"This change underscores the association’s core mission: to ensure pickleball remains fair, fun, and competitive for all participants."

With the paddle craziness of PPA Cincinnati just out of the rearview mirror, the UPA-A has announced changes to its paddle certification pricing structure.

The changes, effective starting in 2026, aim to make the process "more accessible and encourage broader brand participation."

Full UPA-A certification went into effective September 1, 2025. As of this writing, 91 models from 22 brands were represented.

Dissecting All the Paddle Drama at PPA Cincinnati

Many top pros are left wondering whether they can play their own paddles. It all comes down to the UPA-A’s new certification standards, and how paddle brands chose to play the game.

The Dink Pickleball Alex E. Weaver

Going forward, the annual fee will be cut in half, according to a UPA-A blog post :

Annual Fee: Reduced from $20,000 (2025) to $10,000 Per Paddle Certification: $3,000 (standard 8 week turnaround) Expedited Service (4 weeks): $2,500 additional Super Expedited Service (2 weeks): $7,500 additional Retest after failure: $2,000 "For years, pickleball paddle certification relied on outdated and inconsistent testing methods that failed to keep pace with the rapid evolution of paddle technology," UPA-A said in the post.

"Recognizing this gap at the professional level of play both at PPA and MLP, UPA-A was established... to build the world’s most advanced pickleball paddle te... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/upa-a-announces-reduced-paddle-certification-fees-transition-to-non-profit-status/