Collin Johns, Other Pros Form World Pickleball Players Association to Address ‘Issues’ in the Pro Level
Several professional pickleball players have banded together to form the World Pickleball Players Association. This association brings pro players under one, unified umbrella and marks a first for picklers at this level.
Crucially, the World Pickleball Players Association counts as one of its members pickleball luminary Collin Johns, arguably the biggest name in the association’s formative phase.
“This is something that we’ve needed for a long time,” Collin told ESPN. “This is the right time. We have a lot of issues that are important to the players.”
Collin, brother of pickleball’s widely regarded GOAT, Ben, and a board member of the World Pickleball Players Association made it clear that the association does not plan on adopting a contrarian stance to the United Pickleball Association (UPA), who became the parent organisation of the PPA Tour and MLP after consolidating the two in May 2024. Instead, Collin is suggesting a more collaborative working relationship that will largely depend on the UPA and its willingness to address some important “issues.”
“I don’t view this forming of the association to be combative in any way with the tour,” Collin said. “They can make it as collaborative as they want. It’s about some minimum standards that we can all agree upon. … We want to make sure everyone is treated the same, whether you’re the No. 1 player or the 100th-ranked player.”
Joining Collin in the World Pickleball Players Association board are the following:
- Tina Pisnik, President
- Dekel Bar, Treasurer
- Jessie Irvine, Secretary
- Augie Ge, Board Member
- Jay Devilliers, Board Member
- Gabriel Tardio, Board Member
World Pickleball Players Association Plans to Tackle Pressing Issues
The seven-member player-board of directors of the World Pickleball Players Association will be prioritising players’ health and safety along with transparency in compensation and a host of other issues.
“This really gives legitimacy to the players and the tour. I also feel like there has been quite a lot of frustration among the players on certain basic things that don’t even necessarily cost money,” Collin added.
One of these basic things, according to Collin, is the UPA’s ranking system, which he said could be reworked under the guidance of the World Pickleball Players Association. Other issues the association will raise aside from the ones already mentioned are scheduling and player discipline. But while there are pressing issues that need to be addressed, Collins promised that the association will be reasonable in their demands—as long as the UPA stays on target with the players.
“It’s these hosts of issues they can fix. We’re not going to ask for anything unreasonable, but you have to stay on target with things in order to get all the players to come together. That’s what’s been lacking in years past.”
– Collin Johns on issues that need to be addressed
A Legitimate Players’ Association Backed by a Legit Supporter
A crucial tangent to the formation of the World Pickleball Players Association is that it was backed by Sports Solidarity, a group established by former baseball player Harry Marino. Marino, in turn, helped unionise minor league baseball players in 2022.
“We formed Sports Solidarity to help groups of players just like the players on this tour who are doing the work, putting in the hours and are making the sport go and just want to have a voice and a say. This isn’t a money grab for them. We want professional pickleball to thrive, and we know as a player group, they can help move the needle in a positive direction.”
– Harry Marino on why the World Pickleball Players Association was formed
According to ESPN, the World Pickleball Players Association will initially be more like the Professional Tennis Players Association rather than a full-fledged union as in MLBPA in Major League Baseball or the NFLPA in the National Football League. To this end, the assocation simply wants an independent players’ voice, which Collin and company believe is a natural progression of pickleball and its growing popularity.
The PTPA itself has expressed support for the newly formed World Pickleball Players Association, saying in a statement: “This is a significant and commendable milestone, representing the first crucial step toward independent, player-led representation,” the tennis association said. “We strongly believe in the importance of athletes having a unified voice that is free from league or tour control or interference. Such independence is vital to ensuring that the interests, rights, and well-being of players remain the priority in all decision-making processes.”
