Strategic Blueprint Mission
To promote the development and growth of pickleball across the whole of Ireland.
Vision
That people of all ages and abilities, in every community throughout Ireland, have access to the sport of pickleball.
Who We Are
Pickleball Ireland is the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, providing structure to the game, overseeing oAicial rules, supporting clubs, ensuring safeguarding, running nationally-sanctioned tournaments, managing a ranking system, and overseeing the nomination of participants for international selection. We are a member of the World Pickleball Federation and the European Pickleball Federation and part of the global undertaking to obtain International Olympic Committee recognition.
Recognition by Sport Ireland
One of our major goals is to gain recognition by Sport Ireland. This will allow Pickleball Ireland to receive funding from the state—leading to better facilities, improved structure, and increased access for people of all ages and abilities. Sport Ireland requires a 3-year audit trail of a multitude of undertakings before an application is submitted; Pickleball Ireland is actively expanding its structure and activities in line with this and aims to apply for Sport Ireland recognition in 2027.
Sanctioned Events
Pickleball Ireland will be organising a number of sanctioned tournaments to include The Irish Open, Irish Nationals, Irish Masters, Irish Seniors and four provincial championships— the Connacht Open, the Leinster Open, the Munster Open, and the Ulster Open. It is also planned to commence a sanctioned National League Club Competition for all levels of play in addition to an Open tournament specifically focused at beginner and lower intermediate standard of play.
Recreational Events
Pickleball Ireland encourages the growth of pickleball throughout Ireland and wholeheartedly supports clubs as they organise festivals, mixer tournaments and other social and competitive events. Pickleball Ireland kindly requests that all organisers abstain from naming events in a similar fashion to the sanctioned events as listed above.
Development Goals
Our focus is on the development of pickleball in communities around Ireland with our primary goal to have more around the country taking up the sport. We are working to have a strong relationships with schools, colleges and universities, create an all-Ireland league structure for all, develop a ranking system, develop a registry of internationally recognised coaches, and expand the cohort of accredited Irish referees.
Membership
Our goal is to have pickleball clubs register with Pickleball Ireland and then have each club register their players. Once clubs register their players, they will be members of Pickleball Ireland and can sign up for sanctioned tournaments, coaching courses, referee training, and more Pickleball Ireland activities.
Coaching & Refereeing
Pickleball Ireland will continue to help individuals gain international certification in coaching and refereeing by organising courses for members to enroll in.
Communication
We welcome collaboration and communication with all pickleball players in Ireland and beyond. We will share regular updates on our website and social media in regards to rule changes, upcoming events, courses, and more. If you have any ideas for how to grow and support pickleball in Ireland, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Funding and Sponsorship
Funding is key to our success as it allows us to support the growth of pickleball across the 32 counties. Membership, sanctioned tournaments, and sponsorship are all funding sources that help us further our mission. We are grateful for all of our supporters and look forward to expanding partnerships and building new relationships with like-minded individuals, businesses and organisations in the future.