Pickleball BC Association’s Activating Youth Pickleball in BC (“AYPBC”) Initiative Offers Vancouver School Teachers Certification Course on Valentine’s Day

February 6, 2025, Vancouver, BC—Through funding provided by Pickleball BC Association (“PBCA”), including a grant from viaSport British Columbia, Vancouver will be hosting a Level 1, NCCP Instructor Certification Pickleball Course for 24 teachers at the David Thompson Secondary School. This will be on Friday, February 14, 2025 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The pickleball instructor certification program is a joint effort between Pickleball Canada and Tennis Canada's Tennis Professionals Association. The course is recognized by the NCCP and certification courses of various levels are delivered all across the country.

David Snell, PBCA President
“We are thrilled to be able to fund this Vancouver NCCP certification initiative with help from ViaSport BC, PBC donation, and including investments from Vancouver Pickleball Association, Victoria Regional Pickleball Association, and Vernon Pickleball Association.”, explains David Snell, PBCA President. “Recently, Pickleball Canada, led by their Executive Director Barry Petrachenko, have also stepped up with major support for our equipment needs! Introduction of pickleball to our youth in BC has been a top priority for myself plus our PBCA Board of Directors starting in 2024 and will continue for many years going forward.”

About AYPBC
From past PBCA news, here is a summary of AYPBC’s successes to date:

• In June 2024 viaSport British Columbia announced a grant proposal of up to $30,000 per BC Provincial Sport Organization under a BC Sport Participation Program called the “Provincial Sport Development Fund”. The BCSPP supports programs that attract children, youth, Indigenous and marginalized populations to lead active and healthy lifestyles through involvement in sport, while also helping to support communities delivering physical activity programming throughout the province.
• Successful bid, PBCA received a viaSport British Columbia $30,000 grant, September 2024.
• PBCA selected three provincial Regions as above with its respective PBCA Club delegates: Victoria, Vancouver, and Vernon.
• Goal is to have additional youth programs K – 7 resource package, including a curriculum and tool set, for all BC clubs to utilize that will posted on our PBCA website by mid 2025.
• To meet the objectives of viaSport British Columbia:
  - To provide children with an active and healthy lifestyle through sport participation. 
  - To help support communities delivering those sport-related activity programming.
  

Mark Renneson, Head of Pickleball Coach Education, Tennis Canada. 

​According to Mark: “I'm especially excited about this course because it is a significant step toward providing high-quality pickleball instruction to students in Vancouver. I believe this is an important step for Pickleball in BC and Canada. Having teachers as a whole buy in is fantastic!”

AYPBC’s Future
PBC’s AYPBC program was  originally funded by a ViaSport grant based on the successful Vancouver EVES project (read story and most-current results), but has been and will be supported by current and future partners here in BC and elsewhere as a community epicentre to enhance the youth with the sport. Also both Victoria and Vernon would be interested in similar certifications for their regions, which has been already budgeted for.

David adds: “Thanks for ‘spreading the love of pickleball’ on Valentines Day.”

For more information, contact:
David Snell, President, Pickleball BC Association
[email protected]