"This change underscores the association’s core mission: to ensure pickleball remains fair, fun, and competitive for all participants."

With the paddle craziness of PPA Cincinnati just out of the rearview mirror, the UPA-A has announced changes to its paddle certification pricing structure.

The changes, effective starting in 2026, aim to make the process "more accessible and encourage broader brand participation."

Full UPA-A certification went into effective September 1, 2025. As of this writing, 91 models from 22 brands were represented.

Dissecting All the Paddle Drama at PPA Cincinnati

Many top pros are left wondering whether they can play their own paddles. It all comes down to the UPA-A’s new certification standards, and how paddle brands chose to play the game.

The Dink PickleballAlex E. Weaver

Going forward, the annual fee will be cut in half, according to a UPA-A blog post:

• Annual Fee: Reduced from $20,000 (2025) to $10,000
• Per Paddle Certification: $3,000 (standard 8 week turnaround)
• Expedited Service (4 weeks): $2,500 additional
• Super Expedited Service (2 weeks): $7,500 additional
• Retest after failure: $2,000

"For years, pickleball paddle certification relied on outdated and inconsistent testing methods that failed to keep pace with the rapid evolution of paddle technology," UPA-A said in the post.

"Recognizing this gap at the professional level of play both at PPA and MLP, UPA-A was established... to build the world’s most advanced pickleball paddle testing facility."

A Transition to Non-Profit Status

The blog post also, albeit briefly, addressed another hot-button topic pertaining to the UPA-A: its status as a for-profit entity.

"As part of its continued evolution, UPA-A is in the transition phase, going from an LLC under the broader UPA umbrella into a fully independent 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization," it said.

"This change, which will be completed shortly, underscores the association’s core mission: to ensure pickleball remains fair, fun, and competitive for all participants, while reinvesting in the growth of the game."

In March, six industry leaders, including UPA-A President Jason Aspes, convened at RacquetX in Miami for a discussion around the sport's approach to equipment standards and paddle regulation.

Other panelists included:

• Tom Barnes - Co-Owner & Director of R&D and LABS - Selkirk Sport
• Nick Bicanic - CEO - Reload Pickleball
• Rafael Filippini - Founder & CEO - Gearbox Sports
• Gordon Kaye - Chief Experience Officer - JOOLA
• Carl Schmits - Chief Technology Officer & Director of Manufacturing and Paddle Testing - USA Pickleball

One Sport, Two Standards: The Battle for Control of Pickleball

Six industry leaders convened at RacquetX in Miami for a discussion around the current fragmented state of regulation in the sport.

The Dink PickleballErik Tice

During the panel, the topic of the UPA-A's non-profit status came up, and was addressed by Aspes directly.

"I think that it's important that we are independent. I feel very good about the way we act internally," he said.

"I recognize that we need to move towards an independence and being a non-profit, and I think that will bring a lot of confidence in the system. We are happy to move towards that. We said that we would do that this year, and we are actively taking steps to do so."

You can view the UPA-A Approved Paddles list here; registration for paddle brands can be found here.