Rules &format

The Foundation Cup is the first season of The Padel League Australia. It starts on Monday 19 October and ends on Finals Day, Sunday 29 November.

Clubs taking part

• Padel Spot (Minto)

• Padel Point (Bankstown)

• Padel Club (North Rocks)

• Indoor Padel Australia Alexandria

Tiers

Teams play in one of four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Teams normally play within their own tier. The approved Padel Club Gold Club Final includes a Silver challenger; see Qualification and knockouts.

How the season runs

1. Group stage at your club, against teams in your tier.

2. Club Final (with semi-finals in two-group divisions, IPA Alexandria Silver and Padel Club Silver) to decide each club's champion in each tier.

3. Inter-club stage, where club representatives meet in two-legged semi-finals.

4. The PL Final on Finals Day.

Who can play

• Every player must be 18 or over.

• Teams are pairs of two players.

• Both players must be registered and paid.

• Everyone must have signed the PL waiver before playing.

Players can't arrange replacements. Contact PL. Only PL can approve a replacement in exceptional circumstances with PL Board approval, during the group stage only. A replacement must have the same or a lower Playtomic level, and cannot already be playing in Season 1 or registered to another PL team.

Group stage

Each group match is one extended set. The first team to 9 games wins. If the score reaches 8–8, play continues and the first team to 10 games wins.

Group matches are booked in one-hour court slots, so start on time and keep play moving.

No deuce in the group stage: at 40–40 it is golden point. The next point wins the game, and the receiving team chooses who receives.

Club Finals, semi-finals and inter-club matches

From the club knockouts onwards, matches are best of three sets, with normal deuce. A set that reaches 6–6 is decided by a tiebreak.

Two-legged inter-club ties

Inter-club ties are played over two legs, a First Leg and a Second Leg. Each leg is a best-of-three-sets match. If each team wins one leg, a super tiebreak, first to 9 points with no win-by-two, is played straight after the Second Leg in the same session to decide the tie.

Scoring standard

Standard padel scoring applies within each game and tiebreak. Only the final score is entered in the app, as games for a group match or games per set for a knockout match.

Before you arrive

Check the app for your match time and club. Court numbers are confirmed by the clubs, and the app shows the court once it is set. Plan to arrive with time to check in at reception.

Warm-up and start

You get a 5-minute warm-up on court, then the match starts. Group matches are played in one-hour court slots, so a late start eats into your own match time.

Lateness

There is 5 minutes' grace after the scheduled start. A team that is not ready to play after that may forfeit the match. If you are running late, tell your opponents and PL as early as you can.

Balls

PL supplies the balls for every match.

During the match

• Change ends after every odd game.

• Call your own lines honestly and promptly.

• Respect the club, its staff and the players on the next court.

After the match

Shake hands, then one captain submits the score in the app. See Submitting the score.

Submitting

Once the match has started, either captain can submit the final score in the app. One submission per match is enough.

Confirming

The opposing captain then has 12 hours to confirm or reject the score. If they do not respond in that time, the score is confirmed automatically.

Rejecting

A captain who rejects a score must say why. The match is then marked as disputed and PL looks at both sides and decides the result.

What counts

Only confirmed results count. Standings, ranking points and the PL Player of the Match vote all wait until a result is confirmed.

If you notice a mistake in a score you submitted, fix it before the other captain responds, or contact PL.

For the step-by-step screens, see Submitting the score and Confirming or rejecting a score.

Points

• Win: 3 points

• Loss: 1 point

There are no draws. Every match produces a winner, and every team that plays earns at least a point. A forfeit is recorded as a loss but earns no points.

The group table

Your group table updates as soon as a result is confirmed. It shows matches played, wins, losses, games won, games conceded, games difference and points.

Tie-breaks

If two or more teams finish on the same points, they are separated in this order:

1. Games difference

2. Fewest games conceded

3. Games won

4. Head-to-head result (two teams only)

5. PL decision or an official PL draw

Forfeited matches count in the table using the recorded forfeit score, and the forfeiting team gets no points for them. See Forfeits, lateness and injuries.

The table only uses confirmed results, so a match waiting for confirmation or a decision from PL is not counted yet.

Qualifying from your group

Your group page shows how many qualify from your group.

• One group of four: the top two teams qualify. 1st plays 2nd in the Club Final.

• IPA Alexandria Silver (five teams) and Padel Club Silver (table of seven): the top four qualify for semi-finals, 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. The winners play the Club Final.

• Divisions with two groups (the eight-team Bronze divisions): the top two in each group qualify. Semi-final 1 is Group A 1st v Group B 2nd, semi-final 2 is Group B 1st v Group A 2nd, and the winners play the Club Final.

• Padel Club Gold: the approved Gold team plays the better of the two losing Padel Club Silver semi-finalists in a Gold Club Final. Compare their Silver group points, then group games difference, then games won in their semi-final (excluding super-tiebreak points). An exact tie is decided by a PL draw. The winner becomes Gold Club Champion. The approved Gold team represents the club in Inter-Club regardless of the result. Normal ranking points and Player of the Match apply; the Silver challengers keep their ranking points in Silver.

• Platinum has one nominated team per club and no group stage. The four Platinum teams go straight to the inter-club semi-finals.

Club Final

The winner of the Club Final is that club's Club Champion for the tier.

Inter-club stage

Club representatives in each tier meet in inter-club semi-finals, played over a First Leg and a Second Leg. Normally the representative is the Club Champion; Padel Club Gold has the approved exception above. The winners play the PL Final on Finals Day, Sunday 29 November.

Season 1 dates (Sydney):

• Inter-Club draw: Wednesday 11 November 2026.

• First Leg: 12–18 November 2026.

• Second Leg: 19–25 November 2026.

• PL Grand Final: Sunday 29 November 2026.

PL confirms each match's exact date, time and court in the app. Club semi-finals have 90-minute bookings and Club Grand Finals have two-hour bookings.

Forfeit scores

• Group stage: a forfeit is recorded as a 4–0 win to the team that was ready to play.

• After the groups: a forfeit is recorded as a 6–0, 6–0 win.

• The winning team receives 3 competition points for a group-stage forfeit; the forfeiting team receives 0.

Lateness

There is 5 minutes' grace after the scheduled start time. A team that is not ready to play after that may have the match forfeited against them. If you are running late, let your opponents and PL know straight away.

Injuries

If a player is injured and their team cannot finish, the match is treated as a forfeit to the other team. Player safety always comes first, so stop play if someone is hurt.

Reporting

Captains report a forfeit, injury or no-show from the match page using Report a problem. Reports go to PL only, and PL records the result.

Can't make a match?

Tell PL as early as possible so the match can be sorted out before match night.

Rejecting a score

If you disagree with a submitted score, reject it in the app and say why. PL reviews both sides and decides the result.

Lodging a protest

For anything else that affected a match, such as a rule breach or a problem with the conditions, a captain can lodge a formal protest. Protests open at the scheduled start time and close 12 hours after it.

Evidence

You can attach up to 6 photos or videos to a protest. Each video can be up to 60 seconds long. Clear, short evidence helps PL decide quickly.

Reporting a problem

A forfeit, injury or no-show is reported from the match page with Report a problem. Reports go to PL only.

Decisions

PL reviews every protest and dispute, can contact either captain, and decides the outcome. PL's decision is final and there is no appeal.

See Lodging a protest and adding evidence for the steps in the app.

The PL Player of the Match vote

After each confirmed match, voting opens for the four players who played. Each player votes for one of the two players on the winning team. You can't vote for yourself. Voting closes 24 hours after the result is confirmed.

If the vote ends level at 2–2, the losing team's captain chooses between the two winning-team players. PL may make the final pick if voting does not finish.

There is no vote when a match ends in a forfeit.

Ranking points

Players earn +1 for playing, +3 for a win and +2 for PL Player of the Match. Teams earn +3 per win. Ranking points are separate from your group table. They feed the player leaderboards, not qualification.

The full points table is on the Leaderboards page under How points work. See Leaderboards.

Why it matters

The vote is a chance to recognise the standout player on the winning team in every played match. Vote honestly and promptly so the award and the leaderboards stay up to date.

PL is a competitive league, but it only works if everyone plays in the right spirit.

What we expect

• Respect your opponents, officials and club staff at all times.

• Call lines honestly and promptly, and give your opponents the benefit of the doubt.

• Shake hands before and after every match.

• No abuse, swearing at others, intimidation or deliberate time-wasting.

• Look after the courts and facilities, and follow each club's own rules.

When things go wrong

If you have a problem with a match, raise it through the app rather than arguing on court. See Protests and disputes.

Consequences

PL may warn a player or team, deduct points, or remove a team from the competition for serious misconduct. PL's decision is final.