UPA, PlayReplay Ink Partnership for Hi-Tech Line-Calling, Potential Analytics Applications
It hasn’t been a week since PPA and MLP CEO Connor Pardoe told the pickleball world that automated line-calling will be coming to high-level pickleball.
Days later, that plan appears to be in motion.
On Wednesday, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) officially signed a partnership with electronic line-calling technology vendor PlayReplay, with plans to implement its hi-tech systems across the PPA Tour and MLP in the soonest possible time—likely within the next year or two.
“We’ll take the eight pro courts that we have and there will be automatic line calling, so you won’t even call lines anymore,” Pardoe told Zane Navratil in his Picklepod vodcast.
Getting Line Calls Right Is the Priority
At the moment, UPA players call their own lines and can have video-based challenges if they’re playing on a camera-equipped court. Automated line calling eliminates the old system of self-calling lines, with PlayReplay’s system projected to be implemented across all eight competition courts the UPA uses per event. While that’s the plan, the UPA is still undecided whether the courts would utilise PlayReplay’s technology for live line-calling, precise challenges, or maybe even both.
PlayReplay’s ELC system is generally used in tennis. It is made up of four net-post-affixed, Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras that track ball coordinates and other metrics. USTA Ventures invested in the company last year and has been demoing it at ITF Pro Circuit tournaments. PlayReplay also began working with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) last year on a pilot program for ELC in college tennis.
“We think there’s a problem in general with pickleball line-calling,” Pardoe told Sports Business Journal. “A lot of the time, all four players are at the net and the ball passes you, and the question is, ‘Is that ball in or is it out?’ One team hit the ball and is biased and is watching their own ball. The other team is flipping their head around as quick as they can, trying to see if the ball is in or out. It makes line-calling even more controversial than what you would see in recreational tennis, junior tennis, maybe even college tennis.”
PlayReplay Partnership Can Prove Timely
Pardoe added that the financial aspect of the UPA-PlayReplay partnership is still being finalised, with the former appealing for a more affordable and lightweight system than more established line-calling solutions like Hawk-Eye. While that detail is still being ironed out, Pardoe noted that part of the deal will also see the UPA become PlayReplay’s “official pickleball distributor.” This means the UPA will act as an extension of PlayReplay’s product distribution arm at pickleball clubs.
This seismic shift towards automated line-calling coincides with the UPA’s shift to a prize money-focused pay model rather than guaranteed contract money where every win counts and every championship means so much more.
“One of the number one concerns we had from pro players was: ‘As soon as we move to [the prize money model], there’s so much on the line for every single point, we’re really worried about cheating,’” Pardoe said. “As soon as we get to that prize money model—we’re hoping it’s next year, it might be the year after, but we’re hoping it’s as soon as possible—then we’ll have this line-calling technology for all pro courts at all PPA and MLP events.”
More Benefits from PlayReplay?
Aside from getting line calls right, Pardoe also anticipates PlayReplay to help—and pickleball in general—in other ways. Mostly, he expects the hi-tech system to help in pickleball-related analytics.
“Our hope is, first, let’s get the line-calling—and then, two, what made these guys interesting is you then can go further than that, it goes into actually data and analytics,” Pardoe said. “We just want to create the best thing for players to be able to understand their own game, understand their opponent’s game, and for fans to be able to learn more about the sport.”
Of course, everything at the moment is preliminary. But if all goes well, this partnership could usher in even more exciting times ahead for pro pickleball, which is already gaining significant momentum—warts and all.
