DPL

Governance

Official rules, policies, and codes of conduct for the Dublin Padel League.

DPL Rules

v1.4

Dublin Padel League (DPL) Rules

September 2025 · v1.4

1. Format

1.1 There will be separate men's and ladies' leagues.

1.2 Depending on the number and standard of teams entering, each league may consist of one or more classes, and each class may consist of one or more sections.

1.3 Depending on the number of teams in each class/section, and at the discretion of the DPL Committee, each team may play every other team in its class/section ONCE or TWICE (home and away). This will be determined following confirmation of total entries and communicated to clubs in advance of the season.

1.4 Entry is open to all eligible padel clubs (see Rule 2.1). Each club may enter as many teams as it wishes, subject to payment of entry fees and compliance with these rules.

1.5 Due to court restrictions, each tie will consist of two matches:

  • Match 01: #1 pairing vs #1 pairing
  • Match 02: #2 pairing vs #2 pairing

1.6 Each match will be played as best of 3 sets, with a 10-point champions' tiebreak to decide the match if each pair wins one set.

1.7 Short deuce applies.

2. Eligibility

2.1 Clubs: Any member-owned padel club or commercial padel facility located within 50 km of the GPO, Dublin.

2.2 Players: Players must be at least 18 years of age as of 1st January of the year of the competition. No player may play in a league class play-off or final match if they have not played at least once for the relevant team in the class/section league matches.

3. Administration

3.1 Each club entering the league must nominate a contact person for all league administration and communication purposes, and provide up-to-date telephone, email, and postal contact details with their league entry.

3.2 Entries must be submitted to the DPL Committee by the specified closing date. There will be no entry fee for the league, and therefore no prizes.

3.3 Matches must be played on the specified date and at the specified time. Matches may only be postponed or abandoned if agreed by the captains of both teams. Any rescheduled match must be completed before the first scheduled play-off match.

3.4 If a match is postponed or abandoned by one team unilaterally (without the consent of both captains), both captains must provide a written statement to the DPL Committee within 24 hours. The DPL Committee may, at its sole discretion:

  • Order the match to be replayed from the start at the original or another venue
  • Order play to be resumed from where it ceased
  • Award points for any unfinished sets to either team

3.5 Before the start of each match, team captains must exchange details of their nominated pairs on the prescribed match sheet (Fixture Report).

3.6 The home team is responsible for providing courts and new balls for the match.

3.7 All players must wear recognised padel attire.

3.8 Full scores for each match and the overall match result must be recorded on the Fixture Report and signed by both team captains.

3.9 The captain or nominated DPL contact of the winning team — or, in the event of a tied match, the home team — must send the completed Fixture Report by post, email, scan, or WhatsApp to the DPL Committee by 5pm on the day following the match.

4. Scoring

4.1 Teams score one point for each match won in each league tie.

4.2 If there is only one section in a league class, the two teams with the highest points after all league fixtures are completed will contest the final. If there is more than one section, the winners and runners-up in each section will qualify for the playoffs, leading to a final.

4.3 If two or more teams are tied on points in any section, the winner or runner-up will be determined as follows:

Where two teams are tied:

  1. Winner of the head-to-head section fixture(s) between the two teams (or on aggregate if home and away)
  2. If equal, the team winning the most sets in those fixture(s)
  3. If equal, the team winning the most games in those fixture(s)
  4. If equal, the team with the highest margin of games won vs games lost

Where three or more teams are tied:

  1. The team winning the most points in section matches against the other tied teams
  2. If equal, the team with the highest margin of sets won vs sets lost in all section matches
  3. If equal, the team with the highest margin of games won vs games lost in all section matches

4.4 In the event of a tied match in any play-off or final, the winning team will be decided by a sudden-death tiebreak set contested by pairs nominated by the team captains.

5. Fixture Report (Match Sheet)

Each tie must be documented on the official DPL Fixture Report. The form captures:

  • Home team, away team, division/level
  • Date, venue, winning team
  • Match 01 and Match 02 player names (home pair and away pair)
  • Set scores for Sets 1, 2, and Set 3 (tiebreak) if required
  • Match result for each rubber
  • Signatures of both home and away captains

The completed form must be submitted within 24 hours of fixture completion (Rule 3.9).