Membership Fee Explanation

Starting April 1st, 2021, the Vancouver Pickleball Association (VPA) instituted a yearly fee for membership. We are also requiring our members to register for Pickleball BC and Pickleball Canada memberships at the same time.

How much is the VPA Membership Fee?

The VPA membership fee is just $5.

In addition there is a $2.50 Pickleball BC fee and a $10.00 Pickleball Canada fee. Therefore the total annual cost will be $17.50 plus a small transaction fee for using the Pickleball Canada National System (“PCNS”) for registration. But the VPA will only see $5 of that amount.

There are some opportunities for “discounts” from the full membership fee:

The VPA membership fee is waived for “Youth” (under 19 years of age).
The VPA membership fee is waived for “Seniors+” (75 years or older).
And, of course, if you already have Pickleball BC and Pickleball Canada memberships you won’t be required to pay for them again. (The system will only charge you the VPA membership fee in that case, and will not charge you again for Pickleball BC or Pickleball Canada fees).

How will your membership fees be spent?

As stated above...

$2.50 of your fees will be used for membership in Pickleball BC. If you are already a member of Pickleball BC this amount will be waived.
$10.00 of your fees will be used for membership in Pickleball Canada. One of the big advantages of membership in Pickleball Canada is that it provides insurance for you. If you are already a member of Pickleball Canada this amount will be waived.

The VPA portion of membership fees (along with funding from grants, sponsorships and private donations) will be invested in areas such as:

To help obtain more indoor & outdoor venues for Pickleball throughout Vancouver:

Public venues such as underutilized tennis courts can be converted to dedicated high-quality Pickleball facilities.

The VPA will endeavor to rent the following types of facilities for members-only play:

Community Centre gymnasiums (to supplement the public-play options currently available).
Private venues, e.g.: Church gymnasiums.
Parking areas that are only used at certain fixed times, such as at churches and schools
Unused warehouse facilities.
Gymnasiums and outdoor play areas at schools that can be rented for use by the VPA for its members.

Note: A significant portion of the VPA’s funds are expected to go toward a fund for renting facilities exclusively for VPA member use. There won’t be sufficient funds to pay for all the rentals, so that fund will be working capital that will be used to rent facilities but will be recouped by modest entry fees charged to members when they use the rented facilities for members-only sessions.

To improve existing venues for Pickleball use:

Equipment improvements: e.g. storage boxes, nets, lines, paddle boards, barriers, squeegees, brooms, paddles, balls, first-aid kits, etc.
Safety improvements.
Sound barriers in areas where neighbours are averse to the sport.
Instructional signage. E.g. for how to use paddle boards, protocols & etiquette, etc.
Note: For public venues, most of the costs should be borne by the Vancouver Parks Board.
For privately rented facilities the VPA would provide funding as needed.

Sessions throughout the city dedicated to VPA members only.

Allows for play dedicated to specific skill levels – which is currently difficult, if not impossible during public play sessions. The desire for this was clearly expressed in our recent survey. Allows for play dedicated to ladders & leagues.

Access to venues beyond public facilities.

Establish a system of volunteer “court hosts” to assist at Pickleball sessions throughout the city. VPA court hosts would help facilitate organized play, etiquette, safety and information regarding Pickleball and its rules.

Publicize Pickleball so that:

Younger players participate (Note: We waive the $5 VPA portion of the fee for youth under 19).
The Vancouver Parks Board starts paying more attention to the needs of the sport. Note: “Publicizing” will involve both free activities such as public-interest news spots on the TV, radio and in newspapers & magazines. But it might also involve paid advertisements as well.
More players enjoy the sport.

Obtain grants, sponsorships and donations to leverage the financial resources of the Vancouver Pickleball Association in achieving its goals.

Professional governance of the Vancouver Pickleball Association.

Establish relationships with neighbouring Pickleball associations & clubs throughout the Lower Mainland and BC.

This might include:

Reciprocal rights to members-only play sessions & venues.
Leagues
Tournaments
Ladders