Philippine Pickleball Goes Professional as GAB Grants Historic Recognition, Accredits PYCL as Pro Sports Organisation
It was a dream for the longest time. Now it is official.
The Games and Amusements Board has recognised pickleball as a professional sport in the Philippines, a landmark decision enshrined in GAB Resolution No. 2026-10, Series of 2026, that also grants accreditation to the Pickle Yard Conference League as a professional sports organisation under GAB supervision and regulation. For a sport that barely existed on the Philippine sporting map a few years ago, the recognition marks an arrival that few could have predicted—and that the pickleball community had spent years working towards.
The GAB is no ordinary stamp of approval. Established in 1951 and tasked with regulating professional sports in the Philippines, the Board has overseen everything from boxing and basketball to esports and mixed martial arts. Its recognition carries legal and institutional weight—placing pickleball in the same regulatory framework as the country’s most established professional leagues. For PYCL, it means operating under a structure that protects players, ensures fair play, and signals to sponsors, broadcasters, and investors that this is a serious enterprise.
PYCL officials and athletes marked the milestone with a courtesy visit to the GAB Central Office in Makati City, where they were received by GAB Chairman Atty. Francisco J. Rivera, Commissioner Angel P. Bautista, and ProSports Division officer-in-charge Dr Oliver O. Evangelista. The meeting gave PYCL the opportunity to present its vision, its accomplishments from Season 1—which the Born2WinPH Forex Bulls won in May—and its commitment to growing the sport at the professional level.
PYCL president John Talusan did not hide what the moment meant.
“We are very happy because, for the longest time, this was just a dream for the pickleball community,” Talusan said. “We never thought that pickleball would reach the point of becoming professional.”
That it has reached this point in the space of just a few years speaks to the pace of pickleball’s growth across the Philippines. From recreational courts in malls and barangays to a franchise-based professional league with corporate-backed teams, player drafts, and a prize pool, the sport has moved faster than almost anyone anticipated. The GAB’s recognition does not just validate what has already been built—it provides the scaffolding for what comes next.
With the professional era now formally underway, the pickleball community has a foundation to build on. Regulation, structure, and legitimacy are the ingredients that turn grassroots enthusiasm into a sustainable sporting industry. Philippine pickleball now has all three.
The dream is no longer a dream. The work starts here.
