Skechers Philippine Pickleball Amateur Nationals Opens March 28 in Las Piñas

Nine days from now, amateur pickleball players from across the Philippines will converge on Tela Park Pickleball Center in Las Piñas City for a three-day nationally sanctioned championship that carries weight beyond the scoreboard. The inaugural Skechers Philippine Pickleball Amateur Nationals, co-presented by Skechers and overseen by the Philippine Pickleball Federation, runs March 28 through 30 and will feed directly into the country's official national rankings, making it the second ranking tournament on the PPF's standings calendar.

The path to March 28 was not entirely smooth. The PPF issued a "RED ALERT" announcement on February 3 confirming revised dates after the original schedule was shifted due to venue availability, player safety and security considerations, and a need to avoid conflicts with other major tournaments. Registration has not yet officially opened, but the federation warned players to prepare early. Guaranteed slots go to winners of PPF-sanctioned tournaments; remaining spots are allocated first-come, first-served across limited division slots.

PPF president Shery Anne Cu has framed the Nationals as structural progress rather than a standalone event. "In just a few years, growth has been huge. Now, we're building systems for fairness, credibility, and long-term development," she said. The federation has been building toward this moment since launching a national player registry and official rankings in 2026, according to Spin.ph, with the March 28 event representing the second point on that rankings timeline.

Skechers' involvement runs deeper than a logo on a banner. The brand supported the Street Pickleball exhibition at the GPF Global Pickleball Congress in late November 2025 and co-presented the first Philippine Pickleball National Championship, held May 30 through June 1, 2025. It has also developed dedicated pickleball footwear engineered for the sport's specific lateral demands and signed professional players Sarah Jane Lim-Narvasa and Leander Lazaro as official Skechers Pickleball Athletes. For Skechers Philippines Country Manager Suzette Pasustento, the Amateur Nationals represent a inflection point. "For us, the Nationals mark a turning point for pickleball in the country. It's inspiring to see Filipinos step onto the court and into a more connected community with Skechers every step of the way," she said.

The PPF leadership assembled for this event includes Co-Founder and Chairman Michael Johnson, Trustee and Head of Officiating Gigi Maceda, Treasurer Coni Ybañez, Secretary General Red Dumuk, and Co-Founder and Trustee Jeffrey Kho. That kind of organizational depth matters for a federation trying to build credibility at the national level, and the ranking-tournament designation gives the Amateur Nationals an institutional permanence that earlier local events lacked.

Cu has noted that sustaining pickleball's momentum will depend on continued collaboration between the federation, organizers, players, and corporate partners. With Skechers locked in for the long term and a national rankings structure now in place, the Las Piñas courts on March 28 will host something more than competition. They will host the clearest evidence yet that Philippine pickleball has moved past the recreational phase and into something built to last.