Basic Info

• MSSC is adding Pickleball in 2026! We ran two intro events in July, and have leagues posted for late Summer/early Fall
• Some information appears on this page. More is found in our Frequently Asked Questions and the rulebook linked in the grey menu bar toward the top of the page. General club policies can be found at the bottom of this page in the Info & Help section 

Survey

Take this survey to provide your input on a few aspects of league play and coaching opportunities: pickleball survey. We're using this to gauge which format people like, where they want to play, and if they're interested in additional coaching.

Events

• We had two “Intro to Pickleball” events in July 2026. We welcomed a lot of beginners who got to experience pickleball for the first time!
• We'll be offering “coached playing lessons” if there's enough interest. These are small group sessions (generally eight people) led by an experienced instructor who coaches you as you play. We have pricing from one instructor: $48 for a two hour session for Intro to Pickleball (people who have never stepped on a court before). Price includes court reservation and all equipment. You'll also get to try out different paddles. Separate sessions will also be offered for those with some knowledge already. Please fill out this form if you're interested: coaching form

Format

• Leagues will be “all gender” doubles as we get this sport off the ground. “All gender” means you don't need any specific gender mix on the court. There will be two different formats, depending on whether you're signing up as a team or individual (detailed below)
• All leagues (both Team and Individual) will operate under a form of pool play called “box ladder.” Typical pool play includes four games per night against rotating opponents with an “out” spot for each time slot. The out spot is eliminated if a team or individual player doesn't show, which should virtually eliminate forfeits. Teams can move up or down the ladder weekly based on results of pool play. This should get everyone playing against others of similar skill after the first few weeks of play. The format may be adjusted depending on the number of signups
• Players supply their own paddles. Balls will be available from MSSC, although we recommend teams bring their own for warmups and in the event a site monitor has an emergency and can't make it. Both teams must agree on any non-MSSC ball used. MSSC recommends the Franklin X-40 for outdoor play
• Individual games are played to 11 points (cap at 13). A standard schedule has four games per night with one out spot, for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes on site
• Games are self-officiated and teams will record their own scores
• Our rulebook is in the menu bar above. We largely follow USA Pickleball rules, but their rulebook is 96 pages, and we've tried to condense ours down to the most important points

Team Registration

• This option is for those who already have teammates lined up. You'll have the same playing partners all season and will play against other registered teams
• There is a roster minimum of three players to help avoid forfeits due to illness, injury, travel, etc. All players don't need to show up each week. You can consider anyone over two players to be your “subs,” but all players on the roster must be available to play regularly on whichever day(s) you register
• Teams will engage in pool play based on skill level. You can see an example here: box ladder example - teams. The format may be adjusted depending on the number of teams signed up.

Individual Registration

• Individual registration is different for pickleball than all other sports. You're registering yourself only and are not expecting to play with any other particular individuals. You won't register under this option if you have a friend (or friends) with whom you want to play. Please register a team instead. We can probably find you a third (or fourth) player if needed
• Registration will be “confirmed” immediately since there is no team assignment needed in the format we're using. There's no guarantee you'll have a spot though, as we need enough registrations any given night to make a league work. A league will be capped at some point if that night is filling up
• You'll be placed into groups based on your initial self-reported skill level and will have different teammates throughout the night and the season. Typically, each box will have 5-6 players in it based on skill rating. You'll play several matches each night and can move up or down the “ladder” weekly based on cumulative points scored in your games. You can see an example here: box ladder example - Individuals. The format may be adjusted based on the number of signups
• This option is ideal for those who are new to town or don't know anyone in the pickleball community and want to meet new people. You'll play with and against a lot of different people over the course of a season, and should end up in a group with others of similar skill level

Resources

• We created an MSSC Pickleball group on Facebook. Use this to find a teammate or sub or ask any pickleball-related questions
• You can also check out Madison Area Pickleball on Facebook if you can sift through all the spam
• There are countless pickleball rules explanation and skill development videos on YouTube

Skill Level and Divisions

• Teams and Individuals self-select their skill level during registration. We'll ask for DUPR ratings for those who have them. Teams without a rating will be asked to assess their skill on a scale of 1-10 to the best of their ability (similar to our other leagues). We'll move to more standard pickleball ratings after we've run a few seasons and players become more familiar with those ratings
• We expect leagues to be largely beginner and intermediate level players in the first few seasons as we grow our program
• There will be an adjustment period for the first few seasons as we get leagues off the ground and grow them. We ask that players be patient with any large skill disparities between teams, as those should eventually level out

Dates and Locations

• Late Summer/Fall 2026 outdoor leagues are offered at Tenney Park (east side) and Rennebohm Park (west side). Both locations have courts that are dual striped for tennis and pickleball and also have lights. The dual court structure means there's plenty of space to warm up outside of the playing area if you don't have the first game of the night. The Rennebohm courts were recently resurfaced and are in great shape
• Leagues are posted Monday through Thursday nights at both locations and begin the week of 8/17. The season is seven weeks. We may not have enough registrations for all eight leagues in the first season, so please indicate a second (or third) choice in the appropriate field during registration
• We're exploring facilities for indoor leagues and will post details if we're able to make those happen
• Locations for any given league are not set in stone. They're subject to change at any time based on the whims of Madison Parks or any indoor facilities we use. We often have leagues that end up changing facilities for one reason or another, and players should be prepared to play wherever the league is located

Deadline and League Capacity

All leagues have a capacity. Registration deadline: Ten days prior to the start date (if not already sold out).

Scheduling

• Schedules for the first week will be posted as soon as reasonably possible. It may be with very short notice, as we sometimes need to move teams and players around after registration ends to make pool play work. The schedule is posted weekly thereafter, and your start time could be different every week. If you signed up for Tuesday nights, you play on Tuesdays nights, and should be available for any time slot.
• Please find subs for any date you're unable to play. We may not be able to accommodate byes due to the structure of these leagues
• We don't play on major Federal holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day, MLK Day, etc. Indoor leagues don't play the day before Thanksgiving or on Thanksgiving. They also don't play for two weeks around the Christmas and New Year's Holidays. See our scheduling page for full details

Site Monitors

We're looking for Site Monitors to assist with our leagues. These are paid positions, and typical duties will include bringing equipment to the site, answering questions from players, submitting scores, etc. Read the full job description. You'll be asked during registration if you're interested in this position, but you can take the next step by applying on our jobs page.