjoying their first swings of the bat, Franklin Sports is dedicated to making sports inspiring, fun and accessible for all. For more information on Franklin Sports, please visit www.franklinsports.com or follow Franklin on Instagram @franklinsports, @franklinsportseqp, and @franklinpickleball, Facebook, and Twitter @franklinsports.