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Le Tableau du Dimanche Playing in clubs and tournaments: rules, licenses, rankings

Self-assessment: are you ready for 3.0 competition?

Published 29 October 2026 Revised 30 October 2026 4 minutes to read

The editors of Le Tableau du Dimanche.

A player checks off a list on a clipboard at the edge of the court before a match.
Ready to play. Before a first 3.0 tournament, you need to have the serve, the double bounce, the non-volley zone and scoring down. A simple checklist lets you check these points alone or with a partner. Your federation rating then builds up through results.

This article, filed under “Self-assessment: are you ready for 3.0 competition?” works by inventory and cross-reference. You'll be able to check that you've mastered the rules before entering 3.0.

In brief: approval of a pickleball tournament costs €32 whatever the level. The request is made through the ADOC app. A JAT1, JAT2 or JAT3 tournament referee must be present throughout the tournament. Approved tournaments must follow the FFT's sports regulations, specifications and pickleball rules of play. In France, about 30,000 people play pickleball, including 3,500 license holders, with nearly 50% women among the latter.

Concepts you need to have down

Turn to these vocabulary entries whenever a word stops you.

Double bounce rule

The double bounce rule requires the ball to bounce once on each side before volleys are allowed.

Here's an example: the receiver lets the serve bounce, then the server lets the return bounce before they can volley.

The full definition is in the Double bounce rule entry.

Dedicated pickleball club

A dedicated pickleball club is a facility devoted entirely to this sport.

Here's an example: In Nîmes, a club entirely dedicated to pickleball was announced as the first in the South.

The glossary keeps a detailed entry under Dedicated pickleball club.

Which rules should you master?

Found in the sources: the FFT Club license costs €33 for adults and €23 for ages 7-18, the same price as the 2025-2026 multi-racket license.

One example is on file: pickleball was born in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, in Washington State, in the United States.

Take this case: the first FFT pickleball Winter Open, a K500 tournament, was scheduled for January 17 to 19, 2025.

When should you try a first tournament?

Verified and dated: the first official FFT pickleball ranking was published on November 5, 2024. It takes into account tournaments from the last 12 months.

Regulatory note on file: starting with the 2026-2027 season, the FFT Club license gives access to tennis, padel, beach tennis, pickleball and courte paume, for both recreational play and competition. There's no longer a single-sport annual license.

Provision found in the texts: pickleball tournaments are open to all FFT license holders, whether they hold a multi-racket or a pickleball license.

Additional references

We've filed the points to know below, one per line.

  • According to the FFT, a pickleball match is generally played as a single set to 11 or 15 points, with a two-point margin.
  • The FFT pickleball ranking includes age equivalences for the +50 and +70 categories.
  • There are 12 K250 tournaments per year and 4 K500 tournaments per year. The K1000s are the flagship events (Winter Open, Open de France, French championships).
  • The pickleball net described by the FFT is 6.70 m wide, with a height of 86 cm at the center and 91 cm at the posts.
  • The FFT Club license has no impact on how rankings are calculated. Each sport keeps its own ranking.
  • FFT pickleball rankings are published every quarter (November, February, May and August).
  • There are 12 K250 tournaments in the sports year and 4 K500 tournaments.

Ready for a first 3.0 tournament

Points to master before competing.

  • Serve below the waist, diagonally — That's the serving rule of the game.
  • Apply the double bounce — The ball must bounce once on each side before volleys.
  • Count points on the server's side — Only the serving team scores.
  • Get a license through an FFT club — The FFT Club license is required to take part.
Source: What is Pickleball?.

Closing the entry

Let's recap the order of the pieces you've just gone through: concepts you need to have down, and additional references. File this entry away, then compare it with the other entries on the site to draw your own conclusions.

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Our sources

The federal framework for pickleball in France has been evolving since the 2026 delegation: check licenses, fees and regulations on the FFT website before signing up.

How this article was verified

This article draws on 9 sources: reference bodies only.

The facts were checked against their sources on October 15, 2026.

The method we followed: Sources and verification.