Why Does Pickleball For All Require A Visible Face Photo?

As the Organizer that approves and declines all PFA profiles, I am often asked several questions like, "Why do I have to post a photo of myself?" or "Why is it a requirement of this group to post a photo, when other groups don't?" I’ll be happy to answer these questions.

I’ll answer the latter question first. It’s simple… because we care. Some Meetup groups don’t care whether you have a visible face photo or not, and have “Incidents” happen. We take precautions and nip situations in the bud because we care about the quality of PFA, it’s events, its members, and our Organizers.

As it goes for posting a picture, our number one concern for all of our members and Organizers, whether online or at an event, is SAFETY. Posting a visible face photo makes it safe for everybody. How you may ask?

1. Most criminals/bad people do not like to show their face, so that right there is a big deterrent.

2. If a criminal/bad person did meet our profile requirements and joined PFA, then caused legal and/or criminal trouble, then we have a picture of that person to give to the authorities.

3. If there is a member that did cause trouble but didn’t involve the authorities, we would know what they look like and can look out for them in the future.

4. If for whatever reason you go missing, then not only do we know what you look like, but we have a picture of you to give the search and rescue authorities.

Those are just some of the safety reasons. There are many other reasons we require a visible face photo, and here are a few of them.

1. A really good photo of yourself helps us PFA Organizers to spot members at the courts. Especially new members that are attending their first event.

2. And on the same note, A good photo of your Event Host is important, so you can know who to look for.

3. It also makes existing members feel more comfortable with knowing who is attending.

4. We have lots of members with the same name, (Bill, Katie, etc.) A photo helps distinguish those members.

Another question I hear often is, “Is it true a bad person, stalker, or someone that wants to hide their identity, can join your group with a fake name and picture, and you wouldn’t even know it?” It is TRUE. Here is the kicker though, (and this has happened) when that person shows up for an event, we recognize this and then confront it. The person has the choice to upload a visible face photo of their true self or get removed from the group.

Another situation I am proposed often is. “I can’t post a photo of myself because my wife/husband is stalking me.” I’m sorry to say, if you really do have that issue in your life, then please don’t join our group. We don’t need nor want that kind of trouble/drama in PFA.

If you can think of any more questions, about this subject, and I didn’t answer them here, feel free to write to me at GetOutTodayRVA@hotmail.com

Thanks for Reading.