# Philippine Pickleball Federation

The Philippine Pickleball Federation (PPF) is recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission as the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in the Philippines. The PPF is responsible for promoting and developing pickleball throughout the country. The organization achieved recognition as the National Sports Association (NSA) for pickleball from the Philippine Olympic Committee in May 2024.

## History
### Early development (2016–2018)

Pickleball's introduction to the Philippines began with a clinic in Cebu in February 2016 by Sara Ash. One of the first dedicated venues was the LDS Church in Makati in June 2017. In February 2018, the domain www.pickleball.ph was registered, marking the start of the organization's online presence. Lacking proper courts, Street Pickleball was established in Ortigas Center, Pasig, starting in April 2018 and is considered by many to be the birthplace of Philippine pickleball.

### Formation and early initiatives (2019)

In April 2019, the organization registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as the "Philippine Pickleball Sports Association, Inc" (PPSA). The PPSA hosted its first inter-club tournament in April 2019 at the Upper Deck Sports Club in Pasig. The organization applied to the SEC to change its name to the Philippine Pickleball Federation and sought recognition from the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) as the National Sports Association for the Philippines.

### Growth and international affiliations (2019-2021)

The PPF established several new play venues across different cities. In September 2019, it became an Associate member of the IFP. By January 2020, the PPF joined regional neighbors to form the Asian Federation of Pickleball (AFP). PPF became a founding member of the AFP in March 2020, with its President, Mike Johnson, elected as AFP Secretary General. In April 2021, the IFP granted PPF full member status. In May 2021, Mike Johnson accepted a position on the IFP Board of Directors as the new IFP Secretary.

### Recent developments (2022-2025)

In October 2022, the SEC approved the name change to the "Philippine Pickleball Federation". PPF was one of the first members of the newly formed Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), which was created to unite the sport internationally. PPF was one of the first countries to qualify for Class-A membership with full voting rights. In May 2024, the Philippine Olympic Committee recognized PPF as the National Sports Association (NSA) for pickleball for the Philippines. As of March 2025, the PPF had grown to 211 registered member clubs and over 13,000 members.

## Timeline
### 2016

* February: Sara Ash conducts the first known pickleball clinic in Cebu, introducing the sport to the future PPF founders.

### 2017

* June: The first established play venue opens at the LDS Church on Buendia Avenue in Makati.

### 2018: One club, 70 players

* February: The domain www.pickleball.ph is registered and the first Facebook page, "Philippine Pickleball Association," is created.
* April: Street pickleball begins in Ortigas Center, Pasig, with scheduled play every Saturday evening.
* October: The Street Pickleball Ortigas program becomes increasingly popular, with many new players trying the sport for the first time.

### 2019: Three clubs, 204 players

* January: Street Pickleball Ortigas expands to four courts with 20-30 weekly players.
* March: Manny Bagtas, a visiting pickleball Ambassador, conducts the first street clinic in Ortigas Center.
* April: The organization registers with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as "Philippine Pickleball Sports Association, Inc" (PPSA) after "Philippine Pickleball Association" is denied.
* April: PPSA hosts its second clinic and first inter-club tournament at The Upper Deck (TUD) Sports Club in Pasig. April: PPSA helps friends from the startup "Philippine Pickleball Association" and Solinco conduct a successful clinic and tournament at the University of Santo Tomas.
* May: PPSA hosts a pickleball clinic at PowerSmash badminton center in Makati.
* July: PPSA hosts a second clinic and tournament at TUD in Pasig.
* July: PPSA donates nets to Solinco and joins a tournament hosted by the newly formed "Professional Pickleball Association of the Philippines" (PPA).
* July: PPSA applies to the Philippine SEC to change its name to the "Philippine Pickleball Federation" (PPF) and applies to the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) to be recognized as the National Sports Association for the Philippines.
* August: PPF establishes play venues at One Serendra (Bonifacio Global City) and TUD (Pasig).
* September: PPF becomes an Associate member of the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP). PPF establishes a new play venues in Fairview, Quezon City and at Christ's Commission Fellowship (CCF) In Pasig.
* October: PPF hosts a Referee Clinic with Gigi Maceda at One Serendra.
* November: PPF assists the PPA with a large clinic in Iba, Zambales. PPF establishes a new play venue in Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City. PPF supports a pickleball clinic in Valenzuela hosted by Rodel Chiu. PPF hosts a pickleball clinic for friends in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa.
* December: PPF hosts its second national tournament sponsored by UAP Manila Maharlika, Philippine Architects Pickleball Association (PAPA) and PPF. PPF's first Christmas party is well attended by over 60 key pickleball personalities,.

### 2020: Six clubs, 282 players

* January: PPF joins forces with regional neighbors Singapore, Taiwan, India, South Korea and Japan to form the Asian Federation of Pickleball (AFP). PPF hosts Mens World Champion, Scott Moore for a pickleball clinic in Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City.
* February: The PPF Street Pickleball program becomes more popular than ever after 100 consecutive weeks of play on the streets of Ortigas Center, Pasig.
* March: Street Pickleball continues with precautions despite the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. PPF becomes a founding member of the Asian Federation of Pickleball (AFP). PPF President Mike Johnson is elected AFP Secretary General. A five-city clinic roadshow is canceled due to the pandemic.
* May: PPF launches it's new website: https://www.pickleball.ph.
* July: PPF helps establish a play venue at Village East Executive Homes in Cainta. PPF participates in a privately sponsored tournament hosted by the newly formed "Pickleball East Dinkers Club" (PEDCI).
* December: PPF participates in the highly successful Lagro Invitational tournament.

### 2021: Ten clubs, 599 players

* January: PPF sponsors the Rosales Pickleball Clinic and Regional Tournament, in Rosales, Pangasinan.
* February: PPF assists and participates in the first Asingan Pickleball Tournament. PPF conducts its second Referee Clinic in Cainta. PPF conducts a clinic for members of the LDS Church in Makati.
* March: PPF sponsors and participates in the first Lagro Rotational Pickleball Tournament. PPF publishes the first Philippine Club Directory and Philippine Ambassador Directory.
* April: PPF expands its Board of Directors and adopts a new Constitution. PPF is granted FULL MEMBER status by the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP).
* May: PPF begins documenting its own history on its website due to Facebook censorship. PPF President accepts a position on the IFP Board of Directors as IFP Secretary.
* June: AFP issues a Certificate of Membership to PPF. PPF produces its first batch of low-cost paddles for donation.
* July: Fourteen new IFP Certified Pickleball Instructors are trained and certified. PPF adds a Certified Instructor Registry to its website.
* August: PPF is invited by the US Embassy to participate in a five-week "Summer Sportsfest." PPF begins shipping pickleball starter kits to select Philippine schools and play groups.
* September: PPF President attends the 2nd annual Adobowl in Texas, USA.
* October: The 2021 Pickleball Invitational Tournament is held in Lagro, Quezon City.
* November: The PPF President visits clubs in Moalboal and Santander, Cebu. The 1st annual RUSAC Pickleball Tournament is held in Rosales, Pangasinan.
* December: Visiting Ambassador Ken Cuaderno hosts clinics in Asingan, and Rosales, Pangasinan and Lagro, Quezon City. The first inter-barangay, inter-agency MAYORS CUP Pickleball Tournament is held in Asingan, Pangasinan.

### 2022: 37 clubs, 1,902 players

* January: Street Pickleball Ortigas returns in Pasig City, after a brief pause due to the pandemic.
* February: Lagro hosts another referee clinic. The 2022 APC Open is hosted by the Asingan Paddlers Pickleball club. March: Lagro hosts the first NCR Open Tournament. Pickleball pioneers celebrate the fourth anniversary of "Street Pickleball" in Ortigas Center, Pasig.
* April: PPF Trustee Col Ed Mendoza takes pickleball to Boracay. The Mayors Cup 2022 is held in Rosales, Pangasinan.
* May: The "Unify Pickleball Task Force" (UPTF) holds its first meeting. The UPTF was formed by representatives from nine (9) countries, including the Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, and the United States, to unify the sport under a single governing body after the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) and World Pickleball Federation (WPF) refuse to unify.
* June: Visiting Ambassador Rodel Chu organizes the 2022 "Philippine Pickleball Tour." A number of Phil-Am players visit to host demos and clinics. July: Gigi Maceda holds a webinar on pickleball officiating. PPF revises its constitution to include provisions for mediation and arbitration, and substance abuse as mandated by the Philippine Sports Commission.
* August: PPF is invited by Palawan State University in Palawan, to join a meeting and clinic of university sports leaders. Visiting Ambassadors Stella Lavy and Mae Brown conduct a webinar on skill definitions.
* September: PPF launches a Club Logo contest.
* October: The PPF legal name change to "Philippine Pickleball Federation" is finally approved by the SEC.
* November: The 2022 PPF Invitational Tournament is held in Makati.
* December: Many tournaments are held around the Philippines.

### 2023: 67 clubs, 3,696 players

* January: PPF Academy conducts numerous clinics. The Makati Pickleball Club inaugurates a new play venue.
* February: A Pre-Valentine tournament is held in Rosales, Pangasinan.
* March: Players from PPF clubs join the 2023 Asia Pickleball Open tournament in Phuket, Thailand and bring home 21 medals.
* April: The Philippines becomes a founding member of the "International Pickleball Action Committee" (IPAC). A spin off group of the UPTF, after England, France and Spain resigned over differences in provisions of the draft bylaws of the proposed, soon to be formed "Global Pickleball Federation" (GPF). IPAC continues to work toward unifying the sport globally, as unification talks between WPF and IFP (now renamed IPF) end in a stalemate. May: Team Pilipinas conducts a free pickleball clinic in Bonifacio Global City. Pickleball Ambassador and Philippine pickleball pioneer Jenny Marcos, of PPA hosts a pickleball tournament in Cebu.
* June: Toby's Sports holds street pickleball clinics in Bonifacio Global City. The 2023 Tahanan Village Sportsfest includes pickleball exhibition games.
* July: The 2023 PPF AGM is held. President Michael Johnson and Treasurer Armand Tantoco assume new roles as Chairman and President respectively.
* September: The PPF Board of Trustees hold a planning session to organize upcoming activities.
* October: The PPF President was invited to speak at the press launch of Ayala Malls "Picklemall".
* November: The fourth national invitational tournament was held at Tivoli Royale Country Club in Quezon City.
* December: The PPF Chairman was elected to the Newly formed Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and joined the Executive Committee as Treasurer.

### 2024: 182 clubs, 11,286 players

* January: Street Pickleball Ortigas has grown into a great venue for new and first time players, expanding to seven (7) courts it routinely hosts over 100 players every weekend.
* February: PPF Member clubs sent players to the 2024 Asia Pickleball Open in Phuket, Thailand. PPF kicked off its 2024 webinar series with a special training session for Tournament Directors with Mike Hoxie, President of "Pickleball is Great".
* March: PPF announces a National Tournament Circuit. PPFs "Street Pickleball Ortigas" program is highlighted in the March 2024 issue of "Pickleball Magazine".
* April: PPF celebrated its 6th anniversary with a "Flashback Party" and Street Pickleball weekend.
* May: The Philippine Olympic Committee accepted PPF as the newest member and formally recognized the federation as the National Sports Association for pickleball.
* June: PPF Chairman attended the first "World Pickleball Conference" in Las Vegas, Nevada.
* July: PPF Chairman along with leaders from a dozen Asian countries attended the founding meeting of the "Asia Pickleball Association" (APA) in Dubai Mall.
* August: Robinson's Malls is rolling out a nationwide program to include pickleball in all of their 52 malls.
* September: PPF becomes a recognized member of the Philippine Olympic Committee and certified as the National Sports Association (NSA) for Pickleball in the Philippines! September: Rappler magazine writes aboutPPF and the growing popularity of the sport in Philippine malls.
* October: The Asia Pickleball Business Alliance, "APBA", representing 15 provinces and 30 cities invites PPF players to join their "Asia PB Championship" club event in Jiangxi, Lushan, China.
* November: The 3-day Nova PPF Invitational Tournament was held at The Zone sports center in Makati. Attracting over 200 players from all over the country.
* December: PPF ended 2024 with an incredible 181 member clubs and 10,717 players.

### 2025

* January: PPF launches the countries first, pickleball calendar to help clubs coordinate events.
* February: PPF expands officiating program to 18 PPF Certified Referees and includes a compensation guideline, to help TDs and event organizers find, contact and properly compensate our new officials.
* March: The Philippine Pickleball Federation has grown to 211 registered member clubs and over 13,000 members.

## Activities

* Clinics and Tournaments: Hosting and sponsoring pickleball clinics and tournaments across the Philippines.
* Referee and Instructor Training: Conducting referee clinics and certifying instructors to improve the quality of play and officiating.
* Venue Development: Establishing new pickleball venues in cooperation with local clubs and organizations.
* Online Resources: Maintaining a website (www.pickleball.ph) with an interactive map, club directory, referee registry, coach registry, and Philippine pickleball calendar. Their Facebook group page has over 14,000 members.
* International Representation: Representing the Philippines in international pickleball federations and events.
* Grassroots Programs: Promoting the sport at the grassroots level through street pickleball and partnerships with schools and local communities.
* Donation Programs:Donating nets, paddles, and balls to schools and developing clubs to encourage participation.

## Leadership

* Mike Johnson: Founder and current chairman.
* Armand Tantoco: President.
* Red Dumuk: Secretary General.
* Coni Ibañez: Treasurer