FAQ - Players

A list of 2026 Sanction Tournaments are on the PA 2026 Sanctioned Tournament webpage. Links to each sanctioned tournaments registration page can be accessed by the link below the tournament.

Alternatively in Pickleball Tournaments you can filter tournaments to PA Sanctioned tournaments only by clicking on the sanction icon and selecting Pickleball Australia.

Tournament Registrations are made through Pickleball Tournaments (formerly Pickleball Brackets). To register for a sanctioned tournament players must hold a current PA membership that is linked to your free Pickleball Tournament account and DUPR account. For further information on how to set this up and then register for a tournament please refer to the registration helpfile.

DUPR stands for Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating. A data-based skill rating system for pickleball players. It uses an algorithm to adjust ratings in real-time based on match results, considering opponents' ratings, scores, and game outcomes, ensuring players are matched with similar skill levels to play in fair, level-based competitions.

Players need to enter an initial self-assessed rating in Pickleball Tournaments when they first set up an account, and this will give them a base score to start building on. We strongly recommend that players speak to a coach or experienced player about what their self-rating should be. A more accurate initial self-assessed rating will place you more accurately in your playing bracket.

Yes, when you register for a tournament, you can select the gender doubles / mixed doubles event you want to enter then on the second registration screen select I need a partner.  This will enter you into the tournament where you will be listed in the event with ‘Send Partner Request’.

From here you can find a partner or contact another player who needs a partner by clicking on the ‘Send Partner Request’ button next to their name. If you find a partner, you can go back and edit your registration with the details of your new partner.

It is not the Tournament Director’s responsibility to find you a partner however they may be able to match you with another player looking for a partner. If you do not have a partner for an event we strongly recommend you reach out to the Tournament Director via the Contact Tournament button prior to registrations closing.

When registering for a doubles event you must enter in the skills bracket of the highest DUPR rated partner. For example, if one partner is 3.25 and the other is 3.55 you must enter the 3.5+ event.

Paddle testing is carried out to maintaining the integrity of the sport and reduce potential safety issues and unfair advantages in the game due to paddle technology.

All players participating in a PA sanctioned tournaments must use a paddle where the manufacturer has passed approved testing by UPA-A or USA Pickleball. If the paddle is approved it will be listed on the UPA-A Certified Paddle List or the USA Approved Pickleball Paddle List.

Please note previously you could tell if a paddle was approved by the USA Pickleball approval stamp on the paddle but unfortunately knock off brands have also started to include this on their paddle, so this is no longer 100% accurate.

This year Pickleball Australia will be introducing paddle testing technology at selected tournaments. The technology will test the paddles to ensure it complies with safety and fairness standards including surface roughness for spin, deflection for power and overall structural integrity. 

The technology will pick up any illegal personal modifications to the paddle or any use related issues such as delamination. Should your paddle be tested and it fails you will not be able to use that paddle in tournaments.

AR points are Australian ranking points. Players can earn AR points at PA Sanctioned Tier 2 – 6 tournaments. For further information regarding AR ranking points please refer to the Australian Ranking Points webpage.

If you have a question regarding a tournament, please click on the orange contact tournament button located on the tournaments Pickleball Tournament landing page.  Your question will be emailed directly to the Tournament Director to answer.

Prior to registrations closing you can adjust your events or add partners to your already completed registration.  To do so, head back to the tournament listing.  In place of the "Register" button, you will now see a "Edit Registration" option. From here you can work through your registration making the edits required.

After registrations are closed, you will need to contact the Tournament Director with your requests via the Contact Tournament button.

Prior to registrations closing you can withdraw from the tournament through the “Edit Registration" button as per the question above. At the top of the events selection page there is a “Withdraw From Tourney” link – click on this and confirm your withdrawal. PLEASE NOTE if you only wish to withdraw from an event and not the entire tournament please deselect the event from the registration list only – this way it will remove you from the event but not the entire tournament. 

After registrations are closed, you will need to notify the Tournament Director of your withdrawal via the Contact Tournament button.

Yes, all PA sanctioned tournaments have injury insurance cover for participants. It is important that you see the tournament medic at the time of your injury as they will record and submit an injury report to PA so we can verify your claim. 

For further information on Injury insurance please click here.

Skinny singles is a variation of singles where players only use half of their court. Players start diagonally like in normal singles and will play from their and into their opponents designated "skinny" half of the court.  Players change sides of the court when they score a point. A players side of the court is always determined by their own score ie odd or even. Therefore, rallies will be played down the line or across court.

Rally scoring is an alternate scoring system where a point is scored on every single rally, regardless of which team served. Rally scoring is traditionally one game to 21 points win by 2. For further information regarding rally scoring please refer to the GPF rules.

Each tournament will have different events and entry limits based on their venue capacity and target audience. It is important that you read the details provided by each tournament in Pickleball Tournaments, so you are aware of all entry requirements and limits.

Tournament Event entry costs vary, and some tournaments may include the first event in registration costs others may charge for each event. It is important to read the details provided by each tournament, so you are aware of the registration costs and what it includes.

An inclusive event format where doubles teams can consist of same or different gender partners but must include a player with a physical or intellectual disability alongside an able-bodied partner.

All PA sanctioned tournaments must follow the GPF rules unless previous permission has been given to use adapted rules (this is normally only allowed for league events). If adaptive rules are being used these must be clearly stated (or linked) in the Pickleball Tournaments details.

Tournaments apply waiting lists to events to ensure they do not exceed court capacity during any given session. Pickleball tournaments will automatically add players to a waitlist for one of two reasons.

1. The event has already reached capacity OR

2. To give priority entry to teams where both partners are registered the system will automatically move a team where only one partner is registered to the waitlist after a set number of days.  Once both partners are registered the team will be moved back to the registered list if the event has not reached capacity.

If you are placed on a waitlist due to an event being at capacity, try to be patient as the tournament director will be trying to fit everyone in. Once registrations close the Tournament Director will contact your team on whether they are able to extend the waitlist and add you to the event. If you need to know the likelihood of this occurring prior to registration close please reach out to the tournament director via the contact tournament button.

The first step is to check your Pickleball Tournaments profile and that your phone number is listed correctly (including correct Country code) and that you have checked the tick box to receive event notifications via text message. If both of these are correct please submit a support ticket to Pickleball Tournaments via the link below so they can investigate the issue. https://pickleball.freshdesk.com/en/support/tickets/new

Yes, it is important that you only have one Pickleball Tournament account and one DUPR account so all game result information is correctly collated in the one account. To merge duplicate accounts you will need to submit a support ticket with the appropriate software provider.

DUPR: https://dupr.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new (select Merge accounts > Duplicate Profiles from the drop down)

Pickleball Tournaments: https://pickleball.freshdesk.com/en/support/tickets/new (select player profile > player merge accounts or delete profile requests in the appropriate drop down box).

Players who are found to be deliberating using two Pickleball Tournament or DUPR accounts to manipulate their event entries may face disciplinary action and removal from the event.

Round Robin format: teams get placed into equal pools (groups) of between 4-7 players. Players in each pool will play each other to determine a table standing from that pool. Two players from each pool (four if one pool) will then progress through to a final’s series. 

Double Elimination format: a knockout draw that consists of a top draw and back draw. The top draw is an elimination draw where winning players progress until the last two winners compete for the Gold/Silver medal.

Players who lose in the top draw receive a second chance and drop down into the back draw as it progresses. If a player loses in the back draw they are knocked out. The final two players play off for the Bronze medal.

The standard PA sanctioned tournament format is for 5 player pools to play to 15 points whilst 6 player pools play to 11.  This is a recommended format as it helps balance out point differential between player points and maintain similar pool completion times.

Pool playing length: 

• 5 team pool - 10 games x 25 -27 mins approx. per game = 250 – 270 min

• 6 team pool – 15 games x 18 – 20 mins approx. per game = 270 – 300 min

Point Differential calculations for Final Qualification

• 5 team pool – 4 games per player x 15 pts = 60 (general max points)

• 6 team pool – 5 games per player x 11 pts = 55 (general max points)

Place your paddle on the ground and call for a referee to come and resolve the dispute. Once the dispute is resolved players may continue to self score the game or request that the referee to stay on and officiate the game.

As you must be a current PA member at the time of the tournament the Pickleball Tournament software checks that your registration will be current for the duration of the tournament. If this is not the case, a pop-up message will appear asking you to renew your membership with PA before registering. 

Click on the link to complete this process – making sure you select the correct State and associated club if appropriate. In renewing early, you will not lose any membership days as early membership renewals extend PA memberships by a year from the current expiry date.

As players DUPR’s continually adjust as game results come in the Tournament Director sets a point in time where the DUPR ratings are a point of truth, this is normally at registration close.  

On registration close Tournament Directors will work through events amending any event registrations where the DUPR rating exceeds the event limit at the close of registration. Player DUPR ratings may then change after this point of time however the draw will remain and will be based on DUPR ratings at registration close. 

If you have concerns or questions regarding a players DUPR in an event please contact the tournament director through the contact tournament button.

In December 2025 Pickleball Tournaments developed a linkage between a Parent and child account for children under the age of seventeen where parents can now manage their child’s account. For further information regarding this please refer to the following article. https://pickleball.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/72000647427-how-to-create-a-pickleball-com-profile-for-minor

If you are still having difficulty with your child’s account after following the steps in the article please create a Pickleball Tournaments Support Ticket https://pickleball.freshdesk.com/en/support/tickets/new

As you complete your games it is important to check that the results are showing correctly in Pickleball Tournaments – we recommend checking each one before the finals are generated to ensure correct results are used to calculate the finalists.

If you do find a result wrong, please approach the Tournament Desk to have the result altered. If the result was a player entered score it helps to have both teams go to the desk together to confirm the score.