GPF Opens Board Nominations as Federation Shifts to Member-Led Governance

The Global Pickleball Federation published an extended nomination pack and FAQ in early March 2026, setting a March 29 deadline for board candidates and scheduling a Special General Meeting for April 15 to elect ten At-Large Directors. The move marks a deliberate structural shift: "The Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) is moving into a new, member-led era."

The current GPF board holds fifteen seats total, five Continental Directors and ten At-Large Directors. Continental Directors are elected by their respective regions, while the ten At-Large seats will be filled by a vote of GPF Members at the April 15 Special General Meeting. The nomination FAQ also references a separate category of CF Directors, who are appointed rather than elected, though the federation's published materials do not define the abbreviation explicitly.

To enter the process, a nominee's application must be submitted by an executive from their respective National Federation on or before Sunday, March 29. The Nomination Committee requires a Board Nomination Form as part of the submission. The full list of required documents, detailed qualification criteria, and term lengths for elected Directors were not specified in the FAQ materials published to date.

Two figures from the Asian pickleball community are already identified on the GPF's leadership pages. Manish Rao of Mumbai, listed as Asia Federation Representative, has been involved in growing the sport since 2016. He serves as Chief Mentor of the Indian Pickleball Association, was part of the inaugural team that introduced pickleball to Nepal in 2020, and has competed and medaled in international tournaments. Professionally, Rao heads operations for Franklin India and runs his own security technology company.

Aditya Khanna of New Delhi holds the Asia Continental Director seat and carries the most significant organizational footprint of any Asian figure in the current GPF structure. Khanna is CEO of the Indian Pickleball Association and served as the first Secretary of the Asian Pickleball Association. He helped conceptualize and launch the Indian Pickleball League in December 2025. The GPF describes him as "the driving force of pickleball in India" and credits him with bringing together Asian member nations and building the sport's continental organizational framework.

Also listed on the GPF candidate pages are Javier Regalado and Chandler Carney, who holds an At-Large designation representing Chile. Neither has a detailed biography in the materials published so far.

The federation has flagged the official Board of Directors Nomination FAQ on its site as the authoritative reference for eligibility requirements, required forms, and submission procedures ahead of the March 29 cutoff. National Federation executives with candidates to put forward have just under three weeks to complete the process before the window closes.