All players must be 19 years of age or older. This is a requirement of Rally & Tap Pickleball’s insurance and the legal responsibility of all players to comply. We reserve the right to check ID to confirm your age. Players who cannot produce ID cannot play. If we find any players under 19 years of age, they will be prohibited from further league play without a refund, and all games in which the underage player participated will be recorded as a FORFEITED GAME for the team on the official scoreboard. Let’s keep it fun and fair for everyone!

All players, whether new, returning, or substitutes, MUST sign the waiver before hitting the court. Waivers must be signed each season, as previous waivers do not carry over. Fill out your waiver online during the registration process. Teams with players who haven’t signed the waiver won’t be allowed to play until everyone on the roster has signed. Teams without the required number of completed waivers by the start of league play won’t be able to access their league schedule. Players found playing without a signed waiver will be ejected from the game and/or league, without a refund.

Rally & Tap Pickleball promotes fun, friendship, and fitness. We expect all members to follow our code of conduct and contribute to a respectful, supportive, welcoming, and fun environment for all. Here’s what we expect from our community:

• Respectful Behavior: Avoid offending, participating in disputes, and disrupting a positive experience for others.
• Legal Compliance: Comply with all discrimination, violence, harassment, racism, sexual harassment, drug, alcohol, and other laws, especially while participating in Rally & Tap Pickleball leagues and events.
• Zero Tolerance: No discriminatory behavior, racism, homophobic and transphobic slurs, threatening or intimidation, unwanted advances, harassment, or victimization of members.
• Disciplinary Action: Rally & Tap Pickleball reserves the right to take disciplinary action, up to and including ejection, suspension, or expulsion from a league and refusal to accept future registrations, against members who fail to follow this code of conduct.

Play Conduct

Competitive, overly aggressive, unfair, and/or rough play, such as pushing, shoving, elbowing, shouldering, kicking, punching, tripping, hacking, slashing, sliding, tackling, ball blasting, chirping, name-calling, insulting, threatening, and intimidating other players, is prohibited and will not be tolerated.

Rally & Tap Pickleball is FIRST-AND-FOREMOST FOR FUN. We have ZERO TOLERANCE for competitive, aggressive, or unfair conduct. Any rough or physical play will result in disciplinary action, which may include immediate expulsion from the game, the league, and/or the club. All players should avoid contact and behaviors that could jeopardize player safety. If accidental contact occurs, players are expected to apologize, ensure everyone is alright, and stop the game if necessary to seek help.

Handling Dangerous Play

If you feel an opposing player is playing unfairly and dangerously, and they do not comply with requests to stop or change their behavior, you may choose to stop the game and leave the field. Rally & Tap Pickleball prioritizes fun and player safety. If the game isn’t fun and safety is at risk, the team captain should notify Rally & Tap Pickleball staff immediately, and/or the game should end. We will pursue the appropriate disciplinary process for all players involved.

Facility and Permits

Any team involved in an incident resulting in the loss of a permit, facility, location, or field will be expelled from the league without warning or refund. Reasons for permit loss include:

• Substance Use: No drugs or alcohol at any play space at any time. Follow all smoking rules at facilities.
• Property Damage: Trespassing, vandalism, or breakage at facilities where Rally & Tap Pickleball plays is prohibited. Enter and exit only by specified areas, and do not wander the facilities.
• Respect for Facilities: Put things back where you found them, take all your items with you, and use provided receptacles for trash.
• Language: Foul or inappropriate language, especially in places where children may be present, is strictly prohibited.

Let’s keep the fun going while respecting each other and our playing spaces!

The practice of sport is a human right and sport inclusion is a fundamental value for Rally & Tap Pickleball. Through RTP activities and most importantly our players, we are committed to providing a supportive and respectful environment for all players and staff regardless of any differences based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and all other grounds protected from discrimination by the Human Rights Act.

Scroll down to learn even more about our commitment here on this page!

An on-site Rally & Tap Game Coordinator may stop a game before the full time has expired due to overly aggressive play, persistent unfair conduct, or a general violation of the rules of the game. This decision is solely at the discretion of the Game Coordinator. If the decision is made to stop the game early, the score will be recorded as a loss for both teams. In addition, both teams will be given an automatic warning (as outlined above). The exception to this rule is if the on-site Coordinator has stopped the game because of the inappropriate play of only one team. The non-offending team will receive the win, regardless of the score at the time the game was stopped.

The RTP office has the final judgement on score and game outcomes.

In the event of competitive, aggressive, or unfair conduct during RTP play, the following process will be followed:

1. RTP Game Coordinators / Referees (on-site staff) will provide a complete report of the incident to the RTP Manager. 
2. The team captain(s) will be asked to provide further information or clarification, if needed for disciplinary actions to be decided.
3. The victim of the competitive, aggressive, or unfair behaviour will be asked to provide a detailed account of their experience, if needed.
4. The member accused of being overly competitive, aggressive, or unfair will be asked to provide a detailed account of their actions, if needed for disciplinary actions to be decided.

At the Game Coordinator, Manager and Director of Operations discretion one or more of following may result from incidents of overly competitive, aggressive, or unfair conduct:

• Player or team receives a verbal and/or written warning.
• Player and/or team is expelled from the game by the Game Coordinator on-site.
• Player is suspended or expelled for the season.
• Player and Team are suspended or expelled for the season.
• Player is expelled from RTP for life.

Under no circumstances will players or teams be granted a refund as a result of expulsion.

Should a player be ejected from a game by RTP staff for competitive, aggressive, or unfair behaviour of any kind the team on which the ejected player is a member must play the rest of the game less one player. For example, if the normal number of players on the field is 6 and one is ejected the team must play the rest of the game with just 5 players.

Players will be held accountable for their actions. All incidents of overly competitive, aggressive, or unfair conduct WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES for the players who commit these offenses, whether instigating or retaliating. Teams can and will also be held responsible for their players’ conduct. If a teammate is behaving inappropriately, it is expected that the team captain and other teammates will intervene to stop the offending behaviour immediately.

Rally & Tap Pickleball members’ contact information is provided to other team captains and individual registrants in their sport, in the event that players need to communicate regarding league issues. If players wish to have their contact information omitted from team listings, then RTP cannot be held responsible for lapsed information or missed games. Contact information may also be posted by RTP members themselves at the Player Forum. Groups or individuals who take or use this information for any other purpose than communicating about RTP league activity will be ejected without appeal or refund and prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law. RTP will not sell or distribute contact information to third parties, ever.

ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND CANNABIS IS NOT PERMITTED DURING LEAGUE PLAY, NO EXCEPTIONS. All of the facilities at which RTP plays, whether city-owned, schoolboard owned, or privately-owned are public places and have a strict ALCOHOL, TOBACCO and CANNABIS BAN in effect at all times. This includes inside or outside of facilities and parking lots. Teams or individuals caught consuming any of these three items during league play will be expelled from the league without warning or refund. 

Teams that look like a team play (more) like a team! We encourage teammates to coordinate and show their spirit through matching colors, t-shirts or jerseys! Players are required to wear shirts when playing. Playing without a shirt is not permitted in RTP programs.

Proper athletic footwear must be worn at all times. Every player must wear non-marking athletic shoes to participate indoors.

All RTP games go ahead in rain or shine or snow BUT NOT IN thunderstorms or severe snowstorms. Decisions about game stoppage or cancellation are made AT THE GAME LOCATION, AT GAME TIME by RTP staff and/or team captains so players should always show up for games as scheduled.

In the event of severe weather (thunderstorms, lightning, snowstorms, etc.) outdoor games should immediately be stopped and players should take the following actions:

• Take cover away from open spaces and wait 30 minutes for the severe weather to pass. Observe the 30/30 rule and when there is 30 seconds or less between lightning and thunder, wait 30 minutes before resuming play. 
• This stoppage of play should be done no more than twice in one game.  
• IF the severe weather passes, continue play, picking up where the game left off.
• IF the severe weather does not pass the following happens:
• Team captains must report the game stoppage (and failure to resume) to RTP within 24 hours – report must include the time remaining and score when the games was called.
• Check specific sport rules to determine if the game counts and how to report score. Then confirm with your opponents.

If one team shows up during foul weather to play and the other team is missing, or if one team leaves mid-game and there is an opportunity to continue play – it is an automatic win for the present team.

Unfortunately, RTP is not able to control weather conditions! In the event of a missed game due to weather, RTP will endeavour to provide a rescheduled game however if one cannot be accommodated then there is no refund. As stated above, both teams must show up at the time of their game to determine if it is safe to play AT THAT TIME/LOCATION during inclement weather. 

In the rare instance games must be cancelled before game time caused by severe weather, RTP will post the cancellation on the website, social media and send an email to all league players. Please be sure to check “receive emails” in your player profile to ensure you can stay up to date on any league changes.

In the case of a missed game due to weather in the first week of playoffs, the last game will be played 1st vs 2nd, 3rd vs 4th etc. In the case of a missed game in the second week of playoffs (final game), the final ranking of the standings page will determine the final placement for the season.

Schedules will be posted on the RTP website (members-only, log-in required) after registration for the season closes and a minimum of 2 days before the first game or class of the season. A schedule of games for the entire season will be posted whenever possible.

Schedules may change as a result of facility cancellations or unfit playing conditions, team match up considerations, team withdrawal/expulsion, and more.  These changes are most often beyond RTP’s control and happen on short notice. Players are strongly encouraged to check the RTP website immediately before heading out to a game to be sure they have the most up-to-date game location/schedule information. RTP will do our best to email teams (and/or captains) in the event of a schedule change made with less than 24 hours notice.

Every reasonable effort will be made to reschedule games that are missed during the regular season for reasons including but not limited to facility closure, unsafe playing conditions and game stoppage due to inclement weather. If your team does not show up to play on game day and the field is playable, the game WILL NOT be rescheduled. Rescheduled games are not guaranteed. Rescheduled games will most likely occur on the season’s rain date, announced at the beginning of the season or on a different day/time/location than originally allocated to the league by RTP.

Discrepancies or arguments regarding scores, complaints or any other ambiguous item must be dealt with within 2 business days after the latest posting of the scores on our website for the week in question. During the final week of the regular season, any and all discrepancies must be resolved by 5pm the following day. Captains should ensure that the score of their game has been recorded correctly by checking the RTP website. Score disputes that cannot resolved by the team captains will result in the game being recorded as a tie.

Wins are worth 2 points, ties are worth 1 and losses are worth 0. If a team defaults, they will lose one point. Ties in the standings will be broken first on head-to-head play. If there are more than 2 teams that are tied, all the teams must have played each other once in order for the results to go to head-to-head. The scores from the last match-up will be scores used to determine the tie-break. Otherwise, least points against, then +/-, then most points for will determine the placement in that order. Standings are posted, and updated in real time, on the website.

Life happens and unexpected schedule conflicts come up. RTP strongly encourages all teams to attend and play with a substitute at the calibre of the skill division. Check out “Find a Replacement/Substitute Player” above. If all options have been exhausted, we required the captain to call or text the other captain in advance to let them know that the team will be short. Captains can reach each other using the “Captain’s Contact List” on their player page.

Pickleball, like all sports, requires opponents to show up. Teams that forfeit more than 2 game days may be removed from the league without refund.

If you’ve been notified that your opponent won’t be at the game, or if you arrive to find them missing, the court is still yours! The team that shows up gets a W for the night and the opportunity to use the court time to practice or scrimmage. We’ll always do our best to make sure you have a fun night of pickleball!

Reseeding a league means changing the pool assignment and/or matchups for each team based on the results/rankings achieved after a pre-determined number of games have been played. Reseeding is done to level the playing field. RTP prioritizes fun and believes that 1) it is more fun to play against teams of similar skill, 2) it is no fun to be beat/forced to invoke the mercy rules/blown out by your opponent’s week after week.

RTP reserves the right to reseed leagues, at our discretion, in order to protect and promote (more) fun for the majority of members in the league.

All teams make it to the playoffs! Players must check their schedule to see who they’re playing again. 

The following rules must be followed during playoffs: 

• RTP is first-and-foremost-for-fun. RTP will not tolerate a win-at-all-costs approach to play-offs and will not reward with a league championship a team or players who do not respect the rules and spirit of RTP. RTP reserves the right to remove from play-off action (and/or deny the title and prizes) any team.
• No Ringers! To play on playoff nights players must have played a minimum of 2 regular season game days (during 4 to 10 week seasons) or 3 game days (during 11+ week seasons) for that team. 
• A player is only allowed to play for one team in each playoff round. Players cannot sub in for another team during the same round, most particularly in a championship game. Exception: a player may sub for another team in the same league during the same play-off round IF the game is not a championship game (ie, title on the line) and the team needing a sub would default the game without the substitute player (resulting in both teams being unable to play).

Team and Individual registrations for RTP’s leagues and events are only complete, and a spot in the league or event secure, when RTP has received:

1) Complete registration information, AND
2) Payment in FULL

All team and individual spots will only be held once FULL payment has been received. All refund requests must be submitted by email (no phone calls please). 

Cancellation requests received 10 days in advance of the first date of your program. Players will receive a full refund, less an administrative fee of 15% + tax. Alternatively, players can opt for a full credit on their account. There is no administrative fee for a credit. 
 
Cancellation requests received with less than 10 days prior to the first date of your program, a replacement player/team will need to take over your spot to qualify for a refund or credit. The replacement player/team must contact Rally & Tap Pickleball directly, confirm their participation and complete payment.  

If the program or league has already started, refunds/credits will be pro-rated based on games/sessions remaining. Once a weekly program is more than 50% complete, refunds/credits are no longer available. 

An administrative fee of 15% plus tax applies to all refunds. Alternatively, players can opt for a credit on their account. There is no administrative fee for a credit. 

Important Notes 

There are no refunds in the following situations: 

• Games that are defaulted or rescheduled. 

• Player injuries, change in physical condition or changes in circumstance. 

• Teams or individuals suspended or ejected from RTP leagues due to any breaches of RTP Player Conduct Policy. 

• Closures due to inclement weather, and/or lockdowns. 

If RTP is unable to place an individual registrant on a team*, the Individual registrant will receive a full refund PLUS a 25% credit towards a future RTP registration (25% of the registration fee).

For example … Scenarios that may result in a Refund + Credit:

If you signed up as an Individual registrant, and RTP was unable to meet the minimum # of participants – and as a result your registration was cancelled.

The sport/league did not meet the minimum # of teams participating and was cancelled.

*RTP will always endeavour to find you a spot to play. Alternative registration options may include participating on another evening or a different program.