PickleballENGLAND is incredibly grateful to the IPTPA for helping us train so many IPTPA Level 1 and 2 coaches since we were formed in 2019. Sam Basford & Rob Williams went on to become Master Teaching Professionals for IPTPA. There are over 100 fully paid up members of the IPTPA in this country and even more that trained but decided not to keep their membership up.
At the beginning of 2023 PbE felt it was time for us to have our own curriculum. Something that was aligned with coaching requirements in the UK. PbE secured Sam and Rob’s services to create the curriculum.
Since the launch of the curriculum almost 650 people have attended a L1 Workshop with over half fully qualified and the remainder working through the qualification process.
Over the past few years we have noticed that the most successful L1 workshops have been where every attendee has already attended and passed the Pickleball Leaders Certification. Late 2025 we introduced a pre-requisite that all L1 attendees should have passed PLC first. In Q1 of 2026 we are renaming the Pickleball Leaders to Pickleball Activator, aligning the naming with other sports.
In 2025 L2 was piloted in Q2 with a second cohort in December. The first 3 successful L2 graduates from 2025 were confirmed early 2026. There is now a recognition that coaches need to be ready for L2 so we are now looking at the qualifying criteria.
Upcoming L1 Workshops
| Date | Venue | Tutors | Registration link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20th October 2026 | Peak Pickleball, 220 Newhall Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 2QL | Sam Basford & Ryan Amos | Register Here |
| Wednesday 28th October 2026 | Wrexham Tennis & Padel Centre, Plas Coch Road, Wrexham, LL11 2BW | Sam Basford with Kim McCall | Register Here |
| Wednesday 11th November 2026 | Courtside Pickleball, Block F, Bay 5 & 6, Stourbridge Industrial Estate, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY8 1JN | Sam Basford with Kim McCall | Register Here |
| Saturday 28th November 2026 | Pure Pickleball, Main Road, Shavington, Crewe, Cheshire CW2 5DP | Sam Basford with Kim McCall | Register Here |
Club Instructor (L1)
The purpose of this training is to give pickleball leaders the basic skills and knowledge to have confidence to instruct new and improving players whilst learning in a safe and enjoyable environment.
We cover:
What makes a great instructor
The Fundamentals
Methods of Correction
Lesson Planning
Assignments. You will be expected to be a student participant as well as instructor through the day.
Click here for PLC Workshop Dates.