DPL Rules
Dublin Padel League · Official Rulebook
Match Format
The fundamental structure governing Men's and Ladies' competition standards.
There will be separate men's and ladies' leagues.
Depending on entries and standard, each league may consist of one or more classes, and each class may have one or more sections.
Teams may play every other team in their section ONCE or TWICE (home and away), at the Committee's discretion, communicated before the season.
Entry is open to all eligible padel clubs. Each club may enter as many teams as it wishes, subject to payment of fees and compliance with these rules.
Each match is played as best of 3 sets, with a 10-point champions' tiebreak if each pair wins one set.
Short deuce applies to all games.
Rule 1.5 · Tie Structure
Court 1
#1 PairVS#1 PairCourt 2
#2 PairVS#2 Pair* Pairs must be played in order of merit
Player Eligibility
2.1 Club Catchment
Member-owned padel clubs or commercial facilities within 50 km of the GPO, Dublin.
2.2 Player Qualification
Minimum 18 years of age as of 1st January of the competition year. Players must complete at least one league match to qualify for play-offs or finals.
Admin & Logistics
Club Contact
Each club must nominate a contact person for all league administration and provide up-to-date telephone, email, and postal details.
Entries
Entries must be submitted by the specified closing date. There is no entry fee and therefore no prizes.
Scheduling
Matches must be played on the specified date and time. Postponements require mutual agreement from both captains.
Unilateral Postponements
If a match is postponed without mutual consent, both captains must submit written statements to the Committee within 24 hours. The Committee may order a replay, resume from where play ceased, or award points at its discretion.
Team Sheet Exchange
Before each match, captains must exchange their nominated pairs on the prescribed match sheet (Fixture Report).
Home Team Duties
The home team is responsible for providing courts and new balls for the match.
Attire
All players must wear recognised padel attire.
Score Recording
Full scores for each match and the overall result must be recorded on the Fixture Report and signed by both captains.
Reporting Deadline
The winning team captain (or home team if tied) must submit the completed Fixture Report by 5pm on the day following the match — by post, email, scan, or WhatsApp to the DPL Committee.
Scoring & Points
Teams score one point for each match won in each league tie.
If there is only one section, the top two teams after all fixtures contest the final. With multiple sections, winners and runners-up in each section qualify for the playoffs leading to a final.
In a tied play-off or final, the winner is decided by a sudden-death tiebreak set contested by pairs nominated by the captains.
4.3 · Tiebreaker Order (Two Teams Tied)
Winner of head-to-head section fixture(s) between the tied teams
If equal — team winning the most sets in those fixtures
If equal — team winning the most games in those fixtures
If equal — team with highest margin of games won vs. games lost
4.3 · Tiebreaker Order (Three or More Teams)
Team winning most points in section matches against the other tied teams
If equal — highest margin of sets won vs. sets lost in all section matches
If equal — highest margin of games won vs. games lost in all section matches
Fixture Report
The official match sheet must be completed for every tie and submitted within 24 hours.
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
Submission deadline
5:00 PM the day following match completion — via the portal, email, scan, or WhatsApp.
Questions or Disputes?
Contact the DPL Committee through the official channels.