A Moment Worth Celebrating
Some announcements are worth stopping for. This is one of them.
Mint Sport is proud to confirm that Cannonballz™ are now the official ball of the Ultimate Pickleball League for the next year. That means every tournament the UPL organises, every match played across their regions, every moment of competition captured on camera — Cannonballz™ will be the ball in play. The only ball.
For us, this is more than a partnership. It's a statement about what we believe pickleball deserves at the competitive level: a ball built with the same seriousness that elite players bring to the game. We are proud, we are excited, and we are genuinely looking forward to seeing what the UPL's athletes do with Cannonballz™ in their hands.
What the UPL Is Building
If you haven't followed the Ultimate Pickleball League closely, now is a great time to start. The UPL is one of the most ambitious and genuinely exciting developments in competitive pickleball right now, and the story of how it got here is worth knowing.
Built on a city-based semi-professional model, the UPL was designed from the ground up to give competitive players something the sport has long needed: a real structure, a real pathway, and a real league experience that sits between recreational play and the professional tour. It's the proving ground for the next generation of elite pickleball athletes, and it's growing faster than almost anyone anticipated.
The league is structured into regional divisions that lead to a national championship, with teams spanning the US and now expanding internationally into Costa Rica and the Philippines. From the Calabasas Crush and Golden State Rangers on the West Coast to the Miami Explorers, Houston Dominators and beyond, the UPL has built a genuinely diverse and competitive national footprint in a remarkably short time.
To maintain competitive integrity across all of it, the UPL uses DUPR+ as its official rating and match integrity standard. Match results go through a validation process where participants confirm or dispute outcomes, meaning every result builds a credible competitive record that carries real weight. UPL athletes aren't just playing matches. They're building a trackable competitive history that can open doors as the sport continues to professionalize.
That level of seriousness about how competition is conducted is one of the reasons we wanted to be part of this league. Standards matter. The UPL has them.
A Philosophy That Resonates
The values behind the UPL go deeper than the scoreline, and that matters to us.
As the UPL's CEO put it directly, pickleball should be a pathway for players around the world to grow, learn and find opportunity — not just a sport people watch from the sidelines. The league was built around inclusivity, integrity and intensity, with a structure designed to welcome athletes of all ages, genders and skill levels into genuine competitive play. You can read the full vision in the CEO's letter here.
The tiered system the UPL has built is particularly worth noting. Rather than creating an elite-only structure that most players can never access, the league has built pathways that take players from development through to semi-pro competition, with youth academies and junior circuits feeding into the broader ecosystem. The recent Philippines expansion for the Junior Circuit is a perfect example of the kind of long-term, globally-minded thinking that sets the UPL apart.
Mint Sport was built in Carlsbad by three brothers who believe sport should bring people in, not keep them out. We believe in building things properly, for performance, for longevity, and for the players at every level of the game. Reading about what the UPL is trying to do, and spending time getting to know the people behind it, we saw those instincts reflected back at us. This is a partnership built on genuine alignment.
Built for This Level of Competition
Being named the official ball of any league is a privilege. Being named the official ball of the UPL carries particular weight, because this is a league that expects a great deal from its equipment.
UPL matches are competitive, high-tempo, and played by athletes who have committed to the sport at a serious level. The players competing across UPL teams are pushing the pace of play and testing equipment in ways casual sessions simply don't replicate. Balls take a real beating in that environment. Consistency, durability, and true flight characteristics matter enormously when points are on the line and margins are tight.
Cannonballz™ were built to hold up under exactly that kind of pressure. Consistent bounce from the first rally to the last. Reliable flight that doesn't change as conditions shift. The durability to stay true across long sessions and high-intensity tournament play. When you're competing at this level, you don't want to think about the ball. You want to trust it completely, and give every unit of your focus to the game in front of you.
That's what Cannonballz™ are designed to deliver. And that's why we believe they belong at the center of UPL competition.
What We're Looking Forward To
If we're being straightforward: this is the part we're most excited about.
The UPL has assembled a field of athletes who are genuinely serious about the game. These are players who have dedicated real time and effort to reaching this level of competition, who understand what performance equipment feels like, and who will form immediate, honest opinions about the ball they're playing with from the very first match.
We cannot wait to hear what they think. There is no more meaningful validation for a ball than the verdict of elite athletes who play with it in real competitive conditions. The feedback from the court, what works, what feels right, where Cannonballz™ performs in ways that matter to a serious player, is something we will pay close attention to as the season unfolds.
Beyond the athletes, we're also looking forward to seeing Cannonballz™ as part of the UPL's broader media presence. The league livestreams matches, produces content across platforms, and is building a genuine fan base around its competition. That visibility is something we're proud to be part of, because it reflects the growing legitimacy of competitive pickleball as a sport worth watching as well as playing.
Follow the UPL's events calendar to catch the action live, and keep an eye on their news page as the season develops.
The Bigger Picture
Partnerships like this one sit inside a larger story about where pickleball is going.
The sport has grown faster than almost anyone predicted, and it isn't slowing down. What's changing now is the infrastructure around it. Leagues, ratings systems, development pathways, international expansion, media coverage — the scaffolding that turns a popular recreational activity into a genuine sport with a competitive ecosystem is being built in real time. The UPL is one of the organizations doing that building seriously and well.
For Mint Sport, being part of that moment matters. We're not here just to make equipment. We're here to contribute to the growth of the game in ways that are meaningful and lasting. Having Cannonballz™ at the center of UPL competition for the next year is a step in that direction, and one we're genuinely proud to take.
Watch the Season Unfold
The UPL 2026 season is underway, with matches rolling out across regions and the competition intensifying with every week. If you want to follow along, the full league schedule has everything you need. Explore the team locations to find the action nearest to you, visit the partners page to see who else is supporting the league this season, or head to the UPL marketplace to get involved.
And if competitive pickleball is something you want to be part of, team registration is open for those ready to take the next step.
We'll be watching every match with enormous pride, knowing that every rally, every drive, every dink and every smash this season is played with a Cannonballz™ in the air.
Here's to a brilliant season. Together, we rise. Together, we win.
Mint Sport | mintsport.com
