RULES

League Overview

PALM BEACH COUNTY PICKLEBALL LEAGUE RULES

Purpose
To form a Palm Beach County Pickleball Competitive League. It will consist of Divisions of 4-9 teams that will compete during the Fall season and the Spring season. 

1.  Requirements for community participation
    a.  A community must have a minimum of two regulation-sized pickleball courts. If they do not, they will travel each week but provide the balls and drinks when they were deemed the "Home Team".
     b.  Each community will host the game an equal number of times (approximately), unless their courts are non-playable, and provide water and balls for the players.
    c.  Each community must provide a preliminary team roster 14 days prior to the start of each season. The roster must have a minimum of 10 eligible players and a maximum of 20 eligible players. The roster will be frozen 2 weeks after the start of the season.
     d.  During the Fall season only, two communities (each of whom have been in the League previously) may merge to play as a single community, with one designated captain, and one roster. 
    e.  The community must be approved by the Board.

2. Eligibility of players
     a.  A player must be a current resident of the community or live full time in the community in Palm Beach County.  Under Rule 1.d. a player must be a resident of one of the merged communities.
     b. A player must be age 55 or older.
     c.  Both Men and Women will be playing interchangeably.
     d.  Each player can fill only one Line position of the team.
     e.  A player will not be eligible to play in the League if they are, or have been in the last 10 years, a registered member of the USPTA or IPTPA or similar organization, derived income by either playing professionally or teaching tennis, pickleball, or other racquet or paddle sport for remuneration.

3. Dates and Time of Play
     a.  The starting date for the Fall shall be the second or third week of October.
     b.  The starting date for the Spring season shall be the third or fourth week of January.
     c.  Each season shall run 6 - 7 weeks followed by a Playoff for the top 4 teams (when more than 4 teams in a division), followed by a Finals for the top 2 teams.
     d.  The games shall be played on Saturdays starting at 11:00 am unless an alternate date and/or time is agreed to by BOTH teams.
     e.  All 5 court positions must be played on the scheduled date. Captains do not have the option to allow one or more courts to be played on a different day. This regulation applies to the originally scheduled match play; it is not relevant for rainouts.
     f.  No match shall start prior to the arrival of all players.
     g.  The teams will play each other once during the season, and the winning team shall email the results to the Coordinator.
     h.  If necessary, because of the number of teams in the league, a "bye" may be scheduled for each team.
     i.  For Divisions with 6 or more teams, the 4 teams with the greatest number of points will play in the Playoffs (#1 vs #4, #2 vs #3), and the winners of the playoffs shall play in the Finals 1 week later.  With Divisions with 5 or fewer teams, there shall only be a Finals between #1 vs #2.
     j.  The Finals shall be played at a designated venue which allows for ample spectator viewing/seating, but hosted by the League.
     k.  A team trophy will be awarded to both teams playing in the Finals at the end of each season.

4. Play of the Game
     a.  Each team will simultaneously submit complete line-ups to each other before the start of the match.
     b.  Each team will consist of 5 lines of two players each. 10 players will be needed for each team match.
     c.  Each line will play best 2 of 3 games.
     d.  Each game will be first to 11 points, win by 2.
     e.  Each match will begin with a coin toss. The winner of the toss shall choose whether to serve first or not, and loser picks which side to start on.
      f.  Players will switch sides of court when one team scores 6 points first.
      g. In communities with 2 courts, Line 1 and Line 2 will be played first.  When they finish their first game, Line 3 and Line 4 will play their first game, then rotate to Line 5 and Line 1 (who will be playing their second game).  This will continue on a rotational basis till all Lines have finished their matches.  If any Line splits sets, they will play a third set tiebreaker to 11 points, also on a rotational basis.
          In communities with more than 2 courts, the captains may assign Lines to each of the courts on a rotational basis as above.
      h.  The competition shall not begin until all participating players from both teams are present.  If all players are not present at the designated starting time, a 15 minute grace period shall be given.
If a forfeit is necessary the Line forfeited shall be the lowest Line of the team roster.  If more than one forfeit is required, the same rule shall be applied. 

5. Match Point Scoring
     a.  Scoring will be weighted by the position of Line to prevent "stacking":
Line 1 win = 3 Standing Points
Line 2 win = 3 Standing Points
Line 3 win = 2 Standing Points
Line 4 win = 2 Standing Points
Line 5 win = 1 Standing Point
     b. At the end of the match, both Captains will sign the score sheets.
     c. At the end of each match, the Captain of the winning team shall email or fax their scores to the Division Coordinator.
     d. If two teams are tied for a playoff or winning position at the end of the regular season, the team with the most points in the head-to-head competition shall be declared the winner.
     e.  If three or more team are tied, then whichever team has more Matches won shall be declared the winner.

6. Rain delays
     a.  Rain delays must be made up prior to the next scheduled play date, and the date must be agreed to by BOTH teams.
     b.  Before teams have assembled: The home team captain shall contact the visiting captain no later than 1 hour before the match time to spare the players an unnecessary trip.
     c.  After teams have assembled: They shall wait for 45 minutes unless both captains agree to a longer or shorter wait.
     d.  After play has started: Continuation of play can be delayed up to 45 minutes unless both captains agree to a longer or shorter wait. If the play is postponed, all games and points played before interruption stand and play resumes from that point, with the same player line-up.

7. Rescheduling of postponed games
     a.  When postponement is necessary, captains must agree on a future date which shall be within 7 days of the originally scheduled date. The 5 lines may play on different days and/or different times if necessary. If possible, the make-up days and times should be agreed upon to at the time of the postponement, but no later than 24 hours from the postponement. Any Lines not played within the 7 days of postponement will be considered ‘no contest’ and no points will be awarded to either team.
     b.  All games and points played before the postponement will stand. No player substitutions will be allowed for a court that has started, even if the court is rescheduled for a different day. The court is considered officially started when the first ball is struck.
     c.  If the two captains cannot agree on a make-up date, each will submit one date within the 7-day limit to the league. A coin toss by the Coordinator will decide which date will be played.
     d.  If one or more of the positions are unable to continue to play on a rematch date, it will be considered a default of that position (not a forfeit), and the winning team will receive all the match points from that position.

8. Forfeits
     a.  A line shall be considered a forfeit if two players from a team are not available to play within 15 minutes of the starting time. Players from lower lines must be moved up to fill vacant spots, and all forfeits will be taken on the lowest lines.
     b.  If a player is injured, or cannot finish a started game for any reason, that game will be considered a forfeit.
     c.  A team that forfeits more than three times during the season may be dropped from the League.

9. Divisions
     a.  Every effort shall be made to place teams in a Division commensurate with their skills.
     b.  Each Division shall have a minimum of 4 teams.
     c.  In each new season, teams will be upgraded or downgraded in accordance with their performance within their division in the prior season.
     d.  Generally, the first two teams will be moved up to the next higher division, and the two lowest teams will be moved down to the next lower division.
     e.  These moves will be reviewed by the Board and may be subject to overrule if warranted. (Illnesses, injuries, vacancies)
     f.  All new teams may be added to the lowest division.

10. Fees
     a.  There shall be no fees to join this league except a nominal entrance donation per team to cover the cost of a trophy to be awarded at the end of each season.
     b.  This shall be reviewed on an annual basis.

11. USAPA Regulations
     a.  All players in the Palm Beach County Pickleball League will abide by the USAPA Rules (http://www.usapa.org/ifp-official-rules/) unless they conflict with these rules.  In that case, the PBC Pickleball Rules shall supersede. 

12. Balls
     a.  Appropriate balls approved by the USAPA will be provided by the home team for all games played.

13. Paddles
     a.  Paddles must conform to USAPA specifications.

14. Time Outs
     a.  Standard Time Outs
         1.  Each team is entitled to two Time Outs per game.
         2.  These tie outs may last up to 1 minute each.  
         3.  Only the individual players involved in the match can call a Time Out.  The player shall call "Time Out" and lay his/her paddle on the ground.  After 1 minute maximum, play must resume.
     b.  Medical Time Outs
          1.  If a player is injured during a match that player may take a Medical Time Out.
          2.  These timeouts may last up to 15 minutes.  If play cannot resume after this 15-minute timeout,  the game shall be forfeited.
          3. A player may take only one Medical Time Out per match.
          4.  The time must be continuous.  If less than 15 minutes is used, no additional medical time is available to that player during that match.
          5.  Only the individual players involved in the match can call a Medical Time Out.

15.  Coaching
       a.  Coaching may only be done by the Team Captain or Co-Captain.
       b.  Coaching may only be done between games, or during timeouts.
       c.  If coaching is done at any other time, a warning shall be issued by the opposing Captain or Co-Captain,  and if a second warning is given, the opposing Captain shall notify the Board to ask for a Disqualification of that match.

 16. Players Rights and Responsibilities
     a.  Players must remember that they represent their club and their behavior reflects on their fellow team members. When playing at home, make the visiting team feel welcome. When playing away, remember you are a guest at your opponent’s club.
     b.  Players must adhere to the dress code and footwear requirements of the home club.
     c.  A player may request an umpire if he feels it is needed, and only under extreme circumstances. The umpire will have authority to overrule calls if requested.
     d.  A player may request to have a spectator removed if the spectator is causing a disturbance or conduct violation. At such time the spectator may be warned or removed at the discretion of the person in charge.
     e.  A player may request a rule interpretation from either team captain.
     f.  A player may NOT ask those watching (including the person in charge) whether a ball is in or out, or what the score is.
     g.  A player must show good sportsmanlike conduct during all League matches.
     h.  Any team violating these rules or the Code of Conduct may be suspended for the balance of the season and/or not invited back for the following season at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
     i.  Captains and players should familiarize themselves with these rules prior to the start of the season. Captains cannot agree to any situation which violates these rules.

17. Spectators
     a.  Spectators or coaches are welcome to watch and enjoy the matches. Their role, however, is restricted to passive observers with no involvement of any kind during the match.
     b.  Cell phones and beepers must be turned off on and near the courts where matches are being played.

18. Disputes
     a.  The captains shall try to resolve all disputes "on the spot". When there is a complaint about a member’s misbehavior or a dispute that cannot be settled by the captains, each team shall submit a written account of the incident to the League Coordinator for resolution.

19. Board of Directors
     a.  The Board shall be made up of the Coordinator and a representative from different participating teams.
     b.  They shall resolve any unsettled team disputes
     c.  They shall establish dates, times and locations of all matches.
     d.  They shall provide weekly reports of team standings to all captains.
     e.  They shall adjudicate suspensions for violations of rules.
      f.  The Board members shall serve for a term of one year.
     g.  The present Board of Directors is made up of:
Walter Gassner – Coordinator
Charlie Brostoff – Valencia Palms
Marty Skolnik — Avalon Estates
Murray Gendzel — Valencia Reserve
Steve Greenberg —  Villaggio Reserve
Tony Guerriero — Venetian Isles
Jeffrey Howard — Valencia Cove
Bob Versalie — Coral Lakes

Revised 2/4/18