About MasterLeague

Origins of MasterLeague

MasterLeague has been operating and evolving since 2021. The original concept proved so successful during intial trials that its core structure has not changed since then.

Rotating-partner doubles format

MasterLeague rotating-partner rounds see players put in groups (courts) of 4-6 players of similar ability. The format can even handle 7 players if there is only one court, which ensures that so long as there are four or more players, no-one will miss out.

Each fixture is recommended to run for three hours, to allow for two rounds. At the end of the first round, the top and bottom player on each court (by total points won) are promoted or relegated to the next court above or below, if there is one, for the second and usually final round during that fixture. The remaining players are also re-ranked according to their first round results but stay on the same court.

While total points won in a round determine player ranking on each court during a particular fixutre, turning these results into MasterLeague ladder points involves additional calculations.

All the features a contest should have

One might ask, what is the point of a ladder league if pickleball is already blessed with a global player rating system like DUPR?

While player ratings provide an indication of a player's ability, they do not provide the same thrills as a competition. Experiences such as overtaking a superior player are seen as a flaw with a rating system, but are an integral feature of a competition. As well as in-round ranking and total ladder position, things like winning streaks, win/loss differentials, improvement rates and more are a focus of celebrations in MasterLeague. Did we mention prizes?

Beautifully complicated

Although it sounds simple, there are many factors that are taken into consideration. The minutiae of MasterLeague's format and rules accommodate everything from handling late arrivals or injuries to syncronising the end of the first round and calculating player ladder points across different courts with different numbers of players.

Even though players' points reflect their total number of wins & losses as well as their best rounds, the promotion/relegation nature of league fixtures means this difference should reach equilibrium over time, rather than constantly increasing or decreasing, as players move up or down to face games at a higher or lower level.

Growth and expansion

As other clubs have adopted the league's format, we wanted a way to fairly compare results from different groups playing at different times and places - and featuring both players who participate regularly with those who do not - on a unified ladder that anyone can climb.

MasterLeague brings pickleballers' results together into unified ladders, calculating ladder points that are comparable even between players who have not played together. This enables MasterLeague matches to be held anywhere, at no cost to local clubs and at minimal cost to players.

This can't be done by traditional means. We achieve this using a formula to take into consideration the variables at play when players play in different groups.

The MasterLeague Points System considers each player's score, overall points won, win/loss record to date and the player ratings of those on the same court, to determine current standings - without penalising players who can only participate intermittently, or even rarely.

This creates a system where players have all the experiences they seek in a competition that does not limit their potential.

With MasterLeague, players are continuously climbing the ladder, with only minor setbacks based on changes in win/loss record or any AWOL (absence without leave) penalties for non-attendance without withdrawing from a fixture. AWOL penalties are initially around 5% of a player's total points, but this reduces to almost nil over time depending on how many total sessions they attend in the year.

How MasterLeague differs from a traditional 'box league'.

From event to event, those who register are allocated a starting court based on their player rating, not ladder points. This allows players to always start on the right court. The top 4-6 players are placed on court 1, the second lot on court 2, and so on.

Player ratings are based on DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Ratings), the official rating system of USA Pickleball.

Initially, players provde a self-assessed skill level indicator for the purposes of court allocation for the first round of their first league fixture/"event", but this does not influence ladder points.

DUPR assigns a numerical rating to players based on match results, using an advanced algorithm that accounts for:

• Match Performance: Your performance vs. the expected score determines whether your rating goes up or down.

• Result Type: Club and Tournament Matches carry more weight than recreational ones.

• Match Count: The more matches you’ve played, the more stable your rating becomes.

• Match Recency: Recent matches have a greater influence to reflect your current level of play.

MasterLeague uses a custom points formula to award ladder points based on:

• Player ratings: Players on a higher-rated court have the potential to earn more ladder points than those on lower courts.

• Best round performance: Each player's personal best ladder points to date are their base points. This ensures players who can only play occasionally are not intrinsically put at a disadvantage.

• Win/loss record: This allows players get ahead of others if they have a stronger track record.

• AWOL penalties: If a player fails to withdraw from an event and does not attend, a penalty is applied that dimishes as more rounds are attended.

The MasterLeague formula will yield points for any given round or match along a curve as illustrated by the below graph and benchmarks. The overall points formula above explains how these results are treated when calculating each player's current standings.

Overlapping points potential between stratified courts

Players are not boxed in by virtue of their court allocation. In fact, if they perform well on a lower-rated court they could earn more points than players struggling on a court above them.

Examples:

• A player who wins every game on a rotating-doubles court will earn about the same MasterLeague points as a player who wins two thirds as many points on a court with an average player skill rating that is 0.5 higher.

• A player who wins three out of four games on a court will earn about the same MasterLeague points as a player who wins half his games on a court with an average rating that is 0.5 higher.

However, this does not negate the need to put players in the correct (or most accurate) ranking order for the start of a MasterLeague session. The reason for this is twofold: 1) the rules and format can have unintended consequences for those who are put out of order, and 2) the higher the average player rating on court, the more MasterLeague points players will earn given the same total number of points won in the round.

Handicap system for fixed pairs ladders

We take the points forumula and apply it in such a way that it provides a competitive ladder for fixed pairs of players with various ratings - essentially a handicap system. This encourages pairs to be formed without too much concern about their average player rating and play being stifled.

Factoring in the average opponent rating:

• if one fixed pair is rated an average of 0.5 lower than their opponents on the Player Skill Ratings scale (say 3.5 and 4.0 respectively), they will earn about the same ladder points if they win two-thirds as many game points (e.g., 14-21).

• if one fixed pair is rated an average of 1.0 lower than their opponents on the Player Skill Ratings scale (say 3.5 and 4.5 respectively), they will earn about the same ladder points if they win one third as many game points (e.g., 7-21).

The following table shows some examples using typical game formats (first to 21, first to 15 and first to 11), and how many points out of those a pair will require in the match against opponents with the stated average DUPR rating, based on various MasterLeague Points targets listed in the first column. 

What happens in a local MasterLeague rotating-partners round

A typical doubles round will consist of five or six players on each court, rotating partners in a set sequence of combinations. Players are placed on each court according to the local club's discretion, usually according to DUPR rating but allowing for overriding factors. After completing the round, players are ranked in order of their total points won on that court, with the top and bottom players moving up or down a court if there is a second round immediately following.

Although it sounds simple, there are many factors that are taken into consideration. The minutiae of MasterLeague's format help with everything from handling late arrivals or injuries to syncronising round times and player points across different courts with different numbers of players.

While total points won determine player ranking on each court, turning these results into MasterLeague points involves additional calculations.

Even though players' points reflect their total number of wins & losses as well as their best rounds, the promotion/relegation nature of league fixtures means this difference should reach equilibrium over time, rather than constantly increasing or decreasing, as players move up or down to face games at a higher or lower level.