Florida Cup
PLAYING IN THE FLORIDA CUP
The Florida Cup is a team pickleball tournament. Teams of between 6-14 players meet at the amazing Pictona pickleball facility in Holly Hill, Florida to vie for the Florida Cup.
Players participating in the Florida Cup play as a team from an area/facility (eg. Tampa Bay, Pictona, Treasure Coast). If you are interested in participating in this year’s Florida Cup, contact us at info@usteampickleball.org. In your email, let us know what area you are from as well as how many players in your group are interested in participating in the Cup. Players registering for the Florida Cup register as part of a complete team. Players are responsible for their own travel and accommodations.
FLORIDA CUP FORMAT
Each round of play at the Florida Cup consists of a team from one area competing against a team from another area simultaneously on 3 courts, as follows:
- 1 court of Women’s Doubles
- 1 court of Men’s Doubles
- 1 court of Mixed Doubles
Teams may have between 6 and 14 players. Once the 6 players go out to play a round, those players must complete the round. A team may play different players between rounds.
Each team must have one captain with whom the Cup Director can communicate with about the tournament. The team captain speaks for the team. While a team may have more than one captain (a co-captain), there shall be one person who is designated as team captain.
The Cup is a round robin format. While the event is competitive by its nature, the primary objective is to allow teams participating the chance to meet other players from around the state as well as getting to play several matches. The format is designed to provide 3-4 hours of play for each division. Games at the Florida Cup are to 11 win by 1 and the winner is determined by total team points during the event. For divisions with more than one round robin pool, a playoff is played.
WHEN IS THE FLORIDA CUP
The Florida Cup will be held on March 18, 2023 at the Pictona pickleball facility in Holly Hill, Florida. Start time is by Division. You will be notified of your start time in advance. Plan on being there all day.
CUP DIVISIONS
The Cup teams are arranged according to level, ranging from 2.5 to 5.0. The number of divisions will depend on the number and level of teams registering for the Cup.
The Cup Director may move teams that are in the incorrect division. Divisions may be combined (eg. 4.5/5.0), but team awards will be by level. Cup Director decisions regarding team level are final. For teams qualifying from an established local league, a team member’s level will be the level at the time that the team played in the local league. In this case, the player’s subsequent increase in level is not considered.
At least 80% of a team’s players must be the level of the division being registered and in no event will a player be more than .5 level different than the level of the division.
FAQs
Recreational, or open, play is great. We are big fans of it and it is an important part of pickleball. But there are times when we want a little more structure to our play. And we also want a bit of a challenge. There is no better way to get that than with team league play.
Team league play is not a single-day event where you have to travel to the venue, hope for good weather, and see how it goes. It is also not a whole-day (or weekend) affair that consumes the entire period. You are also not alone when you play, as you are in a tournament.
Instead, team league play is a once-per-week match against an opponent from your area where you get to compete for a couple of hours with the support of your teammates. Vastly different experiences.
If you are a purely recreational player – you go out to the courts just to move around some and say hello to your friends – then perhaps not. But if you enjoy the competition when you are out there and enjoy supporting (and being supported by) others, then league play is for you. It is also perfect if you want a little more structure and competition when you play but to do not want to traipse all over the place following the tournament calendar.
No, team league play is not a ladder league. In team league play you are playing as a team of more than one court of play.
While it shares similarities with a club league, it is not restricted only to clubs. Clubs are certainly welcome to form one or more teams (our current leagues have many teams playing out a single club). Any group of pickleball players may form a team and participate in the league from any facility, public courts, or community center.
In most areas, teams are organized by skill level. In smaller areas, or areas that are new to pickleball, teams may be organized in such manner as will be supported by the local playing community.
More Questions?
If you have questions or need additional information about the Florida Cup, email us at floridacup@