Player Code
of Conduct

Everyone representing a club or team is expected to compete hard while treating others with respect.

Players must:

• Treat opponents, partners, captains, club representatives, venue staff, spectators and League organisers with respect.
• Communicate reasonably and respectfully, including during disagreements.
• Accept that players may interpret situations differently without allowing disagreements to become confrontational.
• Avoid behaviour intended to intimidate, provoke, belittle or humiliate another person.
• Represent their club and the Sussex Pickleball League positively.

Players must:

• Compete honestly and within the rules of pickleball and the Sussex Pickleball League.
• Make line calls fairly and in good faith.
• Give opponents the benefit of the doubt where required by the rules.
• Respect the scoring system and match format.
• Never deliberately misrepresent a score, result, player identity or other match information.
• Never deliberately manipulate a match, score or result.

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

• Aggressive or threatening behaviour.
• Abusive, insulting or persistently disrespectful language.
• Shouting directly at another player in an intimidating or confrontational manner.
• Deliberately provoking or taunting opponents.
• Repeated arguments over line calls, scores or rules after a decision has been made.
• Throwing or striking equipment in anger where this could endanger or intimidate others.
• Deliberately hitting a ball at another person outside normal legitimate play.
• Physical intimidation or unwanted physical contact.
• Discriminatory, harassing or bullying behaviour.
• Retaliatory behaviour following an incident or complaint.

Clubs are responsible for ensuring players representing them are aware of this Code.

Club Leads and Team Captains are expected to help maintain appropriate behaviour and, where possible, resolve minor issues calmly at the fixture.

Where a player is becoming frustrated or behaving inappropriately, their captain or Club Lead should intervene before the situation escalates.

Clubs are expected to cooperate with reasonable League investigations into reported incidents.

Where possible, minor disagreements should be resolved between the teams at the fixture.

Serious incidents or repeated unacceptable behaviour may be formally reported to the League.

A report should normally include:

• Date and location of the fixture.
• Teams involved.
• Name of the player or players involved.
• A factual description of what occurred.
• Names of any witnesses.
• Any relevant supporting evidence.

Knowingly making a false or malicious complaint may itself be treated as a breach of this Code.

The League will review reported incidents fairly and proportionately.

The League may:

• Request further information from the person making the report.
• Ask the player concerned for their account.
• Seek statements from captains, Club Leads or witnesses.
• Consider relevant messages, video or other available evidence.
• Consider previous disciplinary incidents involving the player.

No disciplinary sanction will normally be imposed without giving the player concerned a reasonable opportunity to respond.

The outcome may be:

• No further action.
• Informal guidance.
• A First and Final Warning.
• A formal disciplinary sanction.
• Direct escalation where the incident is sufficiently serious.

Stage 1 — First & Final Warning

A formal warning is issued to the player's Club Lead for onward communication. A further substantiated breach may result in a formal sanction.

Stage 2 — First Sanction

3-match player suspension + 5-point deduction from the team/club represented.

Stage 3 — Second Sanction

6-match player suspension + 10-point deduction from the team/club represented.

Stage 4 — Further or Serious Breaches

Further breaches, or a sufficiently serious single incident, may result in suspension from the Sussex Pickleball League for up to 12 months.

A match suspension applies to the player's next eligible Sussex Pickleball League fixtures and cannot be avoided by changing teams or clubs.

A suspended player must not represent another SPL team or club until the suspension has been completed.

Where a suspension extends beyond the end of the season, any outstanding suspension may carry forward into the following SPL season.

Points deductions will normally be applied to the team represented by the player when the incident occurred. Where circumstances make this impractical, the League will determine where the deduction should apply.

A player or their Club Lead may appeal a formal disciplinary sanction.

Grounds for appeal may include:

• Significant factual information was incorrect.
• Relevant evidence was not considered.
• New evidence has become available.
• The disciplinary process was not followed correctly.
• The sanction imposed was disproportionate to the incident.

Where reasonably possible, an appeal will be reviewed by someone who was not responsible for the original disciplinary decision.

The outcome of the appeal will be final within the Sussex Pickleball League disciplinary process.

The Sussex Pickleball League will maintain a disciplinary register recording players currently subject to a formal stage of the disciplinary process.

The League website may publish:

• Player name.
• Club represented.
• Current disciplinary stage.
• Current suspension, where applicable.
• Date the warning or sanction expires.

Detailed allegations, witness statements and other information relating to disciplinary cases will not normally be published.

Once a warning or sanction has expired, the player's public entry may be removed, although appropriate internal records may be retained for administration of the disciplinary process.

This Code also applies to communications directly connected with participation in the League.

Players must not use WhatsApp, social media, email or other channels to:

• Abuse, threaten or harass another participant.
• Continue or escalate an on-court dispute.
• Make discriminatory or seriously offensive comments about another participant.
• Encourage others to target or harass another player.
• Retaliate against somebody for making or supporting a complaint.

Nothing within this Code prevents a club, player, venue or the Sussex Pickleball League from referring an incident to a venue operator, governing body, safeguarding organisation or the police where appropriate.

Where an allegation involves safeguarding concerns or potentially criminal behaviour, the League may suspend its own disciplinary process while the matter is considered by the appropriate organisation.