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Illawarra Social League

Shellharbour Smash Presents....
 

The Illawarra Social Pickleball League

 

What is it?

 
The Illawarra Social League is a Season based pickleball league competition, organised and run by Shellharbour Smash Pickleball Club.
 
It is designed to provide a single competition framework for people of all ages, skill levels and gender to compete socially in a graded competition environment. 
 
League events are single-day, 2 hour competitions, with 6 games played by all competitors. Games are doubles format, played to a timer or points limit. 
 
The goals of the Illawarra Social League are the following : 
 
  • To provide a friendly yet competitive structure for pickleball games. We have had a lot of feedback that many regular pickleball players in the Illawarra region and at Shellharbour are looking for a structured competition to add meaning to their weekly games. 
  • To promote the social nature of pickleball by allowing the broadest demographics of people to play, and still have a enjoyable and competitive experience
  • To prepare Illawarra players for competitive play at Pickleball tournaments, by simulating the process of a pickleball competition
  • To expand our membership by demonstrating a compelling commitment to a new structure of play that excites and motivates people to join.
 

When is it on?

 
The event schedule is listed below :
 

Illawarra Social League Season 1.

 
 

How does each event run?

 
This is an individual event - you do not need to register a team or a pairing! The structure of the event is a highly modified "scrambled doubles" tournament. You will compete and be rated as an individual, so you don't need to find a partner - we'll do all that for you!
 
Each event will have 6 Rounds. Games in each round will be Pickleball Doubles, standard rules and scoring (we are not doing rally scoring). Games are played to a timer (12 Minutes) or to 15 points.
 
The first 3 rounds are completely random pairings - you'll be assigned a partner and a court each round and will take on a randomly paired team. This gives players of all abilities and skill levels a chance to play against each other. Games are created to ensure the greatest diversity of partners and opponents - you will not have the same partner twice and for most configurations you will always be up against different opponents. 
 
After 3 rounds, a grading is done based on your individual performances. 
 
The grading uses the following criteria : 
Number of Wins; then
Number of score points for; then
Number of score points against
 
The next 3 rounds are then plotted against those gradings, so that your last 3 games are against similar skilled players. Again, partners and opponents are scrambled so that the broadest range of partners and opponents can be experienced. Scoring in the latter rounds is more valuable, to reflect that the games are against your equivalent skill levels. 
 
Every player will play 6 matches. We have devised a fair scoring system that tracks your performance and allocates a score. The Maximum score you can get at an event is 99 points. Don't worry, we've taken all the complexity out of the process - get on a court, do your best, and at the end of the night you'll see how you went! 
 
 

How does the Season work?

 
For every event, you will get a score (up to 99 points). Over the season, your points will be tallied up and your best 4 results will create your Season Score. For the first season, we will be tracking season results in three categories - Mens, Womens and Masters. Season winners in these categories will receive trophies and Prizes.  
 
 

This sounds amazing! How do I sign up?

 
There are only 16 places available each round. This is due to the event running in parallel with existing Shellharbour Council Social Pickleball. 
 
Entry to each round will be based on registration - first come first served! Shellharbour Smash Members will have advanced access to registration - Registration will open for Members at 9am the Thursday prior to the event (i.e. 8 days before). Registration to non-Members will open 9am the Saturday prior to the event (i.e. 6 days before). You MUST register online to secure your place! We will take payment on the night of the event (cashless payment preferred, cash will require exact payment as minimal change will be available). 
 
Entry Costs are as follows (per event). 
  • Members - $12
  • Non-Members = $15
 
Note : If you have registered, do NOT pay the regular $10.50 fee at the entrance for council-run Social Pickleball. Come straight through to the courts and we will take your payment there. 
 
On the night, when you arrive register and pay at the desk that we will have set up for the League. We will be there from 5:30pm to take registrations and payment. Please register by 6:05pm at the latest. Games will start at 6:15pm sharp. 
 
In the event of no-shows and last minute withdrawals, there may be places available on the night at a reduced rate. We will take a waitlist (first come first served) for last minute entries on the night. 
 

Additional Q&A

 

I'm really new to Pickleball, can I play in a competition?

The expectation if you are going to play in the Illawarra Social League is that you understand the rules and scoring, and are proficient enough to serve return and rally in points. This is a Social League, so we are trying to keep the social essence of what makes Pickleball great, but it is also a competition, so you will be challenged. Our experience so far has shown that the League is great for those who are willing to challenge themselves and we've already seen player's skill levels rise dramatically through the format and being paired with a diverse range of players. Some love this aspect, but for others starting in social play to gain confidence in their skills and knowledge can be a better path before taking on a League. The choice is yours!

The best feedback we can give - it's been the people who are learning their craft who have been the first to sign on for following weeks. 

I play on Friday nights socially already, I don't want to do this competition stuff. Can I still play socially?

Yes! The event will only be using 4 of the 8 courts available at Shellharbour Indoor Stadium, so Social Pickleball as run by Shellharbour Council will still be operating, albeit on less courts. 
 

I can't commit to the whole season, can I still join in?

Absolutely! We have designed the Season so that only your best 4 event results count for your season score. Of course we'd love to see you for every event, but this makes it fair for those who may miss some weeks. 
 

I tried to sign up, but places are full already?

As we only have 4 courts, there is a player cap of 16 players per event. To make things fair, places are allocated on a first come-first served basis. Members do get a chance to register before non-members, membership has its privileges! So one option that is available is to become a member to give you a better change at securing a seat. 
 
We will maintain a waitlist on the night (again, first come first served) in case of last minute withdrawals or no-shows, so there's a chance you can get in on the night. Social Pickleball will always be available as well, so you won't be going without a game.
 

What if I sign up and can't make it?

In the registration email you'll be sent, there are instructions on how you can withdraw from the event. Please, if you can't make it, let us know you are withdrawing as soon as possible so that a place can go to someone else. The events only work when all the places are filled, and it makes life harder for everyone if we have to scramble at the last minute to finalise places.
 

What if I want to play with my preferred team/partner in this event?

For this season, we are trying to encourage diversity of players and matchups. It's a social league. A teams-based league is a future model we are considering, so watch this space!
 

What if I get partnered with someone who is much better/worse than me?

This competition is designed to support teamwork! Part of that is adapting to work out how to work best as a team in a diverse set of circumstances. If your partner is really good, this is a chance for you to learn from them! Engage with them, get them to give you tips on your game, work out how you can improve. If you are partnered with someone who is not as strong as you, be generous and help them - once upon a time you were learning the ropes too, and someone with great skills and experience helped you. Pay it back and pay it forward - remember this competition is about skills and enjoyment.
 
You might think that the scrambled nature of partners makes it harder to win overall - We've actually crunched the numbers on this, and statistically, the skill of your partners or opponents balances out over the course of the event. Even in cases where we've seen outlier draws for both partners and opponents, ultimately it's how well you can work as an individual and as a team that determines your success. 
 

What if one team is much better/worse than the other?

Firstly, the draw is designed to self-correct to try and avoid mismatches. But as the early rounds are completely random, sometimes mismatches may occur. If you are in a team that is substantially better than your opponents, remember our etiquette rules. Use this as a chance to focus on a skills area or a teamwork aspect that will help you moving forward. Remember that you get the same points for winning 15-0 as you do for winning with a closer margin. Adjust your game accordingly so that everyone on the court can get something out of the game. 
 

If you are more experienced or at a higher skill level, adapt your game so that all players can have a good game. Do not target or hit excessively to a weaker player just so you can "win". Everyone is there to have a good time, support that experience.

 

What if I can't make it every week?

No problem! This is why the Season is structured to select your best four results to determine your season score. 
 

Can I register for every event in the season? Can I reserve my spot?

We expect demand for this season to be high. The fairest way to allocate places is first past the post. Shellharbour Smash members do get a head start, it's a benefit of membership. So if you're super keen, become a member!
 

I can't play Friday night - can you do any other times?

We will assess after this season based on the success of the events. 
 
 

Can you explain more about your scoring system? How do you take timed games and allocate a fair score to them?

Scoring is done at the end of each round based on points won - the winning team gets 10 points, and the losing team gets a score which reflects the ratio of points scored during the game. In the case of a tie due to the timer running out, the next point is a “super point” - whoever wins the rally gets the winning point!
 
Scoring will be based on the final points score of the game in the round. The winner (regardless of the score in the game) will get 10 points. The losing team will be allocated a percentage of points based on their relative score eg.
 
Game Score - 11-7
Winner Points = 10
Loser Points = (7/11)*10 = 6.36
 
Game Score - 13-15
Winner Points = 10
Loser Points =  (13/15)*10 = 8.67 
 
Bonus points are allocated for Wins - 1 point for wins in Rounds 1-3, 2 points for wins in rounds 4-6. In Round 2, a multiplier is applied based on grading - top graded matches are worth more points than lower graded matches. This leads to a total maximum score of 99 if a person wins all six games they are involved in.  
 

What are the Prizes?

If you are an event winner (highest score on the night) you will get a free credit to a future event within the Season (one free credit per player per season). 
 
Season Winners will be in Three categories - Mens, Womens and Masters (over 50+ age). Season winners will receive a trophy and a 50% discount redemption voucher for registration for any PAA sanctioned Pickleball event held in the year of 2025. There may be some additional prizes available, watch this space!
 
 

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