Less than two years ago, pickleball was at a crossroads.
Paddle performance was accelerating faster than the sport’s ability to regulate it. The introduction of the Joola Gen 3 era exposed just how vulnerable the game had become to imbalance. USAP certification was the only standard that mattered, onsite enforcement was limited, and there were no meaningful performance metrics or testing protocols capable of keeping paddle behavior in check. The game was growing quickly, but it was also in danger of losing the competitive balance and fairness that made that growth possible in the first place.
That is the environment in which UPA-A was created.
It was not an easy decision, but it was a necessary one. The professional side of the sport needed stronger regulation and governance, and the broader paddle ecosystem was moving in the wrong direction. There were too many paddles in the market, too little enforcement, and no modern system built to measure and control how paddles actually performed.
UPA-A was built to address that gap.
The start was not easy. Change rarely is. There was resistance, skepticism, and in some cases harsh criticism. That scrutiny, while not something we would ever want to go through again, did make us better. It forced us to be more transparent, more rigorous, and more deliberate in how we communicated both the reasoning behind our work and the methods we were using to carry it out.
In less than two years, UPA-A has identified the core issues, partnered to build a state-of-the-art testing lab, established a grant program with UMass Lowell, conducted the research, developed the standards and procedures, and built the machinery and equipment needed to test and measure paddles both in the lab and onsite in real competitive environments.
That progress has happened in less than two years.
None of it would have been possible without the financial support of UPA. At the same time, the PPA and MLP have continued to grow at a remarkable pace, not only in the United States, where attendance and broadcast viewership continue to exceed expectations, but internationally as well. With expansion into Asia, Australia, and Europe, pickleball’s rise has been extraordinary.
But growth at that scale does not sustain itself without a level playing field that players, brands, and stakeholders can trust.
That is precisely what UPA-A has been working to build.
We are proud of the progress that has been made, but we are equally clear-eyed about the work still ahead. Beyond paddle certification and enforcement, UPA-A has been preparing the launch of a formal Rulebook, a comprehensive referee training and sanctioning program, and an automatic line-calling system that the sport badly needs.
We are also continuing to evolve structurally. In 2026, UPA-A reduced the annual paddle certification fee by half, lowering it from $20,000 in 2025 to $10,000. Last month, UPA-A also received IRS approval to transition into a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization.
These are important steps, but they are part of a larger mission.
UPA-A exists to ensure that pickleball remains fair, credible, and built for long-term growth. We will continue to operate transparently, maintain open dialogue with our partners, and remain available to answer questions so that paddle brands can succeed, players can compete on a level field, and the sport can reach its full potential around the world.