THE
INTERNATIONAL
FEDERATION OF
PICKLEBALL
Bringing Pickleball
to the World
BY MIKE HESS
What is the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP)
The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) (www.
ipickleball.org) is the w orld governing body of pickleball. Its
mission is to drive the development and growth of the sport so
that people in all countries, at all ages and skill levels, can enjoy
pickleball and eventually embrace the game as one of their
national sports.
How the IFP helps grow the sport globally
The IFP focuses its resources on four key areas: (1)
Development, by supporting member associations in the
areas of player participation, clubs, coaches, officials, and
ambassadors, and encouraging the creation of new member
associations; (2) Competition, by providing guidance and
sanctioning of tournaments, as well as the creation of new
events; (3) Partnerships, developed through representing
the sport to key stakeholders such as the International
Olympic Committee (IOC); and (4) Regulation, by helping
to communicate and enforce the official rules of pickleball
throughout the world.
The IFP is a new organization; thus, as it grows in
membership and resources, its role in each of these areas
will evolve and expand. For example, currently the USAPA is
still managing rules and the IFP’s role is more supportive, by
helping to enforce the rules in membership countries. Once
the IFP develops sufficient membership and resources, it will
be responsible for independently managing and overseeing the
rules.
Membership and structure of the IFP
The IFP is made up of Member Associations, which are
National Pickleball Associations, such as the USAPA and
Pickleball Canada. Currently there are seven national and
multinational association members, which include the USA,
Canada, Spain, India, France, the United Kingdom and Great
Britain. Several additional countries have applied to join and
the number of members will grow as the sport continues its
expansion.
The IFP is a nonprofit, volunteer organization that was
created by the USAPA as part of its mission to grow the sport
both nationally and internationally. The current IFP board
has officers from three countries (U.S., Canada and Spain) and
plans to add diversity to the board to benefit from additional
international perspectives.
IFP-created events
The IFP will organize the inaugural “Copa Internacional”
in September of 2017 in Madrid, Spain, in conjunction with
Spain’s 3rd Annual International Tournament. The Copa
Internacional will be the first Intercontinental Team Pickleball
Competition, featuring a North America vs. Europe format. It
will also form a “Rest of the World” team to allow players from
other continents to compete. Participation is open to everyone,
and the event expects players from a wide range of countries to
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