Thibaut Simon, Media365: published on Friday January 2, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
The French Tennis Federation announces this Friday that it will obtain the delegation of pickleball, a new fashionable racket sport in France.
With 3,500 licensees in France, pickleball has made inroads in France in recent years. A popular racket sport played on small tennis courts, it originated in the United States before being exported. Logically, it is on our territory that this sport has won over many enthusiasts, coming from tennis, badminton or out of simple curiosity. This is why two federations were currently fighting to obtain the pickleball delegation. Between the FFT (French Tennis Federation) and the FFBad (French Badminton Federation), the desire to welcome pickleball was displayed. Finally, the FFT had the last word as we could read in the press release published this Friday. “By being entrusted with this delegation by the State, the FFT, with its 7,000 clubs, its leagues and departmental committees, aims to accelerate the development of pickleball throughout the territory. »
Pickleball appeals to the French
“With obtaining this delegation, the FFT’s mission is now to develop pickleball in France, from the grassroots, by continuing the deployment of the discipline in clubs (academic practice, training, equipment, etc.), to the structuring of the high-level sector (French teams, individual support for athletes) through the organization of official competitions (French championships), as well as the definition and application of the rules governing the discipline,” announces the FFT by its president Gilles Moretton. Created six years ago, the Pickleball France Federation (FPF) has been part of the FFT statutes since 2024, despite the existing partnership between the Pickleball France Federation and the FFBad.
In France, pickleball has nearly 30,000 practitioners, almost 50% of whom are women. According to the FFT, 850 clubs offer the practice, playing both singles and doubles. “The FFT actively supports the development of this discipline by relying on the experience and infrastructure of its affiliated clubs, real relays in the territory,” explained the president of the FFT. From January 23 to 25, 2026, Hauts-de-France will host the Winter Open, for the second consecutive year.
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