Minor League Pickleball at MLP New York: Dream Tickets Punched at Randall's Island
The Dink MiLP came to Randall's Island. The Brooklyn Ballers dominated. Here’s a recap of the weekend.
The Dink Minor League Pickleball brought 164 players to Randall's Island this weekend for the fourth Regional Showdown of the 2026 season, running alongside MLP New York.
The amateur competition spanned three days, two formats, and all DUPR levels, with Dream Tickets to The Dink MiLP Championships on the line in every division.
The Dink MiLP Format, Briefly
For those unfamiliar: most MiLP Regional Showdowns run alongside select MLP events. Players compete in 4-player coed teams (two women, two men) or the MiLP v3 gendered format (three players). Divisions are split by DUPR rating.
The stakes at a marquee event like New York are higher than a local MiLP event.
All teams earn double leaderboard points, and division winners earn a Dream Ticket, giving them an automatic bid to The Dink MiLP Championships in early 2027. The Championships carry $100,000 in prize money and is the highest level of amateur team competition in pickleball.
The Dink MiLP Weekend
Each day was its own complete event: round robin through bracket finals, all in one day. Friday belonged to the v3 bracket, which played its entire tournament start to finish. The 4-person coed teams split across the weekend: half ran their full round robin and playoffs Saturday, the other half Sunday.
No multi-day marathon here. Each day was its own tournament: round robin straight through bracket finals.
Friday was all v3. Saturday and Sunday split the 4-person coed field, half running their full gauntlet each day.
164 players. Double points on the line. Every match counted toward the National Leaderboard, and every day ended the same way: bracket finals, and Dream Tickets going home with division winners.
Tournament Results
If there was a theme to the MiLP bracket this weekend, it was Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Ballers, the MLP-affiliated minor league pickleball team competing on their home courts at Randall's Island, won gold in 10 of 11 divisions, sweeping the podium in several of them.
The one division they didn't win: DUPR 16, where Slippery Pickle Prophets took gold.
Coed 4v4
Men's v3
Women's v3
Follow @officialminorleaguepb for highlights and results from every MiLP event.
What's Left on the 2026 MiLP at MLP Schedule
Here are the remaining events all with double leaderboard points (3 MLPs and 3 Regular Regional Showdowns):
- July 18-19 - MLP - San Diego CA
- July 23-26 - MLP - Northbrook, IL
- July 26 - Midwest - Kansas City, MO
- Aug 15-16 - MLP - Newport Beach, CA
- Aug 15-16 - Southeast - Orange Park, FL
- Nov 13-15 - Northwest - Lynnwood, WA
Mary Margaret Stewart
Mary Margaret is The Dink's Marketing Manager. She enjoys cooking, traveling, craft coffee, and photography.
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