The United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A) is proud to announce the establishment of the UPA Certification Program in partnership with the third party and independent equipment testing organization Pickle Pro Labs (PPL). UPA-A is dedicated to elevating the standards of testing, regulating, certifying, and monitoring the compliance of paddles to ensure a fair and competitive playing field, while maintaining the integrity of the sport of pickleball.
PPL will collaborate with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, renowned for its work with Major League Baseball on bat and ball testing, to further standardize the regulatory criteria and implement the testing process for the professional game across the United Pickleball Association (UPA), which oversees the Professional Pickleball Association (Carvana PPA Tour) and Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville).
This partnership aims to create the most advanced and rigorous testing program in pickleball. Leveraging the expertise at the UMass Lowell, PPL is set to revolutionize pickleball equipment standards, ensuring that all UPA certified pickleball paddles meet the highest benchmarks of performance and quality.
“The United Pickleball Association of America is committed to upholding the integrity of the game and ensuring pickleball’s continued growth” said Jason Aspes, President of UPA-A. “The collaboration with PPL and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, an institution that has set the gold standard in sports equipment testing, signifies our commitment to excellence and innovation. This partnership will ensure our testing and certification program is unmatched in the industry.”
The University of Massachusetts Lowell brings a wealth of experience to the table, having worked closely with Major League Baseball to enhance the quality of its equipment. This expertise will now be applied to pickleball, providing players and manufacturers with the confidence that certified equipment is of the highest quality and consistency.
Patrick Drane, Assistant Director of Baseball Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration. “We are excited to partner with Pickle Pro Labs and the United Pickleball Association of America to bring our expertise in sports engineering to pickleball as the sport surges in popularity and whose equipment now faces the technical challenges of greater regulation. Together with Pickle Pro Labs, our goal is to ensure that every piece of equipment bearing the UPA certification is tested to the highest standards.”
UPA-A will offer an interim certification program to provide expedited, short-term certification based on Paddle Face Deflection and RPM measurements until the full certification program launches later in 2024. Details of the Interim Certification testing will be made available in the next 30 days. All paddles certified by UPA-A will be subject to an ongoing compliance program to ensure that the paddles submitted for certification match the paddles made available to consumers.
The launch of UPA-A’s interim certification and the collaboration with University of Massachusetts Lowell represents a significant milestone for pickleball. It underscores the UPA-A’s commitment to building trust with players and manufacturers alike, advancing the sport through superior equipment standards and a transparent and reliable certification process. Once UPA certification is established, it will be mandatory for all paddles used in United Pickleball Association (UPA) professional events to have the UPA-A certification.
Additionally, to provide a wider range of views, UPA-A will be adding representatives from independent paddle brands Volair, ACE and Six Zero to the Equipment Manufacturer Advisory Board.
The UPA-A will continue to be thoughtful and collaborative in determining the best ways to serve both professional and amateur players.
The UPA of America (UPA-A) has been formed to be the governing body, working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure the integrity of pickleball, while still being able to innovate with the quickly evolving sport. With a multitude of voices in the industry, UPA-A is dedicated to moving forward in a way that not only listens to, but also takes action based on the feedback of the sport’s most passionate advocates.
More information and details about the United Pickleball Association and UPA-A’s new testing, licensing, and certification program, including test protocol documentation, will be posted as they are available on unitedpickleball.com.
