GPF Holds Street Pickleball at Global Congress, Touts Manila as Future of the Sport with PPF Leading the Way
The Global Pickleball Federation (GPF), along with the Philippine Pickleball Federation (PPF), held a few rounds of street pickleball along F. Ortigas Jr. Road in Pasig City in Metro Manila as part of the recently held GPF Global Pickleball Congress 2025 hosted by the Philippines.
“It is a unique and very exciting experience. It was fantastic, lots of fun. I think it should be in every country,” said Australia-based Jen Ramamurthy, secretary of the GPF, in an interview with ABS-CBN.
Matches of street pickleball were purposefully held as it aligns with the theme of the Global Pickleball Congress 2025, which is unification and grassroots development.
“Manila is the only place, and that is why we chose this place. Manila is the future of pickleball. This is the way to connect with everyone, this is the way to involve everyone around the city,” said Javier Regalado, president of the GPF.
Shawy Cu, chair of the PPF Tournaments Committee, noted that part of why pickleball is growing so much in the Philippines is because players can play it literally anywhere—including in the streets, as Filipinos do with basketball and badminton.
“They are on the streets because for the Philippines, it [pickleball] grew on the streets. A lot started playing here and brought it to their villages and communities. They introduce it to people because you are looking for others to play with you—so you end up teaching,” she told ABS-CBN. “When street pickleball started, wala masyado courts. Today there are more. ‘Pag nangangati ka naglalaro—abot kaya siya [When you want to play, it is accessible]. You can just line the street and buy the net.”
According to Cu, pickleball has grown so much in the Philippines that it can be regarded as being “at the heart of pickleball around the world”—and part of the reason this is the case is because of the efforts of the PPF, which owns the distinction of being the first-ever pickleball federation to be recognised by a local Olympics committee.
“The Philippines is really at the heart of pickleball around the world. PPF is among the founding members—we are the first in the world to be recognised by the local Olympic community,” said Cu. “We want it to be a global movement not just a fad or trend. It is a game that brings different people from different walks of life together to transform lives in terms of health and socials.”
Judging by pickleball’s meteoric rise in the Philippines and the success of the GPF’s Global Congress 2025, it might be safe to say that the sport is long past the fad stage and is now becoming a way of life for many Filipinos.
