Below are common questions and answers regarding your membership in Pickleball Canada. It is likely that your club or provincial/territorial sports organization can assist you with some of your queries.
For other questions, please contact info@pickleballcanada.org.
Roles
1) What are the roles of the various pickleball organizations?
- As the National Sports Organization of pickleball, Pickleball Canada is responsible for:
- governing all aspects of the sport in Canada,
- implementing national initiatives to develop and promote the sport,
- developing national programs for coaches and officials, and
- managing national high level performance programs.
- Provincial and Territorial Sports Organizations (PTSOs) are the bodies recognized by Pickleball Canada as the governing body for pickleball in their province or territory who:
- lead, develop and promote the sport within their province,
- provide training for coaches and officials, and
- support provincial high level performance programs.
- Pickleball Clubs provide opportunities for participants to:
- be introduced to pickleball in an inclusive manner,
- participate recreationally in a fun, healthy and socially interactive way,
- systematically improve and measure their performance against others in competition in a safe and ethical manner, and
- provide pathways for high performing athletes to progress.
2) What Provinces and Territories have PTSOs?
- All provinces have a Pickleball Provincial Sports Organization.
- The Yukon has a Territorial Sports Organization while the Northwest Territories and Nunavut do not.
Individual Membership
3) What is the process for joining Pickleball Canada as a player?
When you hit the JOIN-RENEW button on the Pickleball Canada website it is your one-stop location for joining a club (if you wish to belong to one), your provincial or territorial pickleball organization, and Pickleball Canada. This is called the Pickleball Canada National System (PCNS).
- To join Pickleball Canada you must also join your provincial or territorial sports organization – other than if you live in NWT or Nunavut.
- If you are not a resident of Canada, you would select “Non-Canadian resident” under the Province drop-down.
- You do not have to join a club – when it asks for your club you would select “V-Club ‘Province’ (I don’t belong to a club)”
4) What are my membership fees?
The three entities – Pickleball Canada, the PTSO and the club each determine their membership fee. You pay all the fees at once and the PCNS automatically credits the three partners.
5) How do I pay?
You pay online through the JOIN-RENEW portal using your credit card or PayPal. Cheques are not accepted. As is common with online payment systems there is a transaction fee of 4.9% plus $0.50 plus applicable provincial sales tax. This is a combination of the fee charged by the financial agency that collects and distributes the money from you to the three parties and for the support and development of our National System.
6) How quickly will I receive my membership number? I want to register for a tournament and/or I want to make sure I am covered by insurance.
You will become a member and receive your membership number immediately after registration. Your membership will become active once you accept the waiver.
7) What is the Membership Year?
The membership year for Pickleball Canada and the Provincial and Territorial pickleball associations is from January 1 to December 31. If you register on September 1 or later in the year your membership runs to December 31 of the following year.
8) How do I join additional clubs?
If you wish to belong to more than one club, you simply go to the Pickleball Canada website and hit the JOIN-RENEW button. You just repeat the process you did for the first club you joined.
- However, you are already registered with Pickleball Canada and if the club is in the same province/territory as your primary club you are also already registered with the PTSO. Therefore, you will only be paying the club registration.
- If the club is in a different province/territory than your primary club you will need to join the PTSO for that province/territory.
- To join additional clubs just repeat the process.
9) How do I change my information?
Perhaps you moved or changed your email address. It is easy to update your personal information. On the Pickleball Canada website click on the LOG IN button at the top of the page. Enter your email and password. Click on My Registrations and the green More Info button.
Clubs
10) How does our club join Pickleball Canada?
A club becomes a part of Pickleball Canada by affiliating with their Provincial/Territorial Sports Organization (PTSO). As was noted in question 2 Pickleball Canada has agreements with almost all provinces/territories in Canada. A minimum requirement is that all members of the club must also be members of Pickleball Canada and their respective PTSO. Additionally, the club/organization:
- recognizes Pickleball Canada as the governing body of pickleball in Canada
- supports Pickleball Canada’s initiatives to advance and govern the sport of pickleball in Canada
- supports the vision, purpose, core values and strategic objectives of Pickleball Canada
- supports and adheres to the policies published by Pickleball Canada
- adheres to and supports the Official Rulebook – International Edition rules of play as adopted by Pickleball Canada and updated from time to time. [This is an Insurance compliance requirement.]
- will assign one individual who will act as the primary account administrator
- agrees to use the approved Pickleball Canada process to register new and renewing memberships
All club members must electronically accept and agree to the insurance waiver on the Pickleball Canada web site.
Once the club is affiliated with their provincial/territorial body, the PTSO will inform Pickleball Canada and the club will be added to the affiliated club list.
11) What functions are available in the Pickleball Canada National System (PCNS)?
An affiliated club has access to the PCNS. It is a bilingual system and features:
- Membership Management
- direct membership signup – one fee payment for club, PTSO and Pickleball Canada
- individual access to member’s profile
- automatic receipt of fees to the club bank account
- financial and membership tracking/trends
- full access to membership information
- ability to set membership types – such as juniors, or seasonal
- mass email communication
- newsletter function
- Website – free website that is quite easy to customize
- Commercial Application – an online store function to sell merchandise and keep track of inventory
- Event Management – promote and register for a clinic or a social event
- Competition Management – set up ladder and league play
12) How does our club go about having our tournament sanctioned by Pickleball Canada?
On the Pickleball Canada Website go to SANCTIONING. Review the requirements for a Sanctioned Tournament, then fill in the Tournament Sanctioning Application.
Insurance
13) What insurance coverage is provided for me by Pickleball Canada?
Did you know that of your $10 Pickleball Canada fee $2.50 pays for your insurance? An insurance Overview can be found on the Pickleball Canada website.
- As an individual you are covered for Commercial General Liability – bodily injury , personal injury, property damage and associated legal costs. As well, you are covered for medical costs for Sports Injury related to authorized pickleball activities.
14) When does my coverage begin and end?
Your coverage begins the day you register or renew and pay your Pickleball Canada fee. Your coverage terminates on your renewal date (sometimes called expiry date or paid through date) – if you do not renew.
15) I am a Director of a club. Do I have any additional coverage?
Yes – you have $2,000,000 Director and Officer’s Liability – also known as ‘Wrongful Acts’ or ‘Errors and Omissions liability. More information can also be found on the Insurance Overview page on the Pickleball Canada website.
16) Our club wishes to rent a facility to play pickleball and the facility requires a Certificate of Insurance. How do we get it?
An affiliated club can easily and quickly receive a Certificate of Insurance by completing this request form. You should have the Certificate within a day.
17) I was injured playing pickleball. How do I submit a claim?
Complete and submit the Accident Claim Form.
18) Where can I get more information regarding insurance?
More information on Insurance is available on the Pickleball Canada website or contact insurance@pickleballcanada.org.