Who regulates pickleball in Spain and Catalonia? (not who you think)

Your club wants to run an official pickleball tournament — so which federation do you call? Surprise: the tennis one.

Pickleball in Spain has no federation of its own. And that is not a legal gap or an oversight: it is a decision. Since 2023, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation runs it through a National Pickleball Committee. In Catalonia, same model: the Catalan Tennis Federation manages it, with its own committee.

What this means for your club

Two practical things, and both are good news:

• Court homologation, licences and official competitions all go through the tennis federation of your territory. The counterpart exists and has structure.
• You do not need to wait for a pickleball federation to exist before doing things officially. The channel is already there today.

The example: the Copa Catalunya de Pickleball

In 2026 the Copa Catalunya de Pickleball was launched, organised by the Catalan Tennis Federation: a six-month circuit, five venues, and one very smart detail — two ways to take part in the same event.

For a club that model is gold: an official tournament and open doors at the same event. That is how you grow a sport.

What about the pickleball associations?

The associations that already existed are still there, building community, meetups and outreach — a hugely valuable role. But the official paperwork (licences, rankings, championships) is signed today by tennis.

So now you know: if your club wants official pickleball, the right door is the tennis federation. Pickleball grows fast; knowing which door to knock on, even faster.