Activity Report – PTPICKLE

The success of an association is measured by the courage to set ambitious goals and the discipline to turn them into tangible results. Over these five months, we focused on what matters most: credibility, education, competition, and community, delivering concrete results and a clear plan to scale.

Summary

Establishment and operational foundations: Founded on March 27, 2025; website ptpickle.org launched and under continuous improvement, with very positive feedback. On June 10, 2025, the Pickleball Club of Leiria hosted the Pickleball Festival, an initiative by PTPICKLE that marked the public launch of the Association and celebrated the sport’s growth in Portugal, attracting hundreds of participants and visitors.

Membership and affiliations: Membership levels remain below expectations, requiring stronger value propositions and broader geographic presence.

Sports protection: Sports insurance contracted with Fidelidade, covering training sessions, camps, PTPICKLE-sanctioned competitions, and related travel.

International recognition: PTPICKLE accepted as the 66th global member and 11th European member of the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF).

Education and training: Engagement with the School Sports Program; proposal for an accredited training initiative for teachers in 2025/26 across four regions; coordination with GPF for coach and referee certification; partnership under finalization with the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria to integrate Pickleball into the Sports and Wellness degree (Racket Sports module) starting in 2025/2026, with technical and institutional support from PTPICKLE.

National education policy: Participation in the review of the Ministry of Education’s Essential Learning outcomes for Physical Education to formally include Pickleball in secondary school curricula.

Competition: Launch of the Portugal Pickleball Tour (PPT) in partnership with PEAK; PTPICKLE assumes leadership of the national circuit from 2025/26, featuring 6 main stages and additional club tournaments, culminating in the National Championship in June 2026.

• TOURNAMENT 1 – September 27–28, 2025 – LEIRIA – Pickleball Club of Leiria

• TOURNAMENT 2 – November 15–16, 2025 – LISBON – CIF

• TOURNAMENTS 3, 4, and 5 – To be announced (2026) – North, Center, and South

• National Championship – June 27–28, 2026 (To be announced)

Talent and national team: Preparing training camps to take solid steps toward building a strong National Team for the 2025/2026 season.

This set of initiatives reflects PTPICKLE’s commitment to the structured, inclusive, and dynamic growth of Pickleball in Portugal, reinforcing its mission as the sport’s promoting, regulatory, and training authority.

Pickleball is more than just a sport – it is a passion, a community, and an opportunity to unite people of all ages. With the involvement of schools, clubs, and society at large, we believe in the potential of this sport to become a major reference in the Portuguese sports landscape.

We count on your support to make this vision a reality and take Portuguese Pickleball to new heights.