We hope to be able to answer your frequently asked questions regarding the Williamsburg Pickleball league below.
Q. Who should play in the league?
The league is for experienced players: this means players who are no longer beginners and are from low intermediate to advanced level. The league is absolutely not appropriate for people who have never played pickleball, or people who have played pickleball a few times. The league is a competitive environment, and players expect to play challenging and competitive matches.
Q. When do league matches take place?
There is a Spring league and an Autumn league. The Spring league starts in April and the Autumn league starts in September. The exact dates of the league can be found on the James City County website.
Q. Where are league matches played?
All scheduled league matches take place at Veterans Park on reserved courts in cooperation with James City County Parks and Recreation Department. The address is 3793 Ironbound Road, Williamsburg, Virginia.
Q. Is there a fee for the league?
James City County Parks and Recreation Department charges a nominal fee to play. The money collected is retained by the county. The current fee can be found on the James City County website.
Q. What are the number of players on each team?
There are two players on each team: you and your teammate.
Q. What if my team wants to play at a different day, time or place?
If your scheduled opponents agree to play your team on a different day, time or place than that’s OK, as long as your match is completed, and the scores are reported by 9:00 pm of the Saturday (for men’s and women’s doubles) or Sunday (for mixed doubles) following your originally scheduled match. Notify the league email address that you are planning on not playing at the scheduled time.
Q. What if I can’t play a scheduled match?
Notify your team partner and your scheduled opponents of any dates that you will not be available. If you are not able to find a substitute, the match will result in a forfeit for your team.
Q. What about substitutes?
Each team may have a limited number of substitutes during the duration of the league. The rules for substitutes are explained here,
Q. What pickleball rules will be used in league matches?
All league matches use the current USAPA rules. The complete USAPA rulebook is available here.
Q. How does the ladder league format work?
Teams competing in each category (i.e. women’s doubles, men’s doubles, or mixed doubles) are placed on the ladder from position one on down starting in week one. Teams that win move up the ladder and teams that lose move down the ladder. How many positions a team moves up or down depends on the results and scores of all teams each week. The details on how match results impact a teams’ ladder position are available here.
Q. What are League Points?
The ladder format ensures that teams will be playing opponents within their comparable skill range each week, since winning teams move up and losing teams move down. This means that advanced players will probably finish on top of the ladder. To make the ladder competitive for all teams of any skill level, we have league points. Teams that have the better match scores (for example, winning 11-0, 11-0) score more league points than teams that win by narrow margins. At the end of the league, the teams with the highest number of league points will be awarded, regardless of where they end up on the ladder. The league points system is explained here.
Q. Who supplies the pickleballs?
All teams must supply their own pickleballs.
Q. What brand of pickleballs can be used?
All team members must agree on which brand of pickleball will be used for a match. The default pickleball is the Franklin X-40. Details about how to handle the situation if teams don’t agree is available here.
Q. What do I need to bring to my league matches?
Each player needs to bring their own water or hydration, their own paddle and pickleballs. Players should consider bringing sunscreen and hat.