Women's Interclub Paddle League

Women's Interclub Paddle League Rules and Regulations


Dues of $60.00 per Team (payable to WIPL) must be submitted to the league Treasurer no later than at the pre-season captains meeting usually held in the early fall. Clubs with two (2) Teams will submit $120; three (3) Teams $180 and so forth. Dues are used to cover general expenses, awards, web administrator, social events, etc.


    CLUB AND PLAYER REQUIREMENTS

  1. Member Clubs will field four (4) partnerships in all Divisions (A, B, C, D and E) for each week of play according to the League schedule. These partnerships will constitute a Team for purposes of these rules.
  2. To play in the Interclub League a player MUST be:
    1. 21 years of age and
    2. a member of the Club to play on that Team and
    3. may only play for one Club during any one season and
    4. may only play on one Club Team during any given match week.
  3. A Club with two Teams in the same Division may not interchange players or make substitutions between the two Teams. Once a player or substitute plays for one Team, they cannot play for the other Team.
  4. Interclub players may play in the NJWPTL and those playing in the NJWPTL may play in the Interclub with no restrictions. However, WIPL matches take precedence.
  5. To play in the last two (2) matches your Team plays in the regular season, a player must have played a minimum of two times prior to this match for their Club. A match played with an ineligible player will result in that match being defaulted by the offending team.
  6. SEASON BYES: If a Club for some reason cannot field a Team, they will, pending Board approval, be allowed to take a bye for the season. A "Bye Request" must be received by the Interclub Board by June 30th of that year. If the next year they still cannot field a team, they must drop out of the League. The Board should be notified by mid February whether the team is coming back.

RULES OF PLAY

  1. APTA Rules of Play will govern all matches, unless otherwise stated in the Interclub Rules.
  2. Format of play:
    1. 4 courts of doubles for A, B, C, D and E Divisions.
    2. A match is best 2 out of 3 sets with a 12 point tiebreak at 6-all.
    3. Maximum warm-up time is 20 minutes.
    4. Practice serves must be taken before play begins.
    5. A match begins when the first ball is served.
    6. There are no breaks between sets - bring whatever you need (water, hats, sunglasses, tissues, etc.) before play begins.
    7. No beepers or cell phones on or near the courts. Keep them in the hut or your car. If your phone rings during a match or tiebreak you will lose the game or tiebreak.
    8. There will be no coaching from the sidelines; "Coaching" includes, but is not limited to verbal instructions, hand or other body signals, during play and / or between games.
  3. All matches will be played on Wednesday or as dictated by the Calendar / Schedule.
    1. Rain or make-up date is Friday of that week at your normal scheduled match time. If a Friday make-up cannot take place due to inclement weather, all matches must be completed by the following Tuesday.
    2. If a match is not made-up as per (a) above, that match will be treated as a default by both teams.
    3. Matches should not be called off earlier than one (1) hour before playing time.
    4. Once line-ups have been exchanged or once a match has started, a match should not be postponed or play should not be halted unless it is agreeable to one player from each partnership. Matches should be played in all but the most inclement weather.
    5. If a match in progress is stopped due to the weather and resumes at a later time, Captains will record the score, players' names, court positions, and which partnership will serve when play resumes. The match must resume exactly where it left off, with the same order of play.
  4. Pre / Post Play of matches:
    1. Refrain from requesting pre-plays. Arrangements made "outside" the Rules will NOT be reviewed, addressed or commented on by the Board.
    2. No POST playing of matches will be allowed unless a match is postponed due to inclement weather. As per 3.b above, any match not made-up will be treated as a default by both teams in the system.
  5. Captains must field the best Team by ranking players according to strength:
    1. The first position partnership must be stronger than the second and so forth.
    2. An individual player may move two positions from where she last LEGALLY played WITHIN her Division as well as between sequential Divisions no matter how many weeks have passed since last playing.
    3. A partnership may move one position up or down from where they last LEGALLY played together, no matter how many weeks have passed since their last pairing within or between sequential Divisions.
    4. An illegal movement by either an individual player or partnership will result in the match being defaulted by the offending team. If the offending team had lost the match, that offending team will be issued a penalty.
  6. If a Captain is unable to field four partnerships, a default must be taken in the 4th position. The Captain of the defaulting Team must notify the other Captain as soon as possible. The defaulting Team does not list the names of their players but the names of the opposition (available legal positioned players) will be reported so they can be counted for eligibility in playing the last two (2) matches of the season. A default will be recorded as 6-0, 6-0.
    1. No team should have more than a total of three (3) defaulted matches in any regular season. A penalty of one (1) point shall be given for each default exceeding three.
    2. If a default occurs in any of the last two (2) matches of the regular season, a penalty of one (1) point shall be given for the season AND such penalty point shall be carried forward to the following year.
    3. The penalty rules noted in (a) and (b) above shall not apply to the lowest team of any club.
  7. In the case of a Team defaulting the 4th position before the match:
    1. If the weather is bad enough to cancel the matches on Wednesday and the line-ups are never exchanged all four (4) matches can be rescheduled.
    2. If play has started for the three (3) remaining matches and then has to be postponed; only those three (3) matches can be rescheduled.
  8. The starting time for the Divisions will be as follows:
    1. C and D Divisions will be ON the courts promptly at 9:15 AM.
    2. A and B Divisions will be ON the courts promptly at 12:00 PM.
    3. E Division will be ON the courts at either 9:15 AM OR 10:30 AM following the morning matches if the courts are being used by the C or D Divisions. Times will be dictated by the Season schedule. E Division Home Captains MUST coordinate with their C and D Club Teams and make appropriate arrangements with the visiting Team.
    4. Captains at clubs with less than four (4) available courts must contact their opposing Captain to confirm the start times of matches. Higher positions (e.g., 1st and 2nd positions) will play at the earlier times when staggered start times are necessary.
    5. In the possible situation where two teams from the same club are scheduled to play at the same time and location, it is expected that the higher division team will play first. For example, if a club has both their C and D teams scheduled for home matches on a particular day and only four courts are available, the C team should play at 9:15 followed by the D team at 10:30.
  9. There is a "20 minute rule" starting at the agreed starting time, i.e. 9:15 AM, 10:30 AM or 12:00 PM
    1. A player is deemed late if she is not on the court ready to play within 20 minutes of the starting time. If a player comes late, her warm-up is forfeited.
    2. If a player is late, the other partnerships can warm up, but play should not be started below the position of the missing player, so a possible default can be taken in the 4th position as stated in rule #6.
    3. An exception would be if a player encounters an emergency en route and notifies the home court prior to any match having started. Be sure someone is available to answer the Club phone or the Captain's cell phone. If 20 minutes elapse without a call, the match is defaulted by the player who is late.

    Once the players go on the court, the partnerships are set. If someone does not show up, the partnerships continue as they are - although the position where they play may change. The teammate of the missing player sits out.

  10. If there is a dispute regarding line calls or foot faults during a match, one person designated from each Team may stand at the net posts to observe the lines, but will make a call only when asked. If there is a disagreement between partners, a let should be played. APTA Rules state, "The first call of a foot fault on each server shall be a let. After this grace period fault, it is a loss of point". Review APTA Rules.

CAPTAINS

  1. Each Team is required to designate a Captain. Captain responsibilities include:
    1. Make sure her Team is at the correct Club at the correct time.
    2. If the Captain cannot be at a match or will be arriving late, she should designate a teammate to act as Captain who will assume the same authority and responsibility in her absence.
    3. Line-ups for each match must be written out and exchanged between captains (or the captain's designee) prior to players stepping onto the courts and reflect the relative strengths of the partnerships from position 1 to position 4. Please use full names and positions to be played. Once players step onto the courts, the partnerships are set.
  2. Home Team Captain's must:
    1. Always call the opposing Team Captain NO LATER than the Sunday before to confirm match details. One way emails do not constitute confirmation.
    2. If the home Team location has less than four (4) courts, Home Captain must contact the Visiting Captain to confirm the start times of matches. Higher positions (e.g., 1st and 2nd positions) will play at the earlier times when staggered start times are necessary
    3. Supply APTA sanctioned paddle balls. It is suggested that two (2) new balls per team be used. The Home Captain should also have extra balls available. Any APTA approved ball is allowed.
    4. Be mindful of the weather. If the courts are unplayable, the Home Captain must notify the Visiting Captain one hour before the match. Check your courts early. C, D and E Division Captains should be alerted to check their courts early because of the early hour at which they play. If the Home Team courts are unplayable and the Visiting Team has playable and available courts, it should be encouraged to play there rather than reschedule the match.
    5. Submit match scores online at NO LATER than 6 PM the day of the match.

PROTESTS

  1. Any Team suspected of sacrificing a match may risk forfeiting all four matches.
  2. Formal complaints may only be made by either team that played in the match and MUST be submitted utilizing the approved WIPL Protest Form (available on the WIPL website www.acesportsadmin.com/WIPL) to your respective Division Leader no later than 6 PM the day of the match being protested. Notification by telephone MUST also be made in addition to submission of the fully completed protest form. The other Team is then informed and has 24 hours to respond in writing. The final decision will be made by the Board. Any Board members from the Clubs involved in the complaint will not take part in the decision process.

SCOREKEEPING / AUTOMATIC MOVES

  1. The Home Captain is responsible for submitting match results online at www.acesportsadmin.com/WIPL/ no later than 6:00 PM the day of the match. All Captains should review posted scores for accuracy.
  2. Scoring for the season is cumulative, with each win worth one (1) point. End of year ties are broken by head- to-head results. Further ties are broken by counting sets won, games won and total sets lost.
  3. The top team in each Division (except A Division) will automatically move to the next higher Division for the following season.
  4. The lowest team in each Division (except E Division) will automatically move to the next lower Division.
  5. Should a Team BYE or additional Team be requested, creating a vacancy or addition to the Division, the Board will determine the final Division rosters at their discretion.



October 1, 2024