South East Pickleball League (SEPL)

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England Pickleball League 2025/2026 rules v3.1 (EPL Rules)

 

1.Objectives & Principles

 

2.Definitions

For the purposes of these rules:

EPL is the England Pickleball League

EPL Rules are these rules that govern this competition in England

Local Leagues are distinct leagues from around England that chose to participate in the EPL

Club is a body that organises regular pickleball sessions for players, is registered with PbE, and can be found on the PbE Club Locator

Squad is a group of players drawn from a Club

Team is a group of players selected from a Squad to play at a Round

Round is a day when all Teams will convene at a single venue to take part in a Local League.

Division is a group of 4 Teams who will play against each other

Match is a series of games between 2 Teams within a Division.

 

3.Local League rules

 

4.Ball & surface

The ball used throughout the EPL will be either the Franklin X40 outdoor ball or the Franklin X26 indoor ball. The surface for Local Leagues will ideally be acrylic but will be dependent on venue availability. The choice of ball will be made by LLDs taking into account the surface of the venue. The same type of ball must be used for all Divisions and all Rounds.

 

5.Number of Teams and Divisions

Each Local League will determine the total number of Teams in their Local League. The number of Teams will have to be divisible by 4 as Teams will be organised into Divisions of 4.

 

6.The season and number of Rounds

The EPL season for 2025-26 will run from September 2025 through to July 2026.

 

Sept 2025 – May 2026: Local League season

June 2026: Regional Playoffs (as necessary)

July 2026: National Final

 

Local Leagues are free to determine how many Rounds will comprise their season. However, to be eligible to have Team(s) take part in the Regional Playoffs or National Final a Local League season must comprise of at least 5 Rounds.

 

It is expected that 2025/26 will be the first EPL season for some Local Leagues – a “Pilot League”. Pilot Leagues are encouraged and welcome to take part in the EPL.Full support will be provided to get them off the ground. If a Pilot League comprises 5 or more Rounds their teams will be eligible to take part in the Regional Playoffs/National Final. Teams from any league that comprise 4 or fewer Rounds in their season will not be eligible.

 

Local Leagues will set the dates of their Rounds independently of each other, but they must complete by the end of May 2026.

 

7.Regional Playoffs and National Final

The National Finals are expected to be comprised of 16 teams. These 16 teams will be drawn from the seven PbE regions – NW, NE, WM, EM, SW, SE(North) and SE(South). A minimum of 2 teams will come from each region. The source of the final 2 teams will be determined once the total numbers of entries is known across the regions with the likelihood that these final places will be allocated to the region or regions with the greatest number of entries.

 

The provisional date for the National Finals is Saturday 4th July 2026 at the Dan Maskell Tennis Centre in Loughborough.

 

It is expected that there will be a need for Regional Playoffs in some regions due to demand from Clubs to take part in the EPL. Once the total number of entries is known and location of Local Leagues then arrangements for Regional Playoffs will be determined.

 

8.Eligibility – Clubs and Teams

The EPL is a Club team competition open to clubs in England.

 

a. Clubs must be registered with Pickleball England to take part in the EPL.

Register at https://www.pickleballengland.org/club-membership/

b. The number of Teams that a Club can enter is in part dependent on their active PbE subscription tier*:

Baseline tier: One Team eligible

Half Court tier: Multiple Teams eligible

Full Court tier: Multiple Teams eligible

 

If a Club is eligible to enter more than one Team (Half Court or Full Court subscription) then the total number of Teams able to play will ultimately be determined by the Local League Directors based on their league size and overall demand from Clubs within their locality.

 

c. Clubs can only take part in one Local League.Clubs cannot have Teams in different leagues.

 

* Subscription tiers are being introduced for Clubs with effect from 1st August 2025. These tiers offer different ranges of benefits to Clubs. Clubs can elect which tier they subscribe for. The Baseline tier is free of charge to encourage all Clubs to become members of PbE. Half-Court and Full-Court membership tiers require an annual fee to be paid for a Club to enjoy the associated benefits. Club leaders/ administrators will be able to see a full description of the tiers, benefits and fees when they log into Picklebook: https://www.picklebook.org/a/pbe

 

9.Eligibility -- Players

Teams must comprise players who are members at their Club**.

 

To be an Eligible Player, an individual player must

  1. be a member of Pickleball England : Register at https://www.pickleballengland.org/individual-membership/
  2. be at least 15 years of age by the end of year of the specific Round, Regional Playoff or National Final being played
  3. be a member of the Club from which their team has been entered
  4. not have played for any other Club in the EPL during the current season***
  5. and by extension not have played in more than one Local League.

 

Whilst National and Local League Directors will monitor eligibility before any Match the ultimate responsibility for player eligibility rests with the player and the team captain. If any player is determined to be ineligible either during or after a Match then the games in which that player played will be forfeit and a score of 0-21 recorded.

 

The lower age limit is to protect all players, both younger and older, and is in line with PbE policy for PbE sanctioned events. For clarity, players who are 13 years old but have birthdays in the months of September through to December will not be eligible for the 2025 part of the season, but will become eligible for the 2026 part, including the Regional Playoffs and National Final.

 

It is recognised that across a Local League season that spans up to 9 months a small number of players may relocate, change Clubs and still wish to play in the EPL.As this will likely be infrequent such instances will be handled by a formal request being made from the (new) Team captain and considered on a case by case basis by the Local League and National EPL Directors, whose decision shall be final.

 

These eligibility rules are also intended to prevent ‘ringers’ being drafted in and ensure fairness to all. Poaching players from other clubs to bolster Squads and Teams is not in the spirit of the EPL as it is a Club competition.The Premier Pickleball League (PPL) is an alternative league designed to allow players from across different clubs to compete as a team.

 

**It is noted that not all Clubs are fully constituted clubs and hence their players are not technically members. Player membership in those circumstances means that they play regularly at that Club.This is difficult to define precisely however it is expected that in these circumstances club leaders, players and captains will act with integrity and will, if required, be able to fully justify player eligibility to Local League Directors and/or National EPL Directors.LLDs and National EPL Directors can ban players from the EPL.

 

*** ‘Club transfers’ are not permitted. Some Local Leagues have in prior seasons allowed transfers between Clubs to take place early in the season. For 2025-26 these are not permitted. If a player is uncertain at the beginning of a season over which Club they wish to represent they must consider their position carefully before committing.Player relocations will be considered as covered above.

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Context for the following Rules 10 through 14:For the enjoyment of all Players, Teams and Clubs and the practical running of a league it is important that every Round has a full roster of Players and Teams in attendance. If one Team is unable to play then at the very least it affects the other 3 Teams in their Division, but may then start to distort other Divisions in subsequent rounds through automatic demotion (see Rule 27).

 

The Rules 10 through 14 are intended to be as fair to all as possible whilst operating within this context. Please bear this in mind as you read these specific rules.

 

The LLD will decide whether to apply Rule 10 or Rule 14 for their Local Leagues. The plan for the future is to have a single rule across all leagues.This will be decided prior to the start of the 2026/27 season.

 

10.Eligibility – Playing for different Teams within the same Club (playing-up/playing-down)

The EPL is a Club and Team event. The directors would ideally like Squad composition to be consistent throughout the whole competition to foster the necessary spirit, collaboration and commitment to each other, and the EPL as a whole.

 

Clubs which have more than one Team in a Local League may in specific circumstances share their Eligible Players between Teams. These rules provide Clubs with multiple teams greater flexibility with fielding teams. Experience over a number of seasons has shown that for clubs with multiple teams there are occasions where they have struggled to field complete teams due to players becoming ‘locked’ into teams early.

 

A single team Club arguably has greater flexibility because all club members can effectively play for one team.Hence a compromise has been struck but one that still prevents stronger players supporting a relatively weaker team from the same Club.

 

a. Where players are shared Rule 27 still applies that teams must name their players in advance of a Round

b. An Eligible Player can only play for one Team in any given Round

c. For Rounds 1 and 2, a player is allowed to play for any Team within their Club. This provides flexibility for Clubs and Teams as they develop their squads early in the season

d. From Round 3 onwards:

 

e. From Round 3 onwards, a player may only “play up”. Players may not “play down”. - “Playing up” is where a player has been nominated for a Team in a lower division and then plays for a Team in a higher division. This is permitted.

Care needs to be exercised where Players are shared. If a Club, Team or Player violates any part of this rule then games that the ineligible player took part in will be awarded as 21-0 walkover to the opposition.Similarly, if these rules are technically followed but blatantly abused and against the spirit of fair competition (in the opinion of the Local League Directors) a walkover may be awarded (e.g. a DUPR 4.5 rated player nominated to play in the lowest division).

 

11.Eligibility – Playing in final Round of the season

A Player is only eligible to play in the final Round of a Local League for a Team if they have played for that same Team:

 

a/ at least once in an earlier Round when a league has 4 or fewer Rounds

b/ at least twice in the earlier Rounds when a league has 5 of more Rounds

 

If a Club, Team or Player violates any part of this rule then games that the ineligible player took part in will be awarded as 21-0 walkovers to the opposition.

 

12.Eligibility – Playing in Regional Playoffs and/or National Finals

A player is only eligible to play in the Regional Playoffs and/or the Nationals Finals for a Team if they have played for that same Team at least twice in the earlier Rounds.

 

If a Club, Team or Player violates any part of this rule then games that the ineligible player took part in will be awarded as 21-0 walkovers to the opposition.

 

13.Team Squad sizes

It is up to the club to determine how many players they wish to include in a team’s Squad.

 

These EPL Rules do not limit the number of players in a Squad, although for the 2025/26 season Local Leagues may choose to limit Squad sizes.

 

Irrespective of the Squad size, Teams can only bring a maximum of 8 players from their Squads to any Round of their Local Leagues, however there must be at least 2 women and 2 men.

 

Players can be added to a Squad throughout the season as new members join a Club subject to Player eligibility rules (see Rule 9) and any limits placed on Squad sizes by Local League Rules. Player additions must be notified to the LLDs.

 

14.Squad Substitutions

Under EPL Rules Squad sizes are unlimited and hence players can be added to Squads throughout the season; as such there are no EPL Rules around Squad substitutions.

 

Squad Substitution rules may apply if a Local League limits Squad size.See applicable Local League Rules.

 

15.Dates, venue and time

Local Leagues will determine the dates, venues and times for each Round.

 

These will be independent of other local leagues.

 

16.Match format

Teams will compete with each other in their divisions, playing a total of 3 Matches. The order of games within a Match will be:

(1) Women’s doubles

(2) Men’s doubles

(3) 1st Mixed doubles

(4) 2nd Mixed doubles

Games will be in a ‘badminton style’ rally scoring format (see Rule 22) and will be played to 21 points, win by 1 point.

In the event of a 2-2 draw, a tie will be recorded. For the 2025/26 season there will be no ‘Dreambreaker’ tie break. This is a change from previous years, following feedback.

Team captains can select players from their entire Team on the day (of up to 8 players) to play in any individual game within a Match. i.e. a Match is not limited to 4 players being selected before a Match starts. This is a change from previous years following feedback and allows flexibility to teams in ensuring all squad players can participate if they wish.

For the avoidance of doubt, once a game has started players cannot be replaced unless there is a serious injury that prevents a player from continuing.In this instance a substitute from the Team’s available players on the day can be used (see Rule 25). The injured player cannot play again that day – this is intended to prevent any possible gaming. Note that a player can only play in one mixed doubles game during a Match. If a player plays in two mixed doubles games in the same Match then the second game will be forfeited (21-0).

 

17.Deciding Division position

A Team’s final position in their Division will be defined by the number of match points the Team won. There are 2 match points for a match win and 1 point for a draw.

 

If there is a tie based on match points then divisional position will be decided by games won, game points difference and then game points won. If there is still a tie then position will be decided by who won the head-to-head match between the tied teams.

In summary the metrics to determine position are, in order of priority:

  1. Match points
  2. Games won
  3. Game points differential
  4. Game points won
  5. Head-to-head result (i.e. won / lost)

 

If in the unlikely event that there remains a tie in the Division after these 5 metrics, then the divisional position will be decided on the result of the first mixed doubles game between the tied teams.

 

18.Promotion / demotion

Promotion and demotion will be determined based on a Team’s final position in their Division.

 

The top Team will be promoted and the bottom team demoted. The second and third Team in a Division will remain in that Division. The top Team in Division one and the bottom Team in the lowest Division will also remain in their respective Divisions.

 

19.Qualifying for Regional Playoffs and National Finals

 

There will be no playoffs within Local Leagues. Final positions in Local Leagues will determine qualification for the Regional Playoffs/National Finals.

 

There will be no ‘merit based’ scoring to recognise Teams who consistently win Division 1 of their Local League throughout the season only to lose their place in the final round. Winning the final round is the prize to gain entry to the Regional Playoffs/National Finals.

 

The number of places in the Local Leagues that qualify for Regional Playoffs or the National Finals will be determined as soon as practicable during the season once the number of leagues and teams, along with the geographic distribution of the leagues are known.

20.Warming up

Both teams are allowed 5 minutes to warm up on court before the Match start, but no more than a minute in between games.

 

21.Deciding who serves

Before the start of every game, a coin toss must be carried out. The winner of the coin toss

decides whether they wish to serve or choose end. If they choose to serve, the other team

can choose end. If they choose end, they will receive, and the other team will serve first.

 

22.Rally Scoring & Serving

‘Badminton style’ rally scoring will apply. This is new for 2025/26 and follows feedback that players did not like having to serve and play on only one side of the court.

 

Players are almost certainly familiar with rally scoring and points being scored on every rally. However ‘badminton style’ rally scoring varies by having servers change side after each rally just as in regular scoring:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If players choose to “stack” they must know what they are doing and be very careful of their court positions as they cannot rely on the score telling them where they should be. Incorrect positioning could lead to a serve violation and loss of a point.

The team which has won the most games in the Match (i.e. 3-1 or 4-0 in games) will be awarded 2 match points. The losing team will be awarded 0 points. In the case of a tie (2-2) each team will receive 1 match point each.

23.Changing ends at 11

When the score reaches 11, the teams must change ends.Players must remember which side of the court they were on as they change end.

24.Declaring mixed pairings

After both of the gender doubles games have been completed, the teams will need to take part in a coin toss to determine who declares their team first for each mixed game.

 

The loser of the coin toss must declare their mixed pairings first for each mixed game. The opposition can then declare their pairings.

 

Players for the mixed games can be chosen from the team’s squad on the day and do not have to have already played in the gender doubles (see Rule 16).

 

The choice of pairing for the second mixed game can be delayed until after the first mixed game has been completed.However, players from the first mixed game cannot take part in the second mixed game. There is no repeat of a coin toss, the coin toss loser still declares first.

 

25.Injuries and Injury Substitutions during a Round

If a Player is injured during a game then a substitute player from the Team can be played.

 

This rule is subject to:

 

Team captains need to consider the risk of injury when selecting their Team for a Round as this rule strictly limits where a substitute can come from.

 

26.Being ready to play, Walkovers & Penalties

 

27.Things to be completed before each round, and associated penalties

Teams must nominate their Players at least 24 hours before each Round.

 

If a Team does not nominate at least 4 Players at least 24 hours before each Round, the Team will automatically be relegated to the next lower Division.

 

If a Team does not pay its fees prior to each Round, the Team will automatically be relegated to the next lower Division.

 

If a Team does not turn up for a Round, the Team will automatically be relegated to the next lower Division and they will be charged the session fee for that Round.

 

28.Order of play

The order of play for each Round will be sent to the Teams at least 48 hours before the start of each round.

 

Match 1 Team 1 v Team 4Team 2 v Team 3
Match 2Team 1 v Team 3Team 2 v Team 4
Match 3Team 1 v Team 2Team 3 v Team 4

For Round 1, the LLD will decide Team 1 through 4.

 

From Round 2 onwards, the order of play will be decided by the previous Round finishing positions.

 

Team 1 will be the Team demoted from the Division above in the previous Round

Team 2 will be the Team coming 2nd in the same Division in the previous Round

Team 3 will be the Team coming 3rd in the same Division in the previous Round

Team 4 will be the Team promoted from the Division below in the previous Round.

 

29.Time Outs

A 10 minute time out will only be permitted if a Player is injured. In this scenario, you can carry out an immediate substitution from your Team on the day (see Rule 25).

 

30.Submitting scores

Scoresheets must be completed at the end of each Match, signed by the Team Captains and submitted to the LLD on their results desk. Changes to the score after submission will not be permitted even if both Team Captains agree – get it right first time. It is the Team Captains responsibility to ensure the results on the score sheet are accurate and legible.

 

31.Publishing results on Picklebook

The necessary Picklebook software is under development to record scores and publish results. Scores will be entered by the LLD based on the scoresheets completed and signed by the Team Captains.

 

It is possible that development of the Picklebook software will not be complete by the start of the 2025/26 season for some leagues. If that is the case a spreadsheet template will be provided and used to record the scores and results will be published and circulated by LLDs via email to Team Captains.

 

32.DUPR

The EPL will become a full DUPR event for the 2026/27 season with all results from Local Leagues, Regional Playoffs and the National Final being entered into DUPR.

 

For the 2025/26 season:

 

Walkovers and games where substitutes are introduced mid-game will not be entered into DUPR.

 

Picklebook software is being developed to integrate with DUPR. Scores recorded on Picklebook (see Rule 31) will have the option to be uploaded onto DUPR.

 

If the LLD chooses for their Local League to be a DUPR event and Picklebook is unavailable then scores will be uploaded to DUPR by the LLD by other means of their choosing.

 

33.Costs

There is a one-off entry fee of £20 per Team to take part in the 2025-26 EPL season.

 

For each Round there is a session fee of £48 per Team.

 

Fees will be levied on the Teams’ Club. This will either be by direct invoice from PbE or via Picklebook once software development has been completed.

 

It is the Clubs’ responsibility and choice on whether to re-coup any or all of these fees from their players. Picklebook software may assist with this.

 

Costs for the Playoffs and Finals will be communicated nearer the time of those events.