Philippine pickleball has its first professional league champion—the Born2WinPH Forex Bulls.
The Forex Bulls claimed the Pickle Yard Conference League (PYCL) Season 1 title on 9 May at The Pickle Yard, completing a dominant title run through a competitive field to become the inaugural champions of the country’s first professional franchise-based pickleball league—and taking home the ₱500,000 grand prize in the process.
Owned by Ferdie and Alyanna Pabalan—respected figures in the forex education industry who have expanded into professional sports team ownership—the Forex Bulls were more than just the best team in the league. They were its standard-bearers. Led by team manager Jaysteel Dacudao and team captain Medelene Saraza, widely regarded as one of the top female athletes in the Philippines, the squad displayed the kind of chemistry and consistency that separates contenders from champions.
The championship roster featured Red Directo, Chloe Saraza, Al Quiza, Von Saraza, Engita Levinsohn, Analyn Amoloy, and Leandro Fernandez—a group that came together and delivered when it mattered most, rising above a talented field that included the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems, Dentacare Pearly Whites, Philex Vanguards, Pertua Stallions, and Fortrust Masters, among others.
The PYCL, organised by The Pickle Yard, was built from the ground up to professionalise pickleball in the Philippines—complete with team franchises, player drafts, rankings, and a long-format competition structure inspired by established professional leagues. It worked. Weekly matchups drew growing crowds, delivered high-intensity rallies and dramatic finishes, and gave the sport a platform it had never had before in the country.
The Forex Bulls were the first team to seize it.
For the Pabalans, the championship carries a meaning that goes beyond the trophy. They built a name in business through forex education. Now they have made history in sport—not as spectators, but as owners of the first-ever PYCL champions. It is the kind of milestone that does not come around twice.
With pickleball continuing to grow across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, the successful conclusion of PYCL Season 1 signals that professional pickleball in the Philippines is no longer a concept. It is a reality—and the Born2WinPH Forex Bulls are its first champions.
