League Rules

Gameplay Format

The gameplay format for the East Bay Team Pickleball League is based on a gameplay format originally created by Major League Pickleball, and then adopted with some variations by The Dink Minor League, and others. These two organizations — both relatively new — have continued to tweak their rules each season, searching for the right mix of rules that will keep pickleball the fastest growing sport in the world. Links to the websites of these and other team-based pickleball organizations can be found in the resources section of this website.

The proposed gameplay format for the East Bay Team Pickleball League borrows from the still-evolving rules of both these organizations, but includes some rules unique to this league. As with these other organizations, it should be expected that our local rules will undergo change with experience and growth.

And like Major League Pickleball and The Dink Minor League, our rules of competition will be governed by the most current rules of USA Pickleball and UPA standards, except for those outlined in this website.

The Match

Match format will be determined based on our experimentation with different formats in the three Preaseason Friendlies that will take place on the first three Sundays of March. This information will be updated when these matches are concluded, and no later than March 18, 2026.

Scoring

There are two basic scoring systems used across all pickleball gameplay formats: traditional/side-out scoring, where only the serving team can score points, and rally scoring, where a point can be scored by either the serving or receiving team on every rally.

In our league, traditional/side-out scoring will be used for the regular games in each match, and rally scoring will be used for the tiebreaker. Other details will be updated here no later than March 18, 2026.