Highlights of the Williamsburg Pickleball Survey, January 2023.
- There were 56 total responses, a response rate of 43.4%.
- 42.5% (51) of the players who participated in the Autumn league responded.
- 81.5% (22) of the Autumn League team captains responded.
- There were 42 one-category players in the Autumn league, 42.9% (18) of them responded.
- There were 81 full-team players in the Autumn league, 40.7% (33) of them responded.
- An overwhelming number of respondents (62.7%) want to have a round robin format, in which every team plays each other.
- There were five key issues asked on the survey:
Should a team be a complete team or a category-specific team (i.e. women’s doubles)?
60.7% responded that a team should be a group of women and men who compete in all three categories.
41.1% responded that a team should only be players who compete in one specific category.
Should all teams have the same number of players, including substitutes?
58.9% responded that all teams should have the same number of players.
35.7% responded that team captains should be able to have as many players as they want.
How should league matches be scheduled?
48.2% responded that the league should have some official “league hours” and teams could choose to play in those ours or at times arrange between captains.
37.5% responded they wanted to keep it the way it was in the Autumn league with all match times arranged between captains.
Among the 22 Autumn league team captains who responded:
40.9% “Have some “league hours” booked each week and teams can choose to play in those hours or arrange match days and times themselves.” 9 captains.
36.4% “Keep the same system used in the Autumn league, in which captains arrange day and times.” 8 captains.
22.7% “Matches should be scheduled for a specific day and time at the start of the league.” 5 captains.
How should we handle the disparity among skill levels?
29.1% responded that we should add a beginner division.
27.3% responded that we should keep the same system as the Autumn league.
25.5% responded we should have a series of first round matches and move teams accordingly based on those results.
How should substitutes be handled in the Spring league?
36.4% responded that rosters should be final by a specific date and no additions should be allowed.
27.3% responded that there should be a pool of substitutes from which to draw any specific person as a substitute.
23.6% responded that there should be a pool of substitutes from which to randomly pick a substitute.
20% responded that team captains should be allowed to add people as needs arise.