Official rules

Liga Județeană Elite Constanța is organised into 1 Division:

The Liga Județeană de Padel division is structured into 5 tiers, numbered from 1 (the strongest level) to 5 (the base level).

The initial allocation of teams to tiers is made manually by the organisers, based on:

• •Team composition
• •Players’ level

The league is played over 3 Phases. At the end of each phase, promotions and relegations are applied, so the tiers are reshaped for the next phase.

1. 1.Participants register in teams of 2 players. A team may be made up of any combination of players, provided that it stays the same for the whole duration of the league.
2. 2.Each team is registered in a single division: Liga Județeană de Padel.
3. 3.The registration fee covers participation in all 3 phases of the league. The registration cannot be changed or cancelled after official confirmation.
4. 4.The organisers may refuse a registration or change a team’s starting tier according to its declared level and competition history.

1. 1.Within each phase, the teams in the same tier play each other once (round-robin system).
2. 2.Matches are played as the best of three sets. The team that wins the first 2 sets wins the match.
3. 3.Sets are played to 6 games. At 5–5 play continues normally. At 6–6 a tie-break is played to 7 points (with a 2-point margin).
4. 4.Teams schedule their matches themselves, by mutual agreement, within the time window allotted to each phase. It is the responsibility of both teams to ensure that the match is played by the set deadline.

The points per win depend on the tier in which the match is played:

If two or more teams finish the phase on the same number of points in the same tier, the following criteria are applied, in order:

1. 1

   Head-to-head

   The tie is won by the team that won the direct match between them. The most intuitive criterion – if you beat them, you are above them.

2. 2

   Set difference (among the tied teams)

   If 3 or more teams are tied, the difference between sets won and sets lost is calculated, exclusively from the matches between the tied teams.

3. 3

   Game difference (among the tied teams)

   Games won minus games lost, from the matches between the tied teams.

4. 4

   Set difference (overall)

   The set difference from all the matches of the phase.

5. 5

   Game difference (overall)

At the end of each phase, in each tier:

In addition to the tier standings in each phase, there are overall standings that accumulate all the points won by each team over the 3 phases, from all the tiers in which it has played.

1. 1.Overall standings points = the sum of all points won in victories, from all phases.
2. 2.A team that starts in Tier 5 and is promoted phase after phase may accumulate fewer points in absolute terms than one in Tier 1, but it can win the play-off finals once it reaches the play-off draw.

At the end of the 3 phases, the qualified teams enter the Play-off finals, held on a single day.

For the full draw (which will be filled in after the last phase), visit the Play-off page.

1. 1.All participants must respect the spirit of fair play. Any aggressive behaviour, verbal or physical, towards opponents, partners or referees is prohibited.
2. 2.After each match, the result is reported to the organiser.
3. 3.Any dispute about the score must be resolved on court, before moving on to the next set. Later complaints will not be considered.
4. 4.Players are responsible for the accuracy of the score they report. Intentionally reporting an incorrect score may lead to the team’s disqualification from the current edition.
5. 5.Any manipulation of results is prohibited (e.g. losing on purpose to get a more favourable play-off draw). The organisers may investigate and penalise such situations.

1. 1.A team that does not turn up for a scheduled match without giving notice at least 24 hours in advance loses the match by forfeit: score 6–0, 6–0, 0 points.
2. 2.The team that turns up receives the win and the points for its tier, as if it had played normally.
3. 3.A team that withdraws from the competition loses all its remaining matches 6–0, 6–0.
4. 4.A team with 2 no-shows in the same phase may be disqualified and is automatically relegated at the end of that phase.
5. 5.Matches may be rescheduled with the agreement of both teams, if the match is played within the window allotted to the tier.
6. 6.In cases of documented force majeure (injury, serious illness), the organisers may exceptionally decide to reschedule or cancel without penalty.