Starting this year, Pickleball Canada will establish its National Player Development Pool, marking the first step toward forming an official Team Canada for the sport of pickleball.
Pickleball Canada’s first National Team Player Pool, which will include a minimum of ten women and ten men, plus a junior contingent of eight individuals split equally by gender.
Participants will be selected via a multitude of events this tournament season, with the first event taking place at the Steve Deakin Pickleball (SDP) Major League Pickleball (MLP) combine in Calgary May 15 – 17, 2026. The combine will select six players (three women and three men) who will form the initial Team Canada to compete at an MLP event scheduled for July 8-12, 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Further selections will take place during the 2026 IG Wealth National Championship Presented by HearingLife in August. Winners of the Open event categories throughout the week will earn individual spots in the National Development Program Pool, with four women and four men to be selected through this pathway. Six junior players will also be selected from their results during this event.
Additionally, the Provincial Team Competition (PTC) during Pickleball Canada’s Nationals will be utilized as a scouting opportunity where players will be evaluated to determine their fit in the National Development Program Pool for 2026.
The remaining spots in the program will be selected by a Pickleball Canada High Performance Task Team in September through a selection process related to the results of the PTC and other events throughout the year.
Development Camps will be held in the Fall of 2026 which will involve a high-level coaching experience and supplementary education in diet, player development, and sport psychology.
Eligibility requirements for players participating in the National Player Development Pool include:
- Individuals must participate in at least two Pickleball Canada sanctioned events in 2026
- Participants must be in good standing of Pickleball Canada
- Individuals must be residents of Canada in accordance with Pickleball Canada’s National Championship Guidelines
This initiative represents the foundation of Canada’s first official national pickleball team, with the goal of competing in international events beginning in 2027, marking the country’s first official participation on the international stage.
Be sure to stay tuned for more High Performance Updates by following Pickleball Canada’s social media pages.