Rule 1: PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES

The South Africa Padel League (SAPL) is a self-officiated team padel competition.

SAPL is designed to provide competitive, fair and enjoyable padel while maintaining a practical league structure that can operate without an on-court referee.

All players and captains are expected to:

* Know and follow these rules.
* Make honest calls.
* Keep an accurate score.
* Respect opponents.
* Avoid deliberate delays.
* Resolve disputes quickly and fairly.
* Accept decisions once a point or issue has been resolved.

## 1.1 No-referee principle

SAPL matches are self-officiated.

Players and captains are responsible for applying the rules during the match.

**Players may not deliberately exploit the absence of a referee.**

Where a situation is not specifically addressed by these rules, the players should first attempt to resolve it immediately.

If the players cannot agree, the two captains must attempt to resolve the matter.

If the captains cannot agree and the dispute concerns a point, **the disputed point shall be replayed from the last score that both sides agree upon.**

Once the replayed point has been completed, the decision is final and play must continue.

A match may not be delayed indefinitely because of a dispute.

SAPL may review incidents after the match and impose disciplinary or league penalties where appropriate.

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Rule 22: FIP RULES

Except where SAPL specifically provides a different rule, standard FIP Rules of Padel apply.

This includes rules concerning:

* Net
* Glass
* Fence
* Posts
* Ball contact
* Player contact
* Racket contact
* Clothing
* Ball crossing the net
* Ball crossing outside the court
* Returning the ball around the net post
* Out-of-court play
* Lets
* Double bounces
* Service faults
* Other standard padel situations

The current FIP Rules of Padel remain the reference standard for these technical playing situations.

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Rule 43: FIP RULE OVERRIDE

Where these SAPL rules differ from a standard FIP playing rule, the **SAPL rule applies to SAPL league competition**.

Examples of SAPL-specific rules include:

* Four-match team format
* Four-game change of ends
* SAPL league points
* Silver Point/Golden Point scoring
* Rating/substitution rules
* Late-arrival game penalties
* SAPL rescheduling rules
* SAPL dispute procedure
* SAPL disciplinary framework

All other technical padel rules remain governed by the applicable FIP Rules of Padel.

The current FIP Rules provide alternative game-scoring options, including traditional advantage, Star Point and Golden Point. SAPL's Silver Point/Golden Point system is therefore expressly a **SAPL competition rule**, not a claim that it is the standard FIP scoring option.

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Rule 45: CORE SAPL RULE

## PLAY THE POINT. RESPECT THE CALL. KEEP THE MATCH MOVING.

SAPL is designed to be competitive without requiring a referee at every court.

The absence of a referee does not give players permission to argue indefinitely, manipulate rules or deliberately delay matches.

Players and captains are expected to use these rules in good faith.

Where there is genuine uncertainty, the objective is not to determine who can argue the longest.

The objective is to:

**Resolve the issue. Replay where necessary. Accept the outcome. Continue playing.**

That is the SAPL standard.

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Rule 46: RULEBOOK VERSION CONTROL

**SAPL 2026 Official Rulebook**

This document represents the league-specific competition rules for the SAPL 2026 season.

Where SAPL issues an official rule update during the season, the updated rule takes precedence from the effective date communicated by SAPL.

The latest official SAPL rulebook published through the SAPL platform is the controlling version.

FIP rules may be updated independently. SAPL will determine whether and when a FIP change is adopted into SAPL competition rules.