By Greg McAfee, Pickleball League Vice President
As the vice president of the pickleball league, I get tons of emails asking about rules, how to join a team, and when is ALTA going to have senior leagues or gender-specific leagues. So, I thought I would take this time to address some of these questions.
Q: I am looking to join a team and don’t know where to start. Can you help me find a team?
We want as many people as possible to play ALTA pickleball. ALTA teams are formed by captains, teaching professionals, and facility managers. ALTA does not directly create teams. There is a place on the ALTA website to post that you are looking for team. (Players and Leagues>>Find Players and Teams) We have found that one of the best places to find a team is on the local pickleball Facebook groups, or by visiting local pickleball centers and talking with people. Get involved with drop-in clinics and drills; you will quickly find other players to either form a team yourself or join one.
Q: When is ALTA going to create a senior-only league or separate men’s/women’s leagues?
Let me address this buy giving a little feedback on the size of the Pickleball League. The past few seasons have been averaging around 6,200 players. The demographic of the league shows approximately half under the age of 50 and half over the age of 50. About half of the registered players are male and half female. Any way we slice up the league to create another league will shrink the numbers to around 3,000 players, which becomes challenging with the drive time of matches and availability of days that do not interfere with other ALTA league play. We are actively looking at solutions for some different league formats for 2026 and hope to have an announcement on that soon. A lot of thought and planning goes into changing or creating a league so that it runs smoothly. Please be patient as we grow with the demand for play.
Q: What is being done to get high-level players out of the C level?
We are currently working on ways to improve the leveling of players and teams. When ALTA makes a rule change, we like to give the members plenty of notice about the change. We are looking at making some changes to the Spring 2026 season that should help with the leveling.
Your emails and suggestions trigger discussions behind the scenes with the executive team and help us make the changes needed to make the league even better. While changes are not instant, please know that we are working toward having the best pickleball league in Atlanta. Thank you for your input!
