Philippines Launches National Pickleball Rankings, Registry Ahead of Inaugural Nationals

The Philippine Pickleball Federation (PPF), officially recognised by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee, has announced a unified national framework designed to create a clear development pathway for players and formalise competitive standards across the country. The twin pillars of that framework, a national participant registry and an official ranking system, are now active, with the inaugural Skechers Pickleball 1st Philippine Pickleball Amateur Nationals set to test them this week at Tela Park Pickleball Center in Las Piñas City.

At the heart of the initiative is the Philippine Pickleball Participant (PPP) Registry, a national database for players, coaches, and officials. Players access it through registry.pickleball.ph, a platform that collects personal information and a player's Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR). "This will provide a unified identification system for all players and allow us to properly track participation, match history, and rankings for players in the Philippines," said PPF President Shery Anne Cu.

The system operates on a 12-month rolling mechanism that updates players' national points and rankings. The federation is rolling out the country's first official national rankings and leaderboard system, aimed at providing players with "a credible pathway" while ensuring consistency across tournaments, with ranking points earned exclusively through sanctioned tournaments and recognised international competitions. The Official National Ranking System was implemented on January 1, 2026.

Registered players gain immediate competitive standing: the PPF has built this national ranking system to identify the country's best and form the backbone of future international squads. Players who enrol receive a unique national player ID, and registration requires a DUPR, the global metric that tracks match results, points won, and opponent strength. Cu said it allows the PPF to track players across sanctioned events and build a clear national rankings ladder.

"In just a few years, we have seen tremendous organic growth (in Pickleball), and that's something we celebrate. But now, it's time to support that enthusiasm with systems that ensure fairness, credibility, and long-term development," said Cu.

The inaugural Skechers Pickleball 1st Philippine Pickleball Amateur Nationals are set to take place from March 28 to March 30 at Tela Park Pickleball Center, Las Piñas City. Co-presented by Skechers, the Nationals will be the second tournament contributing to the official national rankings. The stakes extend beyond the leaderboard: national meet winners will earn the right to represent the Philippines at the EPIC World Amateur Championships in Singapore from April 30 to May 3.

"What we are building is not just tournaments. We are building a credible pathway for athletes, a coordinated environment for organizers, a transparent ranking system, and a sustainable future for the sport in the country," Cu said.

The player pool feeding these systems draws heavily from racquet sports. Cu described pickleball as "truly a grassroots sport," noting that "while other sports have been having difficulty to be recognized or even known by the community, pickleball is different." Many of the country's top competitors arrived from tennis, and the federation is now widening the net, with the University of the Philippines' College of Human Kinetics having signed a memorandum of agreement with the PPF to teach pickleball through a structured module. Tournaments span divisions from 16-under to 60-plus.

Skechers has backed key events including the Street Pickleball exhibition at the GPF Global Pickleball Congress in late November 2025 and the first-ever Philippine Pickleball National Championship held from May 30 to June 1, 2025. The brand also signed professional pickleball champions Sarah Jane Lim-Narvasa and Leander Lazaro as official Skechers Pickleball Athletes.

As of March 2025, the PPF had grown to 211 registered member clubs and over 13,000 members, a figure that will grow further as the PPP Registry funnels those players into the national ranking structure for the first time.