Game Format

  • All Pickleball Leagues are doubles format; teams will play with two players on the court.
  • All Pickleball Leagues are double opponent; teams will play two matches per night against different opponents.
  • All Pickleball Leagues use an Event Coordinator (EC).
  • All Pickleball Leagues are self-officiated.
  • Pickleball leagues use a weekly time slot that ranges from 1.5 to 2.0 hours.
  • Each match will consist of three games;
    • All games are played to 11 points (must win by two, to a max of 15)

Season Length

  • All 9 Week Pickleball Leagues (Fall, Winter, Spring) use the following structure:
    • 8 weeks of seeding / regular season games (16 total matches).
      • Seeding round is dependent on the number of teams registered.
    • 1 week of playoff games (2 total matches).
  • All 8 Week Pickleball Leagues (Summer) use the following structure:
    • 7 weeks of seeding / regular season games (14 total matches).
      • Seeding round is dependent on the number of teams registered.
    • 1 week of playoff games (2 total matches).
  • There may be instances where byes are scheduled due to facility availability, meaning the season may be played over 9-12 total weeks. 
  • In rare cases, games may be played on Long Weekends or Holidays.

Playoffs

  • Playoff Format:
    • All teams are guaranteed 2 playoff matches.
    • Only the Top 4 teams will compete for the League Championship.
    • League champs will receive t-shirts that can be picked up from the Season-end Party.
    • There are no ties in the Playoffs:
      • If time is called, the team who has won the most games wins the match.
      • ​​​A minimum of 5 total points must be played in any game for it to count.
      • If both teams have won the same number of games:
        • ​​The team with the higher point differential wins the match.
        • If teams are tied in point-differential, one additional tie-breaker point must be played.

Rosters

 Format Ideal Roster Size
(F) = Female		 Total # of Players
Required on the Court		 Min # of Females
Required on the Court		 Max # of M/X
Allowed on the Court
Co-Ed - Doubles 2 (1 F) 2 1 1
Open - Doubles 2 2 0 2
  • When registering a full team, there is no limit to the maximum number of players teams can have on their roster.
  • Prior to the first game of the season, teams must have 2 players confirmed on the roster in MyESSC. This number is equal to the total number of players required on the court in the above chart.
    • If the minimum amount of confirmed roster players is not met, the team will receive a loss for every game played until the requirement is met.
    • Minimum female requirements are inclusive of anyone who identifies as female (i.e. players who identify as M or X do not count towards F minimums).
  • Prior to the first playoff game, teams must have all players who are playing in the playoff game(s) displayed as part of the confirmed roster in MyESSC.
    • If this requirement is not met, teams will receive an automatic loss and will not be eligible for the championship.
  • A team may bring in subs that are not listed on the roster. To learn more about the sub policies, click here.

Masters Roster

 Format Ideal Roster Size
(F) = Female		 Total # of Players
Required on the Court		 Min # of Females
Required on the Court		 Max # of M/X
Allowed on the Court
Co-Ed 2 (1 F) 2 1 1
Open 2 2 0 2
  • Masters Pickleball Leagues require that all players be at least 40 years of age prior to the start of the current season.
  • When registering a full team, there is no limit to the maximum number of players teams can have on their roster.
  • Prior to the first game of the season, teams must have 2 players confirmed on the roster in MyESSC. This number is equal to the total number of players required on the court in the above chart.
    • If the minimum amount of confirmed roster players is not met, the team will receive a loss for every game played until the requirement is met.
  • Prior to the first playoff game, teams must have all players who are playing in the playoff game(s) displayed as part of the confirmed roster in MyESSC.
    • If this requirement is not met, teams will receive an automatic loss and will not be eligible for the championship.
  • A team may bring in subs that are not listed on the roster. To learn more about the sub policies, click here.