5 WEEK TOURNAMENT FAQ's

WHAT DO TEAMS NEED TO CONSIST OF?

3 players each week (including at least 1 girl & 1 guy)
Must be 18+ years of age to enter
This is a doubles only tournament
Your team can include up to 8 different players if you would like to rotate players (and to cover absences)

WHAT IS THE COST OF THE TOURNAMENT?

The cost is $150 per team, which covers the entire tournament.
If entering as a single the cost will be divided by the number of people in your team.

DOES EVERYONE IN THE TEAM PLAY EACH WEEK?

Ideally the same 3 players play throughout the tournament but this is not a requirement.
- To qualify for finals, each player must have played at least 1 round robin match.
You can mix and match the players for each week, so long as there is at least 1 female and 1 male in your playing group of 3.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE COMPETITION?

Week 1 is a 'Learn the Sport' day (March 26)
Week 2 - Week 4 (April 2nd, April 16th, April 23rd) are round robin.
Finals are held across 2 weeks, April 30th & May 7th.
- all teams participate, there will be a championship bracket and consolation bracket

WHAT IS THE WEEKLY FORMAT OF THE COMPETITION?

Each Sunday, each team of 3 plays 3 sets in total.
Each match is doubles only thus 2 of the 3 players play in each set.
- Set 1 is Player 1 & Player 2
- Set 2 is Player 1 & Player 3
- Set 3 is Player 2 & Player 3
- NOTE: you will select where each of your 3 players are numbered each week (eg whether they are Player 1, Player 2 or Player 3)
Each player will play 2 sets each week.
Each week you will play different teams, with both sets and points contributing to your position on the ladder.
- Points will count towards rankings at the end of the tournament, so make sure you fight hard for every point, even if you do not win.
Games are capped at 30 minutes, to ensure smooth completion of al games on time. Whichever team is winning at the 30 min buzzer will be awarded the victory.
If you cannot filed a team of 3 on the day, you will forfeit your official points that day and your opposition will be granted the win. However, you can still play your allocated games, but they will not count for official tournament points.

HOW IS THE TOURNAMENT OFFICIATED?

There will always be at least 1 accredited Pickleball referee/coach at the tournament, during all games.
The tournament referees will be on hand at all times to help teams with the official rules and scoring.
Each game is officiated by the players (like tennis), and it is your duty to report the scores back to the NPL desk at the end of each game.
All scores and statistics will be uploaded to nplpickleball.com.au after each weeks fixture is complete.

WHAT IF I HAVE NEVER PLAYED PICKLEBALL BEFORE?

You are WELCOME! Week 1 (March 26th) is just a try-out/learn the sport/fun day so everyone is welcome and you will learn the sport in 5-10 minutes.

The tournament will officially start from Week 2 (April 2nd) once everyone is comfortable.

WHAT SKILL LEVELS ARE ACCEPTED?

All skill levels accepted - Pickleball is a NEW sport in Australia after all.

We ask that every participant tries to make it to the "Learn the Sport" day on March 26th, so they are at a basic level of competence for the competition start the next week.

IS THIS A SERIOUS OR SOCIAL COMPETITION?

A bit of column A, a bit of column B
Most importantly - we just want everyone to have fun and play this new, great sport.
There will be some level of competition as there are prizes (and of course pride) at stake + it is our inaugural tournament at the NPL; so everyone wants to take home the 1st Trophy!
In the future, NPL will be offering competitions that will have things like rankings, points and entry into future events.

WHAT IF WE HAVE UNAVAILABLE PLAYERS AND CAN'T FILL

THE TEAM EACH WEEK?

You can rotate players each week, you just must have at least 1 female and 1 male in each group of 3 playing in a particular week.

CAN I ENTER AS AN INDIVIDUAL WITHOUT A TEAM?

If you can't find a team of 3 interested, please sign-up and let us know. We will pair you together with others (1s or 2s) looking to do the same thing.
A great way to meet new people and make new friends (and create super teams).

HOW LONG WILL I BE REQUIRED TO BE AVAILABLE/PLAYING EACH SUNDAY?

You will be allocated a 60 minute slot for a total of 3 sets.
- Detailed fixtures and times will be made available closer to the event.

WILL YOU PROVIDE THE PICKLEBALL EQUIPMENT?

Yes! We will provide all paddles, balls, nets and courts!
But feel free to bring your own equipment as well - especially if you already own it and are comfortable with it

ARE THERE ANY OTHER TOURNAMENTS COMING UP?