USAP vs UPA-A: Pickleball Organizations Explained

USAP, UPA, PPA, MLP, APP—pickleball acronyms are like alphabet soup, and trying to keep them straight is basically a sport of its own. Even seasoned players find themselves squinting at headlines, wondering, “Wait, who’s mad at who now?”

And honestly, it’s not just you. The last few years have been a whirlwind for pickleball, with organizations squabbling, paddle certifications in limbo, and more drama than you’d expect from a sport involving plastic balls with holes in them.

So, let’s untangle this mess. Here’s a breakdown of these organizations and what they’re actually doing in the world of pickleball (or, in some cases, what they’re not doing).

The Two Governing Bodies in the United States: USAP and UPA-A

First things first, there’s technically no official pickleball governing body in the United States. Neither the International Olympic Committee nor any other international sports oversight organization recognizes the USAP or UPA-A as the definitive authority.

Pickleball’s history is littered with governing bodies that have come and gone, but the USA Pickleball Association (USAP) is the one that stuck around. Back in 1984, it published the first official rulebook, effectively crowning itself as the sport’s leading authority—and for better or worse, it’s held onto that role ever since.

USA Pickleball Association (USAP)

Founded in 1984 as the United States Amateur Pickleball Association (USAPA), its primary goal is to serve as the “National Governing Body” for pickleball in the U.S. by publishing the official rules of competitive play and certifying balls, paddles, and other equipment. In 2005, it reorganized as the USA Pickleball Association, then rebranded as USA Pickleball (USAP) in 2020.

Quick facts:

• A nonprofit 501(c)(3) governed by a board of directors and professional staff
• Certifies paddles, balls, and other equipment for tournaments, testing for power, spin, and acoustics
• Developed the PBCoR (Pickleball Coefficient of Restitution), a paddle-testing metric created with Element U.S. Space & Defense
• The USAP rulebook is used for most professional and amateur pickleball tournaments. The MLP is the major exception.
• USAP promotes pickleball on the youth and grassroots level
• One of the biggest criticisms of USAP is its slow approval process for paddles and lack of transparency around paddle testing. This frustration led to the formation of UPA-A. The UPA felt that the USAP failed to provide adequate support for UPA-sanctioned events.

United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A)

In 2023, the PPA and MLP, the two largest pro pickleball tournaments, merged under the United Pickleball Association (UPA). In May 2024, UPA launched UPA-A, their own governing body, directly challenging USAP's authority.

Professional Pickleball Association (PPA): runs the most prestigious pickleball event, the PPA Tour, which features the top pickleball players, including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters. They follow the USAP rulebook (with a few exceptions) and include competitive singles and doubles similar to tennis circuits like the ATP and WTA.

Major League Pickleball (MLP): team-based format tournaments, focused on entertainment value. They use rally scoring, with games being 21 points. In the event of a tie, teams compete in a singles-based Dreambreaker round where each team rotates through its players for singles points. 

UPA-A quick facts:

• For-profit organization focused on pro and amateur-level eventssome text
  • Equipment Manufacturer Advisory Board: Franklin, Gearbox, JOOLA, Onix, Paddletek, Selkirk, Vulcan, and Brian Levine - a current Board member of the UPA
  • Equipment Player Advisory Board: Ben Johns, Julie Johnson, Brian Levine, Altaf Merchant, Catherine Parenteau, Leigh Waters, Thomas Wilson
• They are set to launch the UPA International Championship series in 2025, hosting professional and amateur events in Australia, India, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
• Their Interim Certification Program uses deflection testing and is more lenient than USAP certification. 
• Partners with PPA and MLP, bringing investors and sponsors including Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Naomi Osaka, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Tom Brady
• UPA-A’s profit-driven approach draws sharp criticism, contrasting USAP’s nonprofit structure. Many also question potential conflicts of interest, with key pickleball brands and players involved in UPA-A’s decision-making.

USAP vs. UPA-A approved paddles: What you need to know right now

Paddle certifications matter but not for most recreational players who play with Herb and Doreen at the local park every Sunday afternoon. However, USAP or UPA-A-approved paddles are required for amateur tournaments and some open plays. Certified paddles maintain a level playing field by capping power, pop, and spin. 

Local tournament requirements can vary, so it’s worth checking your facility’s rules before investing in a new paddle. Most locally-sanctioned tournaments accept paddles approved by either governing body. That said, if you want to play it safe, stick with a USAP-approved paddle for now. Things are evolving, so keep an eye on updates.

For example, the Dink Minor League Pickleball (MiLP) and DUPR events accept both USAP and UPA-A-certified paddles. You can check which paddles are certified on USAP’s database here. Alternatively, look for the USA Pickleball Approved stamp on the paddle. 

Where paddle certifications stands as of 2024

The United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A) has announced the creation of its UPA Certification Program, developed in collaboration with Pickle Pro Labs (PPL), an independent equipment testing organization. The program will also involve the University of Massachusetts Lowell, known for its experience with Major League Baseball equipment testing, to help establish standardized criteria and implement a rigorous testing process for pickleball paddles used in professional events.

The initiative aims to introduce a comprehensive and advanced paddle testing system to evaluate performance and quality. The UPA-A will begin with an Interim Certification Program focused on Paddle Face Deflection and RPM measurements, while the full certification program is expected to launch later in 2024. UPA-certified paddles will be required for professional events and subject to ongoing compliance checks to ensure consistency between tested and consumer-available products.

In short, UPA-A will introduce its certification program in 2025, starting with paddle testing and approvals for the professional level. For now, nothing changes for amateur players—USAP-approved paddles will still be accepted. However, starting next year, only UPA-A-certified paddles will be permitted in PPA and MLP tournaments.

A fight for legitimacy: why organizations are chasing the Olympics

Pickleball organizations are pushing for International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition to introduce the sport in the Olympics. Already featured at the 2022 Maccabiah Games and 2023 African Games, pickleball could make another appearance at the 2027 African Games.

IOC recognition solidifies a sport’s legitimacy with consistent rules, oversight, and government and private sponsors' funding opportunities. It also opens a pathway to the Olympics, a top honor that can fuel grassroots growth worldwide.

The Olympic Charter nominates one governing body to represent and regulate the sport globally. In addition to the two American organizations, the World Pickleball Federation, International Federation of Pickleball, and Global Pickleball Federation are all vying to take the lead.

Why the split? A brief history

The beef between the two organizations isn’t new. The PPA tour’s first act of ‘rebellion’ was changing serve rules. USAP allowed one-handed spin serves (see: Zane Navratil’s Chainsaw serve), which were banned by PPA tournaments. These distinctions marked the PPA's intent to make their own rules to advance the game in their own way. Read the full coverage on the Dink.

With an influx of new paddle companies and players entering the market, USAP didn’t do its best to keep up with paddle testing, especially on-site testing at PPA tournaments. The Pickle Pro Labs (PPL) was founded as an independent entity to oversee paddle testing for the PPA Tour and MLP, which are now under UPA. With their own rulebook and paddle testing methods, UPA’s separation from USA Pickleball was inevitable.

UPA-A’s awkward timing

While the founding of the UPA-A had been anticipated for a while now, the timing feels very strategic.

First, came the conflicts over exclusive player contracts (MLP vs. PPA)

In 2023, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and Major League Pickleball (MLP) competed to secure top players, each using distinct strategies. What started as merger talks quickly spiraled into tense, even hostile, negotiations.

The PPA began signing players to exclusive contracts, ensuring they would only participate in PPA events. This exclusivity created friction within the industry, as MLP also wanted top players but aimed for a more open, team-based competition format. The conflict resulted in a “tug-of-war” for talent. After lengthy contract negotiations, the formation of the players' union, and plenty of hilarious pickleball memes along the way, the merger officially closed in February 2024.

JOOLA gets delisted by USAP

On the other side of pickleball, JOOLA faced delisting by the USA Pickleball Association (USAP) for one of their most highly anticipated paddles – ever. 

The Pickleball Studio does an excellent job rounding up what happened.

The decision reportedly arose from disputes over USAP’s certification standards, but in reality, it was a lot of finger-pointing. JOOLA claims they informed USAP about mistakenly sending the wrong paddles for testing, while USAP contends they detected the error independently and reached out to JOOLA to address it. 

Once consumers discovered that Gen 3 paddles were delisted, Joola issued full refunds to everyone who purchased them. The move led to a legal dispute between JOOLA and USAP, raising a lot of eyebrows for consumers and highlighting how equipment standards can influence market share and brand reputation in pickleball.

Gen 3 paddles came “broken”

Months later, reviewers like Pickleball Studio and John Kew revealed that the new wave of “Generation 3” paddles, including the Vatic Oni, were built to be core-crushed within a certain break-in period. That means paddles were being shipped out partially broken as a feature, rather than a bug. That’s with manufacturers knowing that core-crushed paddles are unpredictably more powerful and were out of USAP’s specifications after a few hours of play. 

Then UPA-A emerged as a new governing body

On the tail end of USAP’s heavy criticism, the United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A) took the opportunity to announce itself as a new governing body. UPA-A, combining PPA and MLP, quickly gained momentum and introduced competition to USAP’s long-standing authority in pickleball, driving a bigger wedge in pickleball governance.

USAP’s response and partnerships

In response to the launch of UPA-A, USAP quickly formed new partnerships with the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) and United Tennis Ratings (UTR). This move underscored USAP’s commitment to a nonprofit, community-focused mission to grow the sport through grassroots efforts across America (and yes – they heavily implied UPA was a pure money grab).

Selkirk’s Scathing Theses

Selkirk then took this opportunity to write a blistering 4-page letter criticizing the lack of transparency around the UPA’s testing methodology, strongly implying an apparent conflict of interest benefiting certain manufacturers on the advisory board. 

This is what they said:

1. The continued and unaddressed incompetence and unprofessionalism of the PPL, and the unwillingness to bring in engineers instead of suit salesmen friends to oversee testing. 

2. The uncouth and biased way of collaborating with a single manufacturer behind closed doors to push through an interim certification because “they were in a tight spot with USAP and needed help getting their paddles approved." And the overall structure and direction of UPA-A that has the potential to create anti-competitive and anti-consumer behaviors and outcomes.

 3. The unthoughtful interim certification which was not sent out for feedback from manufacturers before being implemented and has the potential to allow harmful paddles that are Gen 3 paddles on steroids. 

The Future of Pickleball Governance

In a perfect world, USAP and UPA-A would be like Apple and Samsung—locked in a fierce rivalry that pushes each to innovate, ultimately making the sport better for everyone. Or, you know, they could just be one well-oiled nonprofit, but that feels about as likely as pickleball replacing soccer at the next World Cup.

Would USAP have rolled out PBCoR testing this quickly without UPA-A breathing down their necks? Who knows. But it’s a step in the right direction: science-backed, research-based testing that helps legitimize and advance the sport. 

At the end of the day, what really matters is that players, consumers, and the community are supported and protected by the organizations shaping pickleball’s future. The sport’s growth has been insane, and while these growing pains might sting, they’re just part of the process of building something that lasts.