🏆 Dyrham Park Padel League – Rules & Format

🎾 League Structure

• Categories: Men's, Women's, and Mixed.
• Team Composition Requirements:
  • Men's League: 2 Men only
  • Women's League: 2 Women only
  • Mixed League: 1 Man + 1 Woman only
• Divisions: Each category may have multiple leagues (e.g., Men's League 1, 2, 3) depending on entries.
• Size: Each league will ideally have 8 teams.
  • If fewer than 8 teams: the league may run with 6 or 4 teams.
  • If more than 8 teams: additional divisions will be created.
• Multi-entry: Players can enter more than one league (e.g., Mixed and Men's/Women's).

🗓️ Fixtures & Scheduling

• Flexible Scheduling: We provide a suggested schedule with recommended weekly matches, but teams are free to play games in any order that suits them.
• Season Requirement: All matches must be completed by the end of the season. The suggested schedule is just a guide to help teams pace themselves.
• Matches must be played at Dyrham Park and booked/paid for via Playtomic.
• Teams are responsible for organising their own matches.
• You can play multiple games in one week, skip weeks, or rearrange as needed - as long as all fixtures are completed by season end.

📅 Court Cancellations

• The club’s standard cancellation policy requires at least 48 hours’ notice.
• As a special arrangement for league matches only, and only for bad weather (not for illness, personal plans, or any other reason), the club will accept a minimum of 24 hours’ notice for cancellation. Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice are not permitted for league games.
• Accepted cancellations (within the notice periods above) are not refunded. Instead, a credit is placed in your club wallet in Playtomic, which you can use for future court bookings.
• We ask that you respect these deadlines: late cancellations affect the club and reduce court availability for other members, so please cancel in good time whenever you can.

🤝 Scheduling and Rescheduling

• Our aim is to keep league administration simple and fair while giving teams maximum flexibility.
• Complete Flexibility: The suggested weekly schedule is just a guide. You can play games in any order, play multiple games in one week, or skip weeks entirely - whatever works for you and your opponents.
• Communication is Key: When arranging matches, post in your division's WhatsApp group and coordinate directly with opposing teams. Please offer alternative date/time options and respond promptly to other teams.
• Weather, illness, and unforeseen events: Simply communicate early and arrange an alternative time that works for both teams. If a match starts but is stopped (e.g. weather), please agree a completion date as soon as possible.
• Season-End Deadline:
  • The only hard requirement is that all matches must be completed by the end of the season.
  • Unplayed fixtures at season end: If a fixture is still unplayed when the season ends:
    • Where one team is clearly at fault (e.g. no reasonable effort to communicate or arrange the match), the organisers will award a walkover to the other team (4 points to the non‑fault team, 0 to the fault team).
    • Where both teams appear to be at fault (e.g. neither side managed to arrange the match), 2 points will be deducted from each team. This encourages everyone to ensure all fixtures are played.
• Fair play and communication: use the WhatsApp group so communication is transparent; confirm the agreed date/time once set; and update others quickly if plans change.
• Examples:
  • Holiday coming up? → Play your matches before you go, or catch up when you return.
  • Forecast rain? → Simply rearrange for another time that suits both teams (matches must be played at Dyrham Park).
  • Illness on the day? → Notify ASAP and arrange an alternative time.
  • Want to play multiple games in one week? → Go ahead! Just ensure all matches are completed by season end.

🕐 Match Format

• Matches are best of 3 sets.
• Standard padel scoring applies (no tie-break variations unless agreed by both teams).
• Playtomic booking type: Competitive or Friendly is acceptable — please agree with the opposing team when booking.
• Match duration:
  • The official format is based on a 60-minute booking.
  • Teams may choose to book a 90-minute court if all players agree, but this is optional and not required.
  • Regardless of booking length, the “only completed sets count” rule applies if time runs out (see Scoring System).

➕ Deuce Options: Golden Point, Silver Point, Standard Deuce

• Golden Point (No-Advantage): When a game reaches deuce (40–40), a single deciding point is played. The receiving team chooses which player receives serve. The winner of that point wins the game.
• Silver Point: At deuce, play one normal advantage point (Ad-In/Ad-Out). If that point brings the score back to deuce, the next point is a sudden‑death golden point — the winner of that point wins the game.
• Standard Deuce (Advantage Scoring): After deuce, a team must win two consecutive points to win the game (Ad-In/Ad-Out). If the trailing team wins the next point, the score returns to deuce.

League stance: We have no preference — please agree your deuce format before the match starts. Our suggestions:

• For 60-minute bookings: Golden Point or Silver Point.
• For 90-minute bookings: Silver Point or Standard Deuce.

🔢 Scoring System

• 2 points per set won.
  • Example: A 2–1 victory = 4 points to the winners, 2 points to the losers.
  • Example: A 2–0 victory = 4 points to the winners, 0 points to the losers.
• Unfinished matches: Only completed sets count towards the score. If the deciding set is unfinished when time expires, no points are awarded for that set.
  • Example: If the score is 1–1 in sets and the third set is 3–2 when time runs out, the result is recorded as 1–1 (2 points each).
• No-shows / Unorganised matches: counted as a 6–0, 6–0 victory for the team not at fault. (That team receives 4 points; the other receives 0.)
• Unplayed fixtures at season end: If one team is clearly at fault, a walkover is awarded (4 points to the other team, 0 to the fault team). If both teams are at fault, 2 points are deducted from each team (see Scheduling and Rescheduling for full details).

📊 League Standings

• Tables will be updated weekly and shared in the dedicated WhatsApp group (and on the website once ready).
• Final standings will be determined by total points earned.
• In the case of a tie, the following tie-breakers apply (in order):
  1. Head-to-head result between tied teams.
     Example: If Team A and Team B finish level on points, but Team A won their match against Team B, Team A will be ranked higher.
  2. Total games won across the season, based on game difference (games won minus games lost).
     Example: If two teams have the same points and drew their head-to-head match, the team with the higher overall game difference (e.g. +61 vs +44) will be ranked higher.

🏅 Prizes

• A trophy + prize will be awarded to the winners of each league.

📋 League Placement

• Rating-based placement: All teams are placed into leagues based solely on their combined Playtomic ratings. Teams are sorted by their combined rating (player 1 + player 2) and distributed evenly across leagues to ensure competitive balance.
• Balanced divisions: We aim to keep 8 teams per league. Teams are distributed evenly across divisions based on their combined ratings, with the highest-rated teams in League 1, and so on.
• Each season is fresh: League placement is recalculated each season based on current team registrations and ratings. This ensures leagues remain competitive and balanced regardless of previous season results.
• New teams: New teams are placed based on their combined Playtomic ratings, ensuring they compete at an appropriate level from the start.
• Special cases: If entries change significantly (teams withdrawing/late entries), the organisers may adjust divisions to keep the competition fair and balanced.

❌ Withdrawals & Dropouts

• No Refunds: If you withdraw or pull out at any time, for any reason, you will not receive a refund of your entry fee.
• Fair Treatment for All Teams: If a team withdraws at any point during the season, all their matches (both completed and scheduled) will be removed from the league records. This ensures fairness for everyone:
  • Teams that have already played the withdrawing team will have those results removed (no points gained or lost).
  • Teams scheduled to play the withdrawing team will have those fixtures removed (no walkovers awarded).
  • This ensures no team gains an unfair advantage or disadvantage from another team's withdrawal.
• The withdrawing team will be removed from league standings and all future fixtures.

🩹 Injuries & Replacement Partners

If a player is injured or can’t complete the season, the team may request a like‑for‑like replacement partner by emailing info@dyrhamparkpadelleague.co.uk. Approval is at the league administrators’ discretion to keep divisions fair and consistent.

⏱️ Lateness & No‑Shows

• Arrive on time: Please plan to be on court and ready to start at the booking time.
• 10+ minutes late: If a team is more than 10 minutes late and the match cannot be finished within the booking, the late team forfeits the final set 6–0 to avoid penalising the punctual team on points.
• Rescheduling option: The non‑fault team may choose to arrange another time to complete the match, but they are not obliged to do so.
• Disputes: Teams should first try to resolve any disagreement between themselves. If needed, the league administrators will make a final decision.
• Court fees: Dyrham Park Padel League cannot be responsible for court costs arising from no‑shows or late cancellations.

🤝 Don’t Have a Partner?

No problem — if you sign up as an individual, we’ll do our best to pair you with another player.

💷 Entry Fee

• £50 per team (covers organisation, admin, and prizes).
• Court bookings are paid separately by players through Playtomic.
• No Refunds: Entry fees are non-refundable. If you withdraw or pull out at any time, you will not receive a refund.