by Kelly Campbell
Great News for picklers in North America: The three national governing bodies for pickleball in the US, Mexico, and Canada announced the creation of The Pickleball Federation of the Americas (PFA) in April. The PFA will work to promote the development and growth of pickleball in North America and is the first continental pickleball foundation in the Americas.
Read on to learn about the PFA, what its creation could mean for pickleball, and the current state of international pickleball and the International Federation of Pickleball.
What is the Pickleball Foundation of the Americas (PFA)?
The PFA was established to promote pickleball growth throughout North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Representatives from USA Pickleball, La Liga Profesional de Pickleball Mexico, and Pickleball Canada launched the PFA. Leadership will take the form of a nine-member Board of Directors that includes leaders from other countries.
The federation serves as a way to provide and centralize official pickleball resources and join together with and collaborate to promote pickleball growth throughout the world with countries of the Americas. Member countries will have access to official playing rules, coaching, and officiating materials, guidelines for federation websites, bylaws, articles of incorporation, and tournament operations.
According to the PFA website and press release, the PFA is established as a non-profit corporation that serves and exists to:
- Encourage the development of the sport of pickleball in the Americas ⎯ including providing access to advice/information/best practices in the areas of program development, administration, governance, and communications.
- Coordinate efforts to position pickleball as a welcoming and accessible sport that fosters social connections and a sense of community.
- Organize continental championships, member national federations’ championships, and other major events.
- Support equity, diversity, and inclusion within pickleball throughout the Americas.
- Help ensure that the culture of pickleball evolves as a safe sport, and a sport in which players, coaches, officials, and volunteers experience a welcoming, respectful environment for all with a commitment to fair play and equal treatment.
- Encourage and support measures in competitions and with athletes that safeguard the integrity of pickleball and para pickleball and protect clean athletes through anti-doping efforts and the prevention of the manipulation of competitions.
- Encourage and support measures related to the medical care and health of the athletes who participate in PFA competitions.
- Serve as the official continental federation for pickleball in the Americas.
“The formation of a continental pickleball federation is a much-needed development as we continue to support the recent explosion of pickleball, particularly in our region of the world,” said Robert Quicksilver, USA Pickleball Chairman of the Board of Directors. “With the launch of the Pickleball Federation of the Americas, we are thrilled to align with our colleagues across the Western Hemisphere and lend support to those beginning to build pickleball communities in their respective countries.”
“Along with my peers in the United States and Mexico, I am proud to help launch this federation and ensure that the sport of pickleball evolves as a safe, welcoming and respectful environment throughout the Americas,” said Peter Milovanovic, Pickleball Canada President. “We are committed to serving as stewards of this wonderful sport and guiding its development towards a culture that is wholly fair and equal.”
“I look forward to welcoming additional countries and national federations to this exciting alliance as we progress and take great strides forward,” said Javier Regalado, La Liga Profesional de Pickleball Mexico President. “We anticipate the coming years to witness the continued growth of pickleball around the world, and we hope to lead the way through mutual collaboration and visionary governance.”
What Could the Creation of the PFA Mean for Pickleball Growth?
As national groups begin supporting PFA, there will be a greater pickleball army working together to promote the growth of the sport. With PFA creation, we can likely expect to see a tremendous pickleball boom as all countries in the federation will have better access to resources and the ability to make connections with more picklers throughout the world.
Another great aspect of the PFA launch is the expansion of centralized pickleball resources. To be able to have one governing body that produces official rules for multiple countries helps legitimize pickleball and establish a strong foundation to make the sport a recognized core professional sport in the world.
Collaboration has been a huge reason that pickleball is as successful as it is today, and collaboration within the PFA will likely open so many doors for pickleball players throughout the world. More countries working together will expand the opportunity to make connections and network so that pickleball love continues to spread internationally.
International Pickleball
The PFA, although the first continental pickleball federation of the Americas, is not the first international pickleball organization.
The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), headquartered in Arizona, was established in 2010 to introduce pickleball to all nations and develop pickleball throughout the world. The inaugural member countries included the USA, Canada, Spain, and India. Now, the organization includes over 80 member countries including Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Germany, and more. The first IFP Liaison Office was opened in 2020 in Shenzhen, China.
The IFP includes a network of global diplomats that ensure the organization “Leaves No Country Behind”. These diplomats are volunteer representatives and unofficial spokespersons for the organization, responsible for promoting the sport of pickleball on an international level. One long-term goal of the IFP is to make pickleball become an Olympic sport.
Seeing the impact of organizations like the IFP demonstrates the potential for growth for the Pickleball Foundation of the Americas. There is a need for international collaboration to legitimize this sport so pickleball can compete with core sports like soccer, baseball, etc. The more players and countries that work in unison toward a common goal, the more likely it is that pickleball popularity will continue on an upward trend.
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