The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) was established in 2010 by the United States of America Pickleball (USAP). This non-profit organization aims to support the sport by increasing its popularity, maintaining its official rules and working towards the goal of making Pickleball an Olympic sport.
The IFP is a Federation of National Associations. As of April 2022, it has 63 National organizations. These organizations are categorised as Associate, Affiliate or Provisional. Each member nation must be a part of a continental federation. Thus, the IFP also has five continent federations: Asia Pickleball Federation, North American Pickleball Federation, South American Pickleball Federation, European Pickleball Federation and Oceanic Pickleball Federation.
The IFP does not impose any restriction on its member nations and gives them full autonomy in their functioning. However, should a member nation hamper the growth of the sport or degrade it, then the IFP intervenes.
Headquartered in Goodyear, Arizona (USA), The IFP’s Board of Directors are chosen from full-member nations. These directors serve for a term of two-years. As of 2023, the IFP has seven board of directors. It is Presided by India’s Sunil Valvalkar and has Carl Burnett as its Vice President. The roles of the remaining four directors include treasury, secretary, legal counsel and two “at large” members. The number of “At large” members cannot exceed the count of six at any given time.
The IFP also organises a competition called the Bainbridge Cup. It is named after the island where Pickleball was founded. The Bainbridge Cup is a team event, where two teams of two different geographical regions face each other. The players face each other in fixtures that have singles, doubles and mixed doubles matches pertaining to the age and skill level of the players.
Today, the IFP is one of the two governing bodies of Pickleball globally. The other governing body is World Pickleball Federation, about which we shall cover in a separate article.
