The United Pickleball Association of America (UPA-A) announces they've solidified their UPA Certification Program in partnership with the third party and independent equipment testing organization Pickle Pro Labs (PPL).
The certification will also involve input from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, known for its work with Major League Baseball on bat and ball testing.
"This partnership aims to create the most advanced and rigorous testing program in pickleball," a UPA press release says.
Interim Certification
Leading up to the program's formal launch later in 2024, UPA-A says they will use a short-term certification process based on Paddle Face Deflection and RPM measurements.
Their release says more details about 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," their release says.
Once the full UPA certification is established, it will be mandatory for all paddles used in United Pickleball Association (UPA) professional events (MLP, PPA, & other UPA-branded events) to pass the program.
Independent Brands Added to Advisory Board
The UPA's website previously announced an Equipment Manufacturer Advisory Board consisting of the following brands:
- Franklin
- Gearbox
- Joola
- Onix
- United Pickleball Paddles (Paddletek/ProXR)
- Selkirk
- Vulcan
Note, all of these brands qualify as relatively large, profitable paddle manufacturers, leading some within the pickleball community to wonder if smaller, independent brands could keep up with UPA-A's impending certifications process.
But according to the announcement, representatives from independent brands have been added to the board to "provide a wider range of views" pertaining to UPA's operations.
The UPA-A Equipment Manufacturer Advisory Board will now include reps from these brands:
- Volair
- ACE
- Six Zero
In fairness to both UPA-A and USAP, we have reached out to both parties for further information. We'll update you with that as soon as possible.
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