USA Pickleball Expands Competition Team And Names Tom Tadler As Managing Director of Officiating
The National Governing Body has also appointed Craig Haas to the role of Director of Tournament Operations
PHOENIX – USA Pickleball, the National Governing Body for pickleball in the U.S., today named long-time referee and the Chairman of the Referee Advisory Council, Tom Tadler, its new Managing Director of Officiating. Additionally, USA Pickleball appointed Craig Haas to the role of Director of Tournament Operations, effective February 1. Tadler will begin his new role on February 15.
In the Managing Director of Officiating role, Tadler will represent USA Pickleball as an authoritative figure on all rule and referee-related matters, with specific duties including leading all referee training, providing direction and support to the National Officiating Committee and Global Pickleball Federation (GPF) international officials, managing the Certified Referee Evaluator Program, overseeing the officiating at the USA Pickleball Golden Ticket series and National Championships, and much more.
“I am very excited to have Tom Tadler join USA Pickleball as the Managing Director of Officiating,” said Steve Wong, Vice President of Competition. “Tom has been a Certified Referee for several years and is well-respected by his peers. I believe he will play an integral part in growing the officiating program and taking it to the next level.”
After discovering pickleball in 2017, Tadler joined the USA Pickleball referee program in 2018 and became a Certified Referee in 2019. In addition, Tadler has been serving as Chairman of the Referee Advisory Council for USA Pickleball. He is a Registered Referee Trainer and a member of the Advanced Training Session Team in the Atlantic South Region led by Julie Scott. Tadler has refereed over 1,500 matches since joining USA Pickleball. He actively participates in weekly on-court training sessions and listens in on referee training calls and presentations. As a well-known and well-respected USAP official, Tadler has officiated several USA Pickleball Golden Ticket, Minto US Open, APP and PPA matches and is featured as the lead official on many televised and live streamed broadcasts.
“I am excited to be working with over 800 professional officials who are dedicated to the sport of pickleball,” Tadler said. “USA Pickleball is the credentialling resource for officials and we need to not only grow in numbers but also in training and the consistency on court. My staff and I will be committed and responsive to referees to continue to advance this program.”
As the Director of Tournament Operations, Haas will lead the various aspects of providing excellent tournament player experiences for USA Pickleball members. Haas has been a long-time organizer and operator of tournaments of all sizes since becoming a member of USA Pickleball in 2012. As an independent contractor with PickleballTournaments.com, he ran tournament operations for larger events with groups such as USA Pickleball, the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and the Association of Pickleball Players (APP). Haas’ tournament operations experience ranges from Pickleball National Championships to USA Pickleball Diamond Regional tournaments to the Huntsman World Senior Games to USA Pickleball Diamond Amateur Championships.
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About USA Pickleball
USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body (NGB) for the sport of pickleball in the United States. Its mission is to promote the development and growth of the sport while sanctioning events and providing annual members with premier tournaments, educational opportunities, player rankings, official rules and other exclusive benefits. USA Pickleball is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that is governed and operated by a Board of Directors and a national office staff, who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued expansion of the sport.
USA Pickleball Media Contact:
Melissa Zhang, Director of Communications & Content
mzhang@usapickleball.org