The Utah High School Activities Association has officially classified boys’ and girls’ pickleball as an emerging sport. This designation is the crucial first step toward it becoming a fully sanctioned, varsity-level sport.
The push for this classification is spearheaded by the Utah High School Pickleball Association. Thanks to their efforts, the framework for competitive high school play is already well underway:
Current Participation: Both boys’ and girls’ pickleball reached the required participation numbers to be added to the UHSAA Emerging Sports list.
Active Competition: The UHSPA organizes club-level competitions across dozens of Utah high schools, complete with regular-season meets and year-end state championships.
The Goal: The primary objective of the UHSPA and student advocates is to meet the necessary criteria for the UHSAA to officially sanction pickleball as a varsity sport.
This classification marks an important first step toward full state sanctioning. [1, 2, 3]
What the classification means
- Path to Sanctioning: To become a fully sanctioned varsity sport, roughly 30% of UHSAA member schools (about 50 high schools) must adopt pickleball as an emerging sport. [1]
- Growing Participation: More than 40 high school teams across Utah currently compete in organized regions through the Utah High School Pickleball Association (UHSPA). [1, 2]
- Season Schedule: Matches run from November through February to avoid overlapping with traditional fall and spring sports like tennis and soccer. [1]
- Championships: The season features regular Saturday meets, leading up to official team and individual state tournaments in February. [1, 2]
You can read more here.
