BOLA PICKLEBALL

BOLA Pickleball Doubles League – Official Rules & Guidelines

1. League Format

• Team Composition: Each team consists of 2 players (men’s, women’s, or mixed).
• 4 Weeks of Competitive Plays.
• Each Team will play two matches every week.
• Maximum of 8 Teams per Division 3.0, 3.5, 4.0+
• Tuesday - (MENS DOUBLES), Wednesday - (MIXED DOUBLES), THURSDAY - (WOMENS DOUBLES)

• Match Format:

  • Best of 3 games to 11 points, win by 2.

  • Switch sides after each game; in Game 3, switch sides at 6 points.

• Scoring System: Rally scoring or traditional pickleball scoring will be announced before league start. Default is traditional scoring.

2. Player Eligibility & Pricing

• Players must be registered

• Players may not play for more than one team in the same division.

• Registration Fee: $40

3. Court & Equipment

• All matches are played on USA Pickleball–approved courts.

• Players must use approved paddles (no damaged or altered paddles).

• Each match will use Franklin X-40 balls.

4. Match Rules

• Serve: Underhand, paddle contact below waist level, both feet behind baseline at contact.

• Double Bounce Rule: The ball must bounce once on each side before volleys are allowed.

• Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen): Players may not volley while standing in the kitchen.

• Faults: Includes hitting out of bounds, failing to clear the net, stepping into kitchen on a volley, or serving incorrectly.

• Timeouts: Each team gets 1 timeout per game (60 seconds).

5. Sportsmanship & Conduct

• Respect your opponents, referees, and league staff at all times.

• No profanity, excessive arguing, or unsportsmanlike behavior.

• Violations may result in warnings, point deductions, or removal from the league.

7. Playoff Format

• Top 4 teams in standings advance to playoffs (or as determined by number of teams).

• Single elimination, best of 3 games to 11 (win by 2).

• Tie-breakers for standings:

  1. Head-to-head results

  2. Game differential

  3. Point differential

RAIN OUT

• Notification: The league organizers will typically notify participants as soon as possible if games or events are canceled due to rain or inclement weather. This notification may be through email, text message, social media, or a dedicated website.

MAKE UP DATES : Must be played prior to Playoffs.

Play Dates & Times

Division Play Dates are as follows:

Division 4.0 - Mondays

Division 3.0 - Tuesdays

Division 3.5 - Wednesdays

TEAM Night League Scheduled Start Time and Procedure:

Matches will begin 6:30PM on your given play date.

Courts will be assign.

We have dedicated courts for the League on the given days (8 Designated Pickleball Courts)

All captains will be given the designated courts before matches.

Teams are encourage to be in the facility at least 30 mins before match for warmups.

Matches needs to start not later than 6:45PM, Hence the Park lights off 9:30PM.

Rules for 2025 TEAM League Season

In addition to our league rules, we also use the USA Pickleball Rules to guide us. Here is the link to the USA Pickleball Rules

Pricing:

• $200 per TEAM

Roster:

• A team consists of a minimum of 4 players - 2 Men & 2 Women minimum. With a Maximum of 6 players - 3 Men and 3 Women
• 2 Subs can be added - 1 for each gender (1 Man and 1 Woman)
• Substitute players can only play a maximum of 3 games and are NOT allowed to play the playoffs.

Length:

• 7 weeks Round Robin Elimination
• 1 week PLAYOFF (SEMIS)
• FINALS

Ratings & Divisions:

• New players that have not played in the league will be self-rated using their USAPA Tournament Player Rating (UTPR) or Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR) if available. If a player is not listed in the UTPR or DUPR directory, their team captain will determine the player’s rating based on the skill level the player has entered when playing in unsanctioned tournaments. If neither of these apply to a player, then the self-rating will be the division skill level.
• A player may "play up" into a higer division than their rating shows, however playing down into a lower division (sandbagging) is absolutely not allowed.
• Player’s ratings to determine which division they are eligible to play in will follow the below process. All divisions encompass a range of skill levels.

The ranges are as follows:

3.0 Division – skill range 3.000 through 3.499

3.5 Division – skill range 3.500 through 3.999

4.0+ Division – skill range of 4.000 and above

• All matches will be entered to DUPR after the league is over, please join BOLA group.

Format: MLP FORMAT

Match Format

Each match between two teams consists of four games and, if necessary, a tiebreaker:

1. Game 1: Men's Doubles

   • The two male players from each team compete against each other.

2. Game 2: Women's Doubles

   • The two female players from each team compete.

3. Game 3: Mixed Doubles (1)

   • A mixed doubles team is fielded, with one man and one woman from each team.

4. Game 4: Mixed Doubles (2)

   • The remaining male and female players compete in the second mixed doubles game.

5. Tiebreaker: Dreambreaker (if required)

   • If the teams are tied at 2-2 after four games, a Dreambreaker occurs.
   • The Dreambreaker is a singles-based rally-scoring game.
   • Each player from the team alternates playing singles points, rotating every four rallies until one team reaches 21 points.
   • Win by 2 when both team reaches to 20 points capped at 25.
   • This unique feature ensures every player participates in the deciding moments.

Scoring:

• Rally Scoring to 25
• Call Out the Scores - Loud and Clear
• LINE Calling - Sidelines Cannot Interfere with any Calls
• If the score needs to be corrected, it has to be done prior to serve or when it's served the opposing team should stop and not return or hit the ball. Score called will stay if changes were not applied after it's been played.
• Win by 2 when both teams tied at 24 (Unfreeze back to rally scoring); capped at 30. A team can only win a game while Serving.

Standings:

• Calculated by total number of Team Wins/Losses
• In the event of a First tie, will be determined by head to head team match.
• Second Tie standing will be decided by the following in the order listed: individual matches won, most games won then most points won.

Playoffs:

• At end of the regular season, the top 4 (four) teams for each division will enter into a
• single elimination playoff bracket.
• Bracket as Follow: (#1 vs #4) and (#2 #3)
• Losers will play BRONZE, Winners will play for SILVER and GOLD
• Top Seed Team will be reacting in the playoffs.

Starting Lineups:

• Teams designated "AWAY" Team for a match will be responsible for submitting their player lineup for each match as well as each game for Men's, Women's, Mixed 1, Mixed 2, and the Dreambreaker.
• Teams designated "HOME" Team for a match will be able to see opponent's lineups and respond to the gender, mixed and Dreambreaker lineups.

The First Server, Sides determination

The first server of the first game is determined by the "Away Team". The team that serves first in game one will be the receiver of the first serve in game two. Sides are also switched for game two.

Timeouts & Coaching during breaks:

• Each team will be entitled to 2 timeouts per game. Timeouts are for 1 minute maximum. Coaching is allowed during timeouts.
• Captains and/or Co-Captains (only when Team Captain is not present or playing) can also call Timeouts

Replacement Players:

• If a regular roster player is injured and cannot continue to play the balance of the season (and verified by a doctor’s note) you can replace this player. The replacement player will need to play out this roster position for the balance of the season. The injured player will not be able to play in any more matches during a season in which they have been replaced.
• Player must be replaced with a player that is eligible to play in the division.

Balls:

The official ball used will be the Franklin X-40

Scheduling:

• Bye on the schedule means that you have the week off.

RAIN OUT

• Notification: The league organizers will typically notify participants as soon as possible if games or events are canceled due to rain or inclement weather. This notification may be through email, text message, social media, or a dedicated website.

MAKE UP DATES : Must be played prior to Playoffs.

Defaults:

• If a player is injured during a match and it cannot be continued, the team with the injury would default the match.
• If a makeup game cannot be completed within 1 week of the original match date, both teams will receive a default.
• If any team that cannot field a full lineup to begin a match within 30 minutes of the scheduled start time will be subject to a default based on the discretion of the opposing team’s captain.

Roster Adjustments:

• On game day if a player becomes ill or injured, although their match may be deafulted. A roster change to any remaining matches may be made to allow the matches to continue.