The Corner

Roles

Manager

Park point of contact and organizer. Can play, but does not have to. The title is not a referee badge.

Open → claim your park

Captain

One captain per division per park. Organizes that division's players and day-of play. Not a referee by title.

Open → claim your park

Player

Represents one park, plays the correct division, and follows the rules. One park per player for the whole event.

Open → claim your park

Rules of play

Matches are non-officiated. Know these before you walk on:

• Two-bounce rule on the serve and return.
• No volleys in the kitchen, including momentum that carries you in.
• Serve underhand, diagonally, and land it in.
• Call the score before you serve.
• Call your own lines. Give the benefit of the doubt.

Gameplay follows the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook (2026), including Section 8 on line calls. Not affiliated with USA Pickleball.

Line calls

• Players call outs on their end of the court. In doubles, either partner may call.
• If you are not sure, it is in. Any ball you cannot promptly call out is in.
• Do not call out unless you clearly see space between the line and the ball.
• Call promptly by voice, hand signal, or both.
• If partners disagree, the call is in.
• You may ask your opponent before the next serve. Their clear decision stands. If they have no definitive call, your call stands, or the ball is in if nobody called.
• You may override a call to your own disadvantage.
• Spectators do not decide line calls. Do not ask them.

Spectators

Welcome. Cheer for the park. Stay off the lines and off the calls. Public parks have their own limits on noise, space, and hours. The event can handle participant misconduct; it does not run the park.

Conduct

Competitive play and trash talk about the park are welcome. Harassment, threats, discriminatory conduct, physical intimidation, deliberately dangerous play, and intentionally disrupting matches are not.

Organizers can warn a participant, default a match, or remove someone from event participation for serious or repeated problems. That is not the same as removing anyone from a public park.

Disputes

Settle ordinary calls yourselves. Managers and captains can help find a rule or get an organizer. The title does not let them decide disputed line calls.

Escalate only when a real rules question, repeated violation, or something that blocks the match cannot be settled quickly.

Public parks

Battle of the Parks rules cover participation in the event. Host park rules and authority still apply because these are public courts.