Below are the format and rules for The Picklr Williamsburg League. These details may be updated as needed.
The ladder league is not for novice players. If you have played pickleball only a handful of times, or if you're wanting to learn pickleball, The Picklr has a variety of classes to get you started on your pickleball journey.
 | Basics. League play starts on the dates below. Teams are assigned a specific opponent, match time and court number each week at The Picklr Williamsburg. League play continues for seven weeks through the week of May 18, followed by a championship round for qualifying teams during the week of May 25. This is a DUPR league. You must register and get a free DUPR ID, and you must have a DUPR rating before the start of the league. All match scores will be reported to DUPR each week. You can get your DUPR ID here. DUPR 2.7 or higher: Women's Doubles Monday nights starting April 6, 6:30-9:30pm. Men's Doubles Tuesday nights starting April 7, 6:30-9:30pm. Mixed Doubles Wednesday nights starting, April 8, 6:30-9:30pm. DUPR 2.99 or lower: Emerging Doubles. Thursday nights starting April 9, 6:30-9:30pm. All teams have two players who play together each week. Mixed doubles teams must have one woman and one man. Emerging doubles teams may have any combination of men and women. A player can register for both mixed and gender doubles. |
  | Communications. TeamReach is used to communicate league related information, and for teams to communicate with each other. All players must download TeamReach and enter the appropriate group: Women's League, Men's League, Mixed League or Beginner/Emerging League using the group code that will be emailed to all registered players. |
 | Championships. After the final week of ladder competition, the top six teams on each ladder, as well as the two teams on each ladder with the highest league points that are not in the top positions on the ladder, will face each other in single elimination championship matches. The results of these matches will determine the final medal positions in the ladder competition. League points are not accumulated during the championship rounds. |
 | Fees. Full members of The Picklr play for free. There is a $80 fee for social members. Non-members may register for $160. |
 | Forfeits. A forfeit occurs if: 1.) one of the teams fails to show up for a match within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, or 2.) a team doesn’t arrive with both players ready to compete, or 3.) a team shows up with a sub who doesn't conform to the DUPR range specified in the sub rules, or 4.) teams have agreed to reschedule a match, but then one of the teams is unable to play. The forfeited match will be scored as a win for the team that was ready to play. The forfeited match is not reported to DUPR. The non-forfeiting team will receive 100 league points and a ladder win. If a forfeit occurs after a match has started, as the result of an injury, or for any other reason, the match will be recorded as an official league match. League points will be distributed to each team based on the match scores at the time of the forfeit, with the non-forfeiting team receiving a minimum of eleven points for any games not completed. The match will be reported to DUPR using the current DUPR rules for scoring forfeits, which are explained here. If neither team is able to play a match, the match is recorded as a "no match" and the two teams evenly split the 100 league points. If a team withdraws from the Ladder League and cannot be replaced with another team, the team that withdraws will remain on the ladder and each of its matches after withdrawing will be treated as a forfeit. |
 | Format. Teams play one adjacent team on the ladder each week. For example, the team in the #1 position on the ladder will play the team in the #2 position; the team in the #3 position on the ladder will play the team in the #4 position, etc. In order to minimize matches against duplicate opponents, teams may be shifted on the schedule to play against non-adjacent teams. Teams that have been shifted retain their ladder position regardless of their match position. In the event there are an odd number of teams, teams may have bye weeks in which they do not have a scheduled match. Ladder positions after the first week are determined by algorithms that factor the performances of all teams each week. The ladder algorithms are explained here. All match schedules are posted on the league website before the scheduled competition date each week. |
 | Injuries and Absences. In the event of injury or other absence of one team member, the absent player's partner has the option to utilize a sub (per the sub rules here), find a permanent replacement, or to forfeit matches for up to two weeks until the absent player is able to return. If a player is replaced with a permanent replacement, that player is removed from the team for the remainder of the league. No player can be replaced or substituted for during a match once the match has started. If a team is unable to compete in half or more of all matches due to an injury or absence, the team will either be replaced by the league or a permanent replacement will be found for the absent player, at the discretion of the league. Any player who replaces an absent player must have a DUPR rating no more than 0.2 higher than the player being replaced, or be approved at the discretion of the league. Subs and replacements are not allowed in the championship round, without approval from the league. |
 | League Points. Teams are awarded league points every match based on the outcome and scores in the match. Two teams will advance to the championship round based on league points. The math that determines league points is explained here. |
 | Matches. League matches are played in a best-of-three-games format, with server-side scoring, and each game winner scoring a minimum of eleven points per game. Winners must win each game by two points. If the same team wins the first and second games, the third game is not played. |
 | Pickleballs. The Picklr supplies pickleballs used for all scheduled matches. The match may be played with any ball that both teams agree to use. |
 | Prizes. Winners in each of the categories will win prizes, to be announced. |
 | Replacements. If a team drops out of the competition, or is removed, the league may select a replacement team and that replacement team may assume the ladder position and start with accumulated league points of the departing team. Individual players may also be replaced. See the rules for replacing players under Injuries and Absences. |
 | Rescheduling. Plan on playing your matches each week on the scheduled evening, However, if both teams agree to reschedule the match, you may play your match on a different date or time, as long as the match is completed and the scores reported by the day before the next week's scheduled match date. Championship round matches cannot be rescheduled. If after rescheduling, one of the teams can’t play the agreed-upon rescheduled match date/time, the team that can’t make the rescheduled match forfeits. If neither team can make the rescheduled match (due to rainout or other unforeseen circumstances), the match is recorded as a “no match” with neither team forfeiting. |
 | Rulebook. The league uses the current version of the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook These rules include, but are not limited to: 3.D. Players must use USA Pickleball approved paddles. 7.E. The serve may clear or touch the net (i.e. a let serve that lands 'in' is played.) 4.A. A team scores points only when serving (i.e. no rally scoring.) 8.A. Players are responsible for calling the lines on their end of the court, including out balls, short serves, service foot faults and all non-volley-zone faults. Strive for accuracy and operate under the principle that all questionable calls must be resolved in favor of the opponent. 21.A. A team is entitled to two time-outs for each 11-point game. Each time-out period may last up to one minute. 21.C.8. Players will be allowed 15 minutes for a medical time-out. |
 | Sides/Servers. Teams will switch sides of the court after each game. For all league play, the starting sides and servers will be determined by a coin toss or similar random method, with the coin toss winner picking either the side or the server, and the coin toss loser picking the remaining. In the second game, the team that started serve in the first game will be the receiving team. If there is a third game, the team that started serving in the first game will be the starting server in the third game, and teams will switch sides of the court after the first team to score six points. |
 | Skills. Players of various skill levels compete on the same ladder. Teams move up or down the ladder each week based on match results, resulting in teams playing opponents at comparable skill levels. Women's doubles, men's doubles and mixed doubles players must have a DUPR rating of 2.7 or higher. Emerging doubles players must have a DUPR rating of 2.99 or lower. Before the first week of play, teams are placed on the ladder using the team's average DUPR rating. The league may manually move teams after the first week to correct initial placement errors. |
 | Substitutes. A sub cannot be more than 0.2 DUPR higher than the player they are subbing for. Complete rules for utilizing substitutes are detailed on the substitutes page here |
 | Winners. Winners will be declared in each of the ladders based on the teams that finish in the top positions after the championship rounds. |
