AMC - Australian Masters Cup Finals hit Pimpama

What started out as an idea from the Pickleball Australia Seniors Sub-committee, the Australian Masters Cup league brought together over 1200 club players of all skill levels around Australia to compete on a local level, all with the goal of progressing to the next stages of the League; Regional and State qualifiers. 

Over a 10-12 week period, players competed with and against one another in their local league, jostling for positions to achieve the best outcome possible. From there, top players in the 50+, 60+ and 70+ age groups moved on to Regional Qualifiers in June. The best performers from the Regional event then progressed on to State Qualifiers in August to earn a spot to represent their state team at the National Finals. 

These state winners from around the country converged on Pimpama Sports Hub over the past weekend to represent their state in a round robin team league format event. 8 players; 4x men plus 4x women in each age bracket came together to represent their age group and fight for the title of Australian Masters. Over the course of the two-day event, NSW, QLD, VIC, TASACT (Tasmania and ACT) and WASANT (W.A, S.A and N.T) fought it out over 5 rounds. Players were seeded 1 through 4 in their team, and competed in Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Each win counted for 1 point, and a Master Breaker was played where scores tied at 4-4. Over the course of the day, the pickleball spirit was strong, both on and off the court, where players' family and friends cheered and supported their on-court masters.

By the end of rounds 1-4 on Saturday, all states were well and truly hungry for the title, and some were beginning to make a charge for the semis. As pairs came together - some for the very first time - players had built solid playing strategies and were keen to continue flexing their muscles in each and every match. With their teammates, the courtside armies were in full flight, the "c'mon's and "yeah let's go's" flying thick and fast. With some extremely close matches unfolding on the road to the semi-finals, teams at the top of the ladder were going toe to toe for a spot in the finals.

At the end of the pool rounds on Sunday morning, teams that had the most wins moved directly into the finals; these were NSW 70+, QLD 60+ and NSW 50+.

As Sunday came around, it was clear that these teams meant business, and the battles continued with intensity. In the semi-finals, players put it all on the line to try and get the win, but as the dust settled, the finals script had been written, NSW vs QLD across all 3 age groups!

With state pride on the line, the masters hit the courts, a fire in the air, and charged fiercely for the win. Over the course of the matches, we saw some incredibly close games unfold across all the age groups. But there can only be one winner!

Late into Sunday afternoon, after some intensely fought battles, the Australian Masters winners were crowned.

50+ Winners - Queensland

60+ "Keith Bing Cup" Winners - Queensland

70+ Winners - New South Wales

And the overall Australian Masters champion state was Queensland.

As we look back on the first Australian Masters Cup, every single player can be proud to call themselves an Australian Master. For some players, the AMC was their first ever foray into competitive play. For others, a continuation of their pickleball tournament journey. Either way, we are proud of every single player that joined us on this journey, and we are excited to see you all continue to exceed and excel at the game that we all love.

So what about 2026 we hear you say? We are proud to announce that the Australian Masters Cup, will, of course, be returning bigger and better. So now it's up to you all to rally behind your local pickleball club, build the vibe and come together and register for next year's event. 

As the organiser of the event, I am incredibly proud of the event we have delivered for you all, and I can't wait to see all your faces, plus many more in 2026.

This is Brad Kluss signing off from AMC Central.