We know many of you are volunteers, devoting countless hours to organizing pickleball in your local community.
That’s why we created a way to pass along your technology costs to players.
When enough of your players subscribe to Pickleheads Plus, you’ll get Pickleheads Pro or Ultra for free. It’s pretty easy to make this happen. Here’s a quick walkthrough to show you how.
How it works and how to turn it on
The mechanics are simple. Each billing period, we look at the the players who signed up for your sessions and count how many have Pickleheads Plus.
If you reach a threshold, we automatically apply the credit to your next bill. There’s nothing to submit and nothing to remember.
You’ll qualify at two clear milestones. These numbers are easy to track and easy to plan around.
- 25 players who signed up for at least 1 session and have Plus = free Pro
- 75 players who signed up for at least 1 session and have Plus = free Ultra
You can see progress anytime in your subscription settings. As that bar climbs toward 25, you’re closing in on a free month.
How to encourage players to join Plus
To drive those signups consistently, use the built-in “Require Pickleheads Plus” setting on either a session or a group. Turning this on adds a clear banner to the page and places the Plus requirement at the top of the signup flow just like DUPR.
Players without Plus will be prompted to upgrade before they can RSVP, and once they do, they continue the normal signup.
Here’s where you’ll find it and what it looks like on Pickleheads.
- Sessions: Create or edit a session, open Advanced Settings, and toggle Pickleheads Plus to “On.” You can leave everything else as-is. The banner appears automatically and the gate sits above any other requirements.
- Groups: Create or edit a group and toggle Require Pickleheads Plus. This is perfect for a VIP list that gets early access to your games. Players understand the trade: join Plus, support the group, and get a head start on the best sessions.
Choose a simple strategy that fits your group
You don’t need to gate everything to make this work. I recommend trying one or two exciting events that you know will get players on the court. That’s usually all it takes. Find a format that works for your group and run it each month.
Here are my top 2 ideas I recommend to every organizer:
- Plus-only marquee session. Run one “can’t-miss” Round Robin, Mixer, or Mini Tournament behind the Plus gate. Promoting a single night to players makes the math easy. If you regularly fill 24–32 spots, one event can carry you over the 25 mark by itself.
- Plus VIP early access group. Create a Plus-only group and give members early access before you open new sessions to the rest of your group. This feels like a perk rather than a wall, and it steadily converts your most active players. Over a month, those early RSVPs add up fast.
Either path can get you there. Many organizers run both to consistently hit their milestone each month.
Communicating the change to players
Good communication goes a long way. Use one of these, then stick with it so players hear a consistent message.
Message these efforts give your group access to better play and support your personal efforts as the organizer.
You can add a short note to your session description and announce it in chat and at the courts. Here are a few lines you can steal:
- “Our Friday night round robins are going to require a $12/year Pickleheads Plus subscription moving forward. When enough of us are on Plus, it covers the organizer tools I use to run better games (round robins, invites, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff). If you enjoy these sessions, this is the easiest way to chip in.”
- “I’m setting up a new VIP group that will get invited first to our weekly round robins. Joining the VIP group will require a Plus subscription ($12/year). When enough of us are on Plus, it covers the organizer tools I use to run better games (round robins, invites, and all the behind-the-scenes stuff). If you enjoy these sessions, this is the easiest way to chip in!”
Get email templates to promote your event or group
Get started
We know many of you are volunteering your time to organize pickleball in your community. For that, thank you! We hope you find these features useful for players to chip in and give your group the tools you need to run great events. Create your Plus-only session now.
- Launch a Plus VIP group with early access to your games.
- Watch your progress bar climb to 25 and 75, and enjoy free Pro when you get there.
Any questions on how this all works? Drop a note in the organizer community or DM me in the app. I’m always happy to walk you through it.
FAQs about earning free Pickleheads Pro
