UNITED STATES PADEL ASSOCIATION
SafeSport-Aligned Standards for Public-Facing Content, Communications, and Athlete Representation
Effective Date: May 1, 2026
Approved by: USPA Board of Directors
Policy Reference: This policy is referenced in and enforceable through Section 10 of the USPA Club Membership Agreement and applies to all USPA-affiliated entities.

 

1. PURPOSE

The United States Padel Association (USPA) is committed to fostering a sport environment that is safe, inclusive, respectful, and aligned with the principles of the U.S. Center for SafeSport. As the national governing body for padel in the United States, the USPA has a responsibility to ensure that the values reflected in the SafeSport Code, including the protection of athlete dignity, the maintenance of appropriate professional boundaries, the prevention of sexualization within sport environments, and the safeguarding of minor athletes, extend beyond interpersonal conduct and into the way athletes, the sport, and the padel community are represented in public-facing content and communications.

This policy establishes formal standards governing public-facing content, communications, and athlete representation across all USPA-affiliated entities. It is designed to provide clear, actionable guidance to clubs, sponsors, partners, tournament organizers, and all other individuals and organizations operating within the USPA ecosystem.

2. SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to all individuals and entities affiliated with the USPA, including but not limited to:

• USPA member clubs at all membership tiers (Registered, Official, and Premier)
• Tournament organizers and directors of USPA-sanctioned events
• Sponsors and commercial partners of the USPA and of USPA-sanctioned events
• Coaches, officials, and staff operating within the USPA framework
• Any third party producing, publishing, or distributing content in connection with USPA affiliation, USPA-sanctioned events, or using USPA logos, trademarks, or designations.
  
  

This policy covers all public-facing content and communications, including but not limited to:

• Marketing and advertising materials (print and digital)
• Social media content on all platforms
• Website content referencing USPA affiliation or USPA-sanctioned events
• Event branding, signage, banners, and on-site visuals
• Sponsorship and promotional materials
• Livestream graphics, overlays, and broadcast content
• Email communications and newsletters
• Photography and video content used for promotional purposes
• Merchandise design and packaging
  
  

3. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The standards outlined in this policy are grounded in the following principles, which are consistent with the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code, the USPA Code of Conduct, and evolving best practices across national and international sport organizations:

3.1. Respect for Athlete Dignity. Every athlete, regardless of gender, age, competitive level, or background, is entitled to be represented with dignity and respect. Content should honor the athlete’s skill, effort, and competitive achievement, not reduce them to their physical appearance.

3.2. Maintenance of Professional Boundaries. The SafeSport Code prohibits conduct that blurs professional boundaries, including the sexualization of athletes within the sport environment. Public-facing content is part of the sport environment. Content that sexualizes athletes contributes to a culture in which boundary violations become normalized.

3.3. Protection of Minor Athletes. The USPA is committed to developing junior padel and protecting minor athletes. All content associated with the USPA must be appropriate for mixed-age audiences, reflecting the reality that junior athletes, their parents, and families are part of the USPA community and are exposed to all public-facing content produced by affiliated entities.

3.4. Prevention of Grooming Environments. The SafeSport Code identifies grooming as a process that can occur through direct or online contact. Content that normalizes the sexualization of athletes, including adult athletes, within sport environments can contribute to conditions in which grooming behaviors are more difficult to identify and more easily rationalized. This policy addresses the broader cultural environment, not only individual conduct.

3.5. Equity and Inclusivity. Padel is an accessible, community-driven sport. Public-facing content should reflect this by representing athletes equitably across genders and avoiding any implication, direct or indirect, that participation is contingent upon physical appearance, body type, or perceived attractiveness.

4. STANDARDS

4.1. Athlete Representation

All public-facing content produced, published, or promoted in connection with USPA affiliation or USPA-sanctioned events shall:

(a) Portray athletes in a manner that emphasizes performance, skill, competition, sportsmanship, and community;

(b) Avoid sexualized imagery, poses, angles, or framing unrelated to athletic performance;

(c) Represent athletes equitably, respectfully, and consistently across genders; the way male and female athletes are depicted in content should reflect comparable standards of professionalism and dignity.

(d) Not use athlete imagery primarily to attract attention through physical appearance rather than athletic achievement;

(e) Not feature content that isolates or emphasizes body parts in a manner unrelated to the athletic activity being depicted.

Guidance: Action shots, competition photography, training imagery, team photos, podium and awards imagery, community engagement photos, and behind-the-scenes content showing the human side of the sport are all encouraged. The standard is not about eliminating personality or joy from content; it is about ensuring that the primary message is athletic, competitive, or community-oriented.

4.2. Youth-Safe Content

All public-facing content associated with USPA affiliation must be appropriate for mixed-age audiences. Specifically:

(a) Content must not contribute to the normalization of sexualized sport environments;

(b) Content must not undermine safe developmental spaces for junior athletes;

(c) Content featuring minor athletes must be particularly carefully reviewed to ensure it is appropriate, dignified, and consistent with the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP) adopted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport;

(d) Content should not place minor athletes in adult-oriented marketing contexts, including content associated with alcohol, gambling, or other age-restricted products or services;

(e) Photography and video of minor athletes must comply with all applicable USPA, SafeSport, and venue policies regarding consent, parental authorization, and appropriate depiction.

Guidance: When in doubt about whether content involving a minor athlete is appropriate, the test is: would a reasonable parent be comfortable seeing their child depicted in this way in a public-facing communication from a national sports organization? If the answer is uncertain, the content should be modified or not used.

4.3. Inclusivity and Accessibility

Public-facing content and communications shall:

(a) Not imply, directly or indirectly, that participation in padel or in USPA-affiliated activities is contingent upon physical appearance, body type, or perceived attractiveness;

(b) Reflect the diversity of the padel community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, body type, skill level, and background;

(c) Reinforce padel as an accessible, community-driven sport open to all;

(d) Avoid language, imagery, or messaging that excludes, demeans, or stereotypes any group of participants.

Guidance: Aspirational, high-energy content is welcome and encouraged. The standard is not about making content bland; it is about ensuring that the implicit message of content is “this sport is for you” rather than “this sport is for people who look a certain way.”

4.4. Sponsor and Partner Content

Sponsors, partners, and third parties producing content in connection with USPA-sanctioned events or using USPA affiliation, logos, or designations are subject to the same standards as clubs and organizers. Specifically:

(a) Sponsorship activations, advertisements, and promotional materials associated with USPA-sanctioned events must comply with the athlete representation, youth-safe content, and inclusivity standards outlined in this policy;

(b) Content associated with USPA-sanctioned events or USPA-affiliated entities must not include material that is discriminatory, demeaning, or that sexualizes athletes in a manner inconsistent with athlete dignity;

(c) Clubs hosting USPA-sanctioned events are responsible for ensuring that their sponsors’ on-site and digital content complies with this policy;

(d) The USPA reserves the right to require the removal of sponsor or partner content that does not comply with this policy.

5. REPORTING AND CONCERNS

Any individual may report a concern regarding public-facing content that they believe violates this policy. Reports may be submitted to:

Email: info@padelusa.org

Subject line: Content Standards Concern

Reports should include, where possible:

• A description of the content of concern
• The platform or location where the content appears (URL, social media handle, event name, etc.)
• A screenshot or link to the content, if available
• The date the content was observed
  
  

Reports may be submitted anonymously. The USPA will not retaliate against any individual for submitting a good-faith report under this policy.

6. REVIEW AND ENFORCEMENT

6.1. USPA Review Authority. The USPA reserves the right to review any public-facing content associated with USPA affiliation or USPA-sanctioned events for compliance with this policy. Reviews may be initiated proactively by the USPA or in response to a report submitted under Section 5.

6.2. Graduated Response. The USPA will apply a graduated response to non-compliance, taking into account the severity of the violation, whether minor athletes are involved, whether the violation reflects a pattern, and the responsiveness of the affiliated entity:

Level 1, Guidance and Education. For first-time or minor violations, the USPA will contact the affiliated entity to explain the concern, provide guidance on bringing the content into compliance, and offer educational resources. The USPA recognizes that many affiliated entities may not have previously operated under formal content standards and will prioritize education during the initial implementation period.

Level 2, Content Removal or Modification Request. If the content is materially non-compliant, the USPA will issue a written request for removal or modification. The affiliated entity shall action such a request within seventy two (72) hours of receiving written notice.

Level 3, Suspension of Affiliation or Sanctioning. For repeated violations, failure to comply with a Level 2 request, or serious violations, the USPA may suspend the entity’s membership, affiliation, or event sanctioning pending resolution.

Level 4, Termination of Membership or Partnership. For persistent non-compliance or a single instance of a serious violation, particularly one involving the sexualization of minor athletes, the USPA may terminate the entity’s membership or partnership in accordance with the applicable membership agreement.

6.3. Immediate Action. The USPA may bypass the graduated response and take immediate action, including suspension of affiliation and withdrawal of event sanctioning, in cases involving:

(a) Content that sexualizes minor athletes;

(b) Content that creates an immediate risk to the safety, dignity, or well-being of any athlete;

(c) Content that constitutes or facilitates conduct prohibited under the SafeSport Code.

7. EDUCATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

The USPA is committed to supporting affiliated entities in understanding and implementing these standards. The following educational resources and implementation support will be provided:

7.1. Policy Distribution. This policy will be published on the USPA website and distributed to all member clubs, tournament organizers, sponsors, and partners.

7.2. Integration into Membership and Sanctioning. Compliance with this policy is a condition of USPA club membership (as outlined in Section 10 of the Club Membership Agreement) and of event sanctioning approval.

7.3. Educational Guidance. The USPA will develop and distribute supplemental educational guidance, including practical examples of compliant and non-compliant content, best practices for athlete photography and social media, and guidance on sponsor content review.

7.4. SafeSport Training. The USPA encourages all club owners, managers, marketing staff, and content creators to complete SafeSport training, which is available free of charge at safesporttrained.org. While this training is mandatory for coaches and individuals with direct contact with minor athletes, the USPA recommends it for all individuals involved in producing public-facing content for USPA-affiliated entities.

7.5. Collaboration with SafeSport Advisors. The USPA may engage SafeSport advisors or consultants to support the ongoing development and refinement of these standards and to provide specialized guidance on complex or sensitive matters.

8. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER USPA POLICIES

This policy operates alongside and is intended to complement the following USPA governance documents:

• USPA Code of Conduct
• USPA Club Membership Agreement (Section 10: Public-Facing Content and Communications Standards)
• USPA Individual Membership Terms and Conditions
• USPA Privacy Policy
• U.S. Center for SafeSport Code (as adopted by the USPA)
• Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies (MAAPP)
  
  

In the event of any conflict between this policy and the SafeSport Code, the SafeSport Code shall prevail. In the event of any conflict between this policy and the USPA Club Membership Agreement, the Club Membership Agreement shall prevail with respect to enforcement mechanisms and remedies.

9. POLICY REVIEW AND UPDATES

This policy will be reviewed by the USPA Board of Directors at least annually and updated as necessary to reflect changes in SafeSport requirements, evolving best practices across national and international sport organizations, and feedback from the USPA community.

Members, clubs, and partners will be notified of any material changes to this policy.

10. ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This policy was developed in consultation with Dr. Celine Thum and reflects the USPA’s commitment to proactively defining the cultural and professional standards of padel in the United States during a period of rapid growth. The USPA believes that by establishing these standards now, the sport can grow in an inclusive, respectful, and sustainable manner for future generations.

United States Padel Association 5900 Balcones Drive, Suite 100 Austin, Texas 78731, USA

Email: info@padelusa.org Website: www.padelusa.org