Bell Bank Park, 6321 S. Ellsworth Road in Mesa, is hosting the Talking Stick Resort Legacy Pickleball Championships Friday, Dec. 16-Sunday, Dec. 18.

The event will showcase more than 450 amateur pickleball enthusiasts from across the country and will feature a $25,000 prize purse, according to a release. 

“This is the final event of the year and a great way to close out our Legacy Tournament Series,” Ryan Trefry, director of pickleball at Bell Bank Park, said in the release. “Our Amateur Series had 13 events leading up to this year-end finale that will feature medalists from throughout the season who were given a Golden Ticket to play in the TSR Legacy Pickleball Championships. We make sure our amateurs feel like the pros, offering a state-of-the-art pickleball facility, one of the many reasons these events have been so popular this year.”

The tournament will have five divisions — 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0) — with five different age groups (Junior, 19+, 35+, 50+ and 60+) competing in Singles, Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Singles events will take place on Friday, Dec. 16; Men’s and Women’s Doubles on Saturday, Dec. 17; and Mixed Doubles on Sunday, Dec. 18. Competition begins each day at 8 a.m. at the Rockin’ Protein Pickleball Center, with all championship medal matches taking place on the Talking Stick Resort Covered Championship Court. 

“Talking Stick Resort is excited to serve as the title sponsor of the Legacy Pickleball Championships,” Ramon Martinez, director of public relations for Talking Stick Resort, said in the release. “The growing popularity of pickleball in recent years has certainly made it a sport to watch and one in which we wanted to align, not only with this tournament, but also as a founding sponsor of Bell Bank Park.”

Go to BellBankPark.com.