🏆 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

• Teams will be given fixtures and a one-week window to complete each match.
• Matches must be played at Dyrham Park and booked/paid for via Playtomic.
• Teams are responsible for organising their own matches.
• If a match cannot be played within the allotted week, the organisers may intervene and award a result.

🤝 Scheduling and Rescheduling

• Our aim is to keep league administration simple and fair while giving teams reasonable flexibility.
• If you know you can’t play a scheduled week:
  • Post in your division’s WhatsApp group as early as possible.
  • Propose either playing the match one week earlier or one week later (this may mean two matches in one week).
  • Please offer at least two alternative date/time options and respond promptly to other teams.
• Weather, illness, and unforeseen events: the same guidance applies — communicate early and arrange to play one week earlier or one week later. If a match starts but is stopped (e.g. weather), please agree a completion date as soon as possible.
• Deadlines and forfeits:
  • If teams cannot agree a time within the one-week-early/one-week-late window, the fixture remains scheduled for its original week.
  • Where no reasonable effort is made to communicate or offer alternatives, the match may be recorded as a walkover at the organisers’ discretion.
  • We cannot accommodate extended rolling postponements across multiple weeks.
• 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 known in advance → message early; ask to play the prior or following week.
  • Forecast rain → discuss alternative times or move by one week (matches must be played at Dyrham Park).
  • Illness on the day → notify ASAP and offer times within one week either side.

🕐 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.)

📊 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 & Promotion

• A trophy + prize will be awarded to the winners of each league.
• For future seasons:
  • Top 2 teams may be promoted.
  • Bottom 2 teams may be relegated.
  • New entries will be placed into the appropriate division.

⬆️⬇️ Promotion & Relegation – How It Works

• End of season movement: Typically the top two teams in each league are promoted and the bottom two teams are relegated to the division above/below for the next season.
• Returning teams stay put by default: If your team returns with the same two players, you’ll remain in your previous league unless you finish in the top/bottom two (or the organisers make a rare manual adjustment).
• New teams and strength-based placement: New teams are placed based on the players’ Playtomic ratings so that leagues are competitive from the start. Very strong new teams may be placed into a higher league.
• Balanced divisions: We aim to keep 8 teams per league. If needed, teams may be shuffled slightly to ensure even numbers across divisions, while respecting promotions and relegations.
• Special cases: If entries change significantly (teams withdrawing/late entries), the organisers may adjust divisions to keep the competition fair and balanced.

❌ Withdrawals & Dropouts

• If a team withdraws before the halfway point of the season, all their results will be voided.
• If after halfway, their results will stand, but remaining fixtures will be awarded as walkovers.

🩹 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

• £25 per team (covers organisation, admin, and prizes).
• Court bookings are paid separately by players through Playtomic.