Playing Pickleball in France: Clubs, Licenses and Medical Certificates
Online since Oct 21, 2026 Last revised Oct 21, 2026 4 min read
Signed: the Bouger Longtemps editorial team. The facts were checked against their sources on October 19, 2026. This content doesn't replace a consultation: when in doubt, ask a health professional.
Since the Fédération française de tennis was given the delegation, pickleball has been organized through clubs and licenses. This section helps make sense of it. Welcome to the "Clubs, Licenses and Medical Certificates" section, whose entry page arranges the texts by major theme.
The Essential Principles Up Close
The rules in force specify this: in a club not affiliated with a federation, requiring a medical certificate is a matter of the club's internal rules, not a legal obligation.
A basic rule is worth stating: according to the WHO, muscle strengthening benefits everyone, and its guidelines specify the frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity needed.
A formal requirement reads as follows: for an adult, a certificate less than one year old may still be required to register for a federal competition (non-licensed athlete, leisure license) or for competitions run by other bodies.
The rules in force specify this: Decree No. 2022-925 of June 22, 2022 leaves it to the federations to set the conditions for requiring a medical certificate, its frequency and its content. The former validity period of 3 years no longer exists.
The rules in force specify this: the same decree removed the obligation of the "QS-Sport" health questionnaire when no medical certificate is required.
The Vocabulary in Plain Terms
Each term below leads to its own entry.
- Falls — a fall is a common event among older people that can cause injuries, and that Santé publique France urges people to prevent.
The Pages in This Section
All the contributions in this section are listed below.
- Pickleball et santé des seniors : ce que disent les recommandations d'activité physique — shows where pickleball stands against the WHO benchmarks on physical activity and sedentary behavior.
- Risque de chute et pickleball : les réflexes à adopter sur le terrain — identifies situations with a risk of falling and how to avoid them on a court.
- S'échauffer avant le pickleball après 55 ans : méthode en quelques étapes — builds a progressive warm-up before each game.
A Starting Path
The steps below are meant to be followed one after another.
- The FFT offers an interactive map to locate FFT clubs that offer pickleball, a starting point for finding where to play.
- For adults, the rule depends on the sport and the federation — before signing up, check with the club or federation concerned rather than assuming a certificate is or isn't required.
Making a Choice
The choice depends in part on this: the pickleball is made of hard, hollow, perforated plastic, and it's larger than a tennis ball. It has 26 to 40 holes, depending on whether it's designed for indoor or outdoor play. Keep this criterion alongside the others when comparing.
Other Useful Benchmarks in Practice
The number to know is this: about one person in three over 65 falls each year, and on average 9,000 older people die each year from an accidental fall.
The number to know is this: in early 2026, 850 of the 7,000 FFT clubs offer pickleball.
An order of magnitude to keep in mind: in early 2026, France has nearly 30,000 pickleball players, including 3,500 licenses, nearly half held by women.
More Details Up Close
Here, as separate points, is what's worth keeping in mind:
- A club devoted entirely to pickleball, PickleballTime in Nîmes, announced its opening for late March 2026 with 5 indoor courts and 2 outdoor courts, open to competitors and families alike.
- Among the federations that dropped the certificate requirement for adult licenses, the Sports Ministry's official page cites tennis, cycling, skiing and golf, among others.
On the same topic
- Medical Certificate for Pickleball: What Do the Regulations Say? — This page explains in which cases a medical certificate is or isn't required. The outline walks through the basic notions of the vocabulary.
- Warming Up Before Pickleball After 55: A Step-by-Step Method — How to build a progressive warm-up before every game. Covers the basic reasoning, key terms, step-by-step routine and signs of success.
- Fall Risk and Pickleball: Habits to Adopt on the Court — How to spot situations that raise the risk of a fall and avoid them on a court. The outline starts with the causes worth clarifying first.
- Pickleball and Senior Health: What Physical Activity Guidelines Say — How pickleball fits within the WHO benchmarks on physical activity and sedentary behavior. The usual questions, handled one by one.
Sources
- Certificat médical pour la pratique d'un sport — Cases where a medical certificate may be required, the federation's role for adults, non-affiliated clubs. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Activité physique – Aide-mémoire — Benefits of physical activity for older adults and general principles of the WHO guidelines. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Sport et certificat médical : dans quels cas est-il encore exigé ? — Summary for doctors on the cases where the certificate is still required, for adults and minors. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Le pickleball — Federation presentation of pickleball, court dimensions, access to the rules, competition and the club map. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Les règles du pickleball —
- Prévenir les chutes : un dispositif d'information pour le grand public et les professionnels — Frequency of falls after 65 and the "Bien avec mon équilibre" program aimed at seniors from 55 on. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- La Fédération française de tennis obtient la délégation du pickleball — Delegation from the Sports Ministry, number of players, license holders and clubs, federal action plan. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Nîmes : le premier club du Sud entièrement dédié au pickleball — Example of a dedicated club in France and presentation of the sport as accessible to families and competitors. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
- Rentrée scolaire et prise de licences sportives — Federations decide whether adults need a medical certificate; disciplines with particular constraints. Source page viewed on 2026-10-18.
This site is for information only and doesn't replace a doctor's advice: in case of chronic illness, pain or doubt, consult a health professional before returning to a sport.
The rules, licenses and figures of the Fédération française de tennis have been changing since pickleball was delegated to it: check them with the federation or the club.