Our Glorious History
The Philippine Pickleball Federatiowww.facebook.com/groups/philippinepickleballfederationn is grateful to the many personalities who have helped us establish pickleball in the Philippines. Below is a brief look at our history including some of our activities, events and milestones. Sadly much of our older historical information has been deleted by Facebook censorship robots, but you can still review our more recent history here at https://www.facebook.com/groups/ppf.
If you wanna learn more about the origins of the sport... check out this fantastic video waking through the sport from it's very beginning back in 1965 to the fastest growing sport in the world. Posted on June 30, 2022 by Eric Johnson of KOMO News in Seattle, Washington, USA. (Credits: Doug Pigsley, camerman; Darrin Tegman, editor; and Joan Kinsey, producer) History of Pickleball
2016
In 2016 there were no Pickleball clubs in the Philippines
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February
The first known pickleball clinic was held in Cebu by Sara Ash, professional pickleball player from Team Onix. Sara introduced pickleball to the PPF founders in February 2016 providing the first portable net, paddles and balls. |
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2017
One (1) Pickleball Club
June
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2018
One (1) Pickleball Club
February
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April
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October
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2019
Four (4) Pickleball Clubs
January
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March
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April
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April
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April
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May
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July
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July
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July
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August
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August
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September
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September
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September
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October
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November
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November
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November
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November
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December
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PPF hosted our first Christmas party with representatives from all known Philippine pickleball clubs.
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2020
Seven (7) Pickleball Clubs
January
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January
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February
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March
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March
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March
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May
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July
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July
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December
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2021
Thirteen (13) Pickleball Clubs
January
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February
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February
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February
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March
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March
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April
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April
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May
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June
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July
Fourteen new IFP Certified Pickleball Instructors are trained and certified. PPF adds a Certified Instructor Directory to the website, so players can easily find and connect with qualified trainers. |
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August
PPF is invited by the US Embassy to participate in a five week "Summer Sportsfest" held at the US Embassy Seafront Compound in Manila. Over 50 US Embassy personnel and their family members learned how to play pickleball and participated in a series of games and drills led by IFP Certified pickleball instructors. |
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August
In August we began shipping PPF pickleball starter kits to select Philippine play groups, to help them get started and grow the sport domestically. Kits include 24 balls and 10 paddles, and will soon include a portable net system. The PPF also produced our first IFP branded composite pickleball paddles in both PP+fiberglass and PP+carbon fibre configurations for worldwide distribution under the newly created IFP equipment grant program. |
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September
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October
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November
Our President visits the Moalboal Pickleball Association (L) in Moalboal, Cebu and the Santander Pickleball Club (R) in Sanboan (south), Cebu, to play with and support new new clubs forming in central Visayas. The 1st annual RUSAC Pickleball Tournament is held at the RBE Covered Court in Rosales, Pangasinan. The event is organized by Bro. Costy and the United Stars Athletic Club. |
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December
As pickleball continues to grow, so does our list of visiting players hosting clinics and tournaments. This month Ken Cuaderno visits from Nashville, Tennessee to host clinics in Asingan, Rosales and Lagro, QC. Up in Asingan, Pangasinan the first inter-barangay, inter-agency MAYORS CUP Pickleball Tournament kicked off with over a hundred players joining the opening ceremony hosted by Mayor Lopez and attended by a number of PPF Directors and supporters. |
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2022
Fourty-Three (43) Pickleball Clubs
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January
The new year brought back street pickleball, as Pasig City reinstated Carless Weekends after 18 months due to strict covid-19 social distancing restrictions. Although the Federation now has thousands of players nationwide, street pickleball remains a favorite amongst many in Metro Manila, as we still lack play venues. |
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February
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March
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April
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May
In May the newly formed "Unify Pickleball Task Force" held its first meeting in an effort to bring the IFP and WPF together to form a single, unified governing body. Pickleball magazine publishes an article about our efforts to unify the sport into a single governing body and put an end to years of wrangling between the two international governing bodies. UPTF founding members include Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain and the United States of America. |
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June
In June World Pickleball Ambassador Rodel Chiu organizes the 2022 "Philippine Pickleball Tour" and travels around the country to host clinics and playdates in a number of cities from Baguio in the north to Cebu in the South. A number of Phil-Am players visit in June to host demos and clinics in central Philippines in what was billed "Pickleball Fever". Including Shanna Upperman (host of FB page Pickleball Philippines), John Babon, Ken Cuaderno and Dalta DuMond among others. |
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July
Certified Referee Gigi Maceda holds a special webinar to teach the basics of pickleball officiating. PPF President Mike Johnson visits Gigi in Palm Deseret, California during the last leg of his 10 city, 2022 USA tour. The PPF revises its constitution in July to include provisions for mediation and arbitration as required by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee. In 2021 we applied for membership to the Philippine Olympic Committee and hope to receive approval of our application to be the National Sports Association (NSA) for the sport of pickleball within the next few months. (fingers crossed) |
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August
In August PPF is invited by Palawan State University to join a sports clinic for PE teachers and coaches who will be introducing pickleball into their various sports programs at a dozen universities. Stella Lavy and Mae Brown conduct a webinar to teach skill definitions to help new Filipino players assess themselves as they begin to compete in tournaments and participate in competitive play. |
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September
PPF launches a Club Logo contest in September to encourage pickleball clubs to create their own logos and join our nationwide Club Directory. PPF receives daily inquiries from visiting players asking where to play, so the online directory and forthcoming website upgrade will make it easier for visitors to find and connect with local organizations and schedule play during their local travels. |
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October
It's official.. after more than two years our legal name change from the "Philippine Pickleball Sports Association" to "Philippine Pickleball Federation" is finally approved by the SEC. Our membership has now grown to over 40 clubs nationwide. We began planning our first post-covid tournament, the "2022 PPF Invitational" with over 150 players representing 22 clubs. |
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November
The 2022 PPF Invitational Tournament was held in "The Zone Sports Center" in Makati on 6 beautiful indoor courts... now the new home of the PPF. Over 160 players from 23 clubs competed for medals, cash and bragging rights. The PPF wishes to thanks all organizers, sponsors, the media and press for their great work in organizing and promoting this great event. |
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December
December was a very busy month for pickleball including the Bainbridge Cup in Mumbai, India; the LGU Inter Agency tournament in Asingan; the Rosales Invitational tournament in Rolsales; the Tayug Year-End tournament in Tayug, the Pickleball Marathon tournament in Moalboal, Cebu and countless others all around the archipelago. We end 2023 with a bang and are excited to move past the pandemic to see our sport flourishing again. Thanks to everyone for supporting our Philippine Pickleball Federation! |
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2023
Sixty One (61) Pickleball Clubs
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January
PPF Academy continues its busy schedule of clinics and training activities, including this one with the UAP Las Piñas chapter of Maharlika, in collaboration with the Philippine Architects Pickleball Association (PAPA) and the UAP Manila Maharlika. On January 12, the Makati Pickleball Club inaugurated a new play venue at the Poblacion Covered court in Makati City, adding yet another play venue to our growing list of NCR courts. |
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February
A Pre-Valentine tournament was held in Rosales, Pangasinan with over 100 players joining from Rosales and Asingan, Pangasinan, as well as players from a number of NCR clubs and foreign visitors. |
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March
Some 22 players from 7 different PPF clubs joined the 2023 Asia Pickleball Open tournament in Phuket, Thailand. Many fantastic matches were played and the Philippine Team brought home a total of 21 medals, 7 Gold, 7 Silver and 7 Bronze. |
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April
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May
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June
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July
The 2023 PPF AGM was held at Emerald Mansion in Pasig on July 8th. President Michael Johnson and Treasurer Armand Tantoco assumed new roles with their election as Chairman and President. Elected with them to serve as members of the Board of Trustees were Giselle Cabrera, Gigi Maceda, Jeffrey Kho, Edgardo Mendoza, Federico Costales, Raffy Malanyaon and Jonathan Jover. The incoming Treasurer is Coni Ibańez and newly elected Secretary General Red Dumuk. |
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September
Members of the PPF Board of Trustees held planning session to organize upcoming activities and begin work on the 2024 PPF schedule. Hosted by Raffy Malanyaon of FCIE, the PPF Invitational Tournament and a series of Referee Clinics were confirmed for 2023, and initial work began on the 2024 schedule of activities to include a new national tournament series. |
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October
On October 6, PPF was invited to speak at the press launch of Ayala Malls "Picklemall", program to include pickleball clinics and open play at a number of Ayala malls. The event was attended by Mr. Jamie Zobel de Ayala and family along with PPF President, Armand Tantoco, Secretery General, Red Dumuk and Trustee Giselle Cabrera. . |
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November
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December
In December our Chairman was elected to the Newly formed Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and joined the Executive Committee as Treasurer. PPF was one of the first members of the newly formed GPF, and the first country in the world, to qualify for class-A membership with full voting rights! |
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2024
Seventy Nine (79) Pickleball Clubs
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January
Street Pickleball has grown into a great venue for new and first time players. Every weekend over 100 newbees come out to play and develop their skills on five freshly chalked street courts in Pasig. Income from this program, allows us to donate nets, paddles and balls to schools and developing clubs around the country. This month we shipped to CFCST in Cotabato. |
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February
A number of PPF Member clubs sent players to the 2024 Asia Pickleball Open in Phuket, Thailand from February 13-19. For detailed results, please visit our FB page. |
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February
PPF kicked off its 2024 webinar series with a special training session with Mike Hoxie, of "Pickleball is Great". Mike's team conducted over 90 tournaments in 2023 and shared their wealth of knowledge and experience, and many useful tips and tricks during the 2-hour live, Tournament Director webinar. |
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March
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April
PPF celebrated its 6th anniversary with a "Flashback Party" and Street Pickleball weekend. Over 60 pickleball pioneers, VIPS, volunteers and Ambassadors joined the fun with games, awards, prizes, and photos and fond memories. Following the party, attendees went down to the street where it all began back on April 27, 2018. |
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May
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June
PPF founder Mike Johnson attended the first "World Pickleball Conference" in Las Vegas, Nevada and met with leaders from around the globe, to discuss the state of the game and plot a course for the future. Mike also serves as Treasurer and a founding member of the Global Pickleball Federation, and is working with a dedicated team to unify the sport globally. |
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July
PPF founder and GPF Treasurer, Mike Johnson along with leaders from a dozen Asian countries attended the founding meeting of the Asia Pickleball Association in Dubai Mall on July 22, 2024. The following day, key leaders, pros and pickleballers from around the world attended the launch of the 2024 PWR World Tour which will offer millions of dollars in prize money. |
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August
Robinson's Malls is rolling out a nationwide program to include pickleball in all of their malls. Recent additional include Butuan and General Santos. PPF added eight (8) new clubs in August and over fifty (50) in 2024 making this our fastest growing period in history! Multiple tournaments are held every week, in dozens of new venues! |
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September
PPF becomes a recognized member of the Philippine Olympic Committee and certified as the National Sports Association (NSA) for Pickleball in the Philippines! In the same month, PPF follows the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) and USA Pickleball (USAP) to formally adopt "Pickleheads" as the official Philippine court finder. Now players can easily find play, setup round robins, and connect with others around the world. |
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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. |
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NOVAember
The 3-day Nova PPF Invitational Tournament was held at The Zone sports center in Makati. Now in our fifth year, this popular event drew dozens of pros and hundreds of amateurs from all over the country, playing for pride, medals, give aways and dozens of cash prizes. |
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December
PPF ended 2024 with an incredible 181 member clubs and 10,717 players. While the sport continues to expand globally, Philippine pickleball is absolutely on fire as the sport now reaches every corner of the country. |
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2025
One Hundred and Eighty One (181) Pickleball Clubs
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January
PPF launched the Philippines first pickleball calendar, providing TDs and event organizers with a single repository from which to schedule and promote activities. "The calendar" promises to eliminate schedule clash, simplify event coordination and make it easier for players to find and participate in upcoming events. |
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Stay tuned for some exciting events in 2025!
Join our Facebook Group for daily updates.