Sunday King of the Court Development & Participation Policy
1. Purpose
Central Highlands Pickleball Club Inc (CHP) provides King of the Court (KoC) sessions for different stages of player development.
The Sunday King of the Court session is intended primarily as a competitive development session for beginner, developing and intermediate players.
It also provides a recognised pathway for players seeking to progress to CHP's Thursday Advanced King of the Court session.
The purpose of this policy is to:
Provide competitive and enjoyable games for developing and intermediate players.
Give improving players an opportunity to test themselves against players of a broadly appropriate standard.
Provide a clear pathway from Sunday KoC into Thursday Advanced KoC.
Prevent highly advanced players from dominating Sunday KoC in a way that limits development opportunities for other players.
Allow appropriate crossover between Sunday and Thursday sessions.
Establish fair and transparent criteria for when a player has progressed beyond the intended standard of Sunday KoC.
Sunday KoC is therefore a development and intermediate competitive session, rather than an unrestricted advanced session.
2. Sunday and Thursday KoC Pathway
CHP deliberately provides some overlap between Sunday KoC and Thursday Advanced KoC.
Qualifying for Thursday does not automatically make a player ineligible for Sunday.
This allows developing players to progress gradually into advanced competition while continuing to participate in Sunday KoC.
As a general guide:
Players below 3.0 DUPR will ordinarily use Sunday KoC as their primary competitive development pathway.
Players between 3.0 and 3.19 DUPR may be eligible to participate in both Sunday and Thursday KoC.
Players with a 3.2 DUPR or higher will ordinarily be considered to have progressed beyond the intended playing level of Sunday KoC.
Players may also move between these categories through the performance and assessment pathways contained in this policy.
3. General Eligibility
A player is ordinarily eligible to participate in Sunday KoC where:
They hold a current CHP membership or have been accepted as an eligible guest; and
They have not been classified as having graduated from Sunday KoC under this policy.
Participation remains subject to session capacity, booking requirements and other applicable CHP policies.
4. DUPR 3.2 Upper Threshold
A player with a current and reasonably reliable DUPR rating of 3.2 or higher will ordinarily be considered to have progressed beyond Sunday KoC.
These players should participate in Thursday Advanced KoC and other appropriate advanced playing opportunities rather than Sunday KoC.
CHP recognises that DUPR is not a perfect measure of playing ability.
Accordingly, the 3.2 threshold is an important objective measure but will not be applied without reasonable consideration of:
The reliability of the player's rating.
The number and recency of rated matches.
Whether the rating reasonably reflects the player's current ability.
Relevant coach assessment where appropriate.
A temporary or minor rating movement will not necessarily result in an immediate change to eligibility.
5. Sunday KoC Performance Pathway
Sunday KoC is also used as a performance-based pathway into advanced play.
Three Consecutive Wins: Thursday Qualification
A player who wins three consecutive Sunday KoC appearances qualifies to participate in Thursday Advanced KoC.
For this purpose:
CHP Sunday KoC has one overall winner for each session.
Only the overall session winner counts as a win.
Missing a Sunday session does not break a player's sequence.
Participating in a Sunday KoC session without winning does break the sequence.
Achieving three consecutive wins does not exclude the player from Sunday KoC.
Instead, it unlocks Thursday Advanced KoC while allowing the player to continue participating in Sunday KoC until they meet a Sunday graduation criterion.
This creates an intentional crossover period where a developing player may participate in both Sunday and Thursday KoC.
6. Performance-Based Graduation From Sunday
DUPR is not the only measure CHP will use to determine whether a player has progressed beyond Sunday KoC.
A player who wins five of their most recent ten Sunday KoC appearances will ordinarily be considered to have graduated from Sunday KoC.
This recognises sustained dominance within the actual CHP playing environment, even where the player's DUPR has not yet caught up with their demonstrated playing ability.
The calculation is based on the player's appearances, not calendar weeks.
For example, if a player participates in ten Sunday KoC sessions and wins five of them, they have met the performance-based graduation threshold.
Once this threshold has been reached, the player will ordinarily move to Thursday Advanced KoC and other appropriate advanced playing opportunities.
7. Relationship Between Qualification and Graduation
CHP distinguishes between qualifying for Thursday and graduating from Sunday.
These are intentionally different thresholds.
Qualifying for Thursday
A player may qualify for Thursday Advanced KoC through:
DUPR 3.0 or higher;
CHP coach approval; or
Three consecutive Sunday KoC wins.
Graduating From Sunday
A player may graduate from Sunday KoC through:
A reliable DUPR rating of 3.2 or higher;
Winning five of their most recent ten Sunday KoC appearances; or
Coach assessment supported by the CHP Committee.
This means a player may be eligible for both Sunday and Thursday KoC for a period of time.
CHP considers this overlap an important part of player development.
8. Coach and Committee Assessment
There may be circumstances where a player's DUPR rating or Sunday results do not accurately reflect their playing ability.
An authorised CHP coach may recommend that a player be classified as having progressed beyond Sunday KoC where the player is clearly and consistently playing above the intended standard of the session.
Such a decision must have the support of the CHP Committee.
Relevant considerations may include:
Overall playing ability.
Match performance.
Consistency.
Court positioning and movement.
Shot selection and control.
Ability to attack and defend.
Competitive results.
Performance against recognised advanced players.
The player's impact on the competitive balance of Sunday KoC.
Whether the player is consistently dominating games against developing players.
This pathway should be used to address clear differences in playing standard rather than temporary good form.
9. Why Advanced Players May Be Restricted
CHP recognises that stronger players can sometimes provide valuable competition and learning opportunities for developing players.
For this reason, players are not excluded from Sunday merely because they qualify for Thursday Advanced KoC.
However, there comes a point where a significant difference in playing ability can reduce rather than improve the developmental value of the session.
Repeated participation by highly advanced players may:
Make games significantly less competitive.
Reduce meaningful court time for developing players.
Prevent improving players from experiencing competitive success.
Make the Sunday KoC progression pathway unnecessarily difficult.
Reduce opportunities for players to achieve the three consecutive wins required to qualify for Thursday.
Discourage developing players from participating.
The Sunday upper threshold exists to preserve the purpose of the session rather than to penalise advanced players.
10. Graduation is a Progression, Not a Penalty
Being classified as having graduated from Sunday KoC is not disciplinary action, suspension or exclusion from CHP.
It is a session eligibility decision recognising that a player's ability has progressed beyond the intended standard of that particular session.
Graduation from Sunday KoC does not:
Suspend or terminate CHP membership.
Remove the person's general rights as a CHP member.
Prevent participation in other CHP activities for which the player is eligible.
Constitute a finding of misconduct.
Constitute disciplinary action under the CHP Rules of Association.
CHP membership does not provide an automatic entitlement to participate in every Club session irrespective of the session's designated playing level, capacity, format or eligibility requirements.
Players who graduate from Sunday should be encouraged to participate in:
Thursday Advanced KoC.
Other advanced CHP sessions.
Appropriate competitions and tournaments.
Other Club activities suitable for their playing level.
Graduation should be regarded as a positive achievement in a player's development.
Where CHP separately proposes formal disciplinary action against a member for alleged misconduct, that action must be dealt with under the disciplinary procedure contained in the CHP Rules of Association.
11. Returning to Sunday KoC
Graduation from Sunday KoC is not necessarily permanent.
A player may request reassessment where their circumstances or playing ability have materially changed.
Relevant circumstances may include:
Returning after a significant period away from pickleball.
A substantial reduction in playing level.
A significant change in DUPR.
Other circumstances affecting the player's ability to compete at the advanced level.
An authorised CHP coach may assess the player and recommend that Sunday eligibility be restored.
Restoration of eligibility should have the support of the CHP Committee.
The objective is to place players in the session most appropriate to their current playing level.
12. Visiting and Guest Players
The same playing-level expectations apply to visiting and guest players.
A visiting player who is known to have a DUPR of 3.2 or higher, or who is otherwise clearly playing substantially above the intended Sunday KoC level, may be declined participation.
Where a visiting player's ability is unknown, the session organiser or authorised coach may make a reasonable decision based on the information available.
Guest participation on one occasion does not create an entitlement to participate in future Sunday KoC sessions.
13. CourtFlow Eligibility
Where practicable, CourtFlow may be used to administer Sunday and Thursday KoC eligibility.
A player's profile may record:
Current DUPR.
Sunday KoC appearances.
Sunday KoC wins.
Consecutive Sunday wins.
Thursday qualification.
Sunday graduation status.
Coach approval or assessment.
CourtFlow may use this information to determine whether a player can book into Sunday or Thursday KoC.
Where a player's eligibility changes, CourtFlow may automatically update the sessions available to that player.
A booking made using incorrect, incomplete or outdated eligibility information does not override this policy.
14. Session Capacity
Eligibility does not guarantee a place in a Sunday KoC session.
Bookings remain subject to:
Court availability.
Session capacity.
Venue limitations.
The KoC format.
Applicable CourtFlow booking and waitlist arrangements.
Where places are limited, eligible players will ordinarily be managed through the applicable booking process.
15. Behaviour and Sportsmanship
Sunday KoC remains a competitive session.
Players are expected to play to the best of their ability and are not expected to deliberately lose games or manipulate results.
All participants remain subject to the CHP Code of Conduct and other applicable Club policies.
Players must not:
Intentionally manipulate KoC results.
Collude to assist another player to achieve qualification.
Deliberately lose games to affect standings.
Harass or criticise players based on their playing level.
Treat qualification or graduation decisions disrespectfully.
CHP may disregard results where there is reasonable evidence that results have been deliberately manipulated.
16. Eligibility Decisions
Eligibility under this policy may be administered by:
An authorised CHP coach.
The Sunday KoC session organiser acting within their delegated authority.
A person authorised by the CHP Committee.
The CHP Committee where required.
Objective eligibility requirements should be administered using CourtFlow records, DUPR information and Sunday KoC results wherever reasonably available.
A session organiser may administer an eligibility decision that follows directly from an objective requirement under this policy, such as a recorded DUPR threshold or performance-based graduation threshold.
Where judgement or assessment is required to graduate a player outside the objective DUPR or performance thresholds, the decision requires:
an authorised CHP coach's assessment AND support of the CHP Committee.
A session organiser acting alone should not make a discretionary decision that a player has graduated from Sunday KoC based solely upon their personal assessment of that player's ability.
Where eligibility information is incorrect or disputed, CHP may temporarily review the player's status before making a final eligibility determination.
17. Review of Thresholds
CHP recognises that the playing standard of the Club will change over time.
The Committee may therefore periodically review:
The 3.0 Thursday qualification threshold.
The 3.2 Sunday upper threshold.
The three consecutive win qualification pathway.
The five wins from ten appearances graduation threshold.
The relationship between Sunday and Thursday KoC.
Other relevant eligibility criteria.
The thresholds should reflect the actual playing population of CHP and maintain meaningful development opportunities.
Material changes to these thresholds should be communicated to members.
18. Player Pathway Summary
CHP's Sunday-to-Thursday KoC pathway is:
Developing Player
Participates in Sunday KoC and develops their competitive game.
Thursday Qualification
DUPR 3.0+ OR Coach Approved OR Three Consecutive Sunday KoC Wins.
Crossover Period
Player may participate in both Sunday and Thursday KoC.
Sunday Graduation
DUPR 3.2+ OR Five Wins From Their Most Recent Ten Sunday KoC Appearances OR Coach Assessment with Committee Support.
Advanced Player
Participates primarily in Thursday Advanced KoC and other appropriate advanced playing opportunities.
19. Relationship With Other CHP Policies and Rules
This policy should be read together with:
CHP Rules of Association.
CHP Thursday Advanced King of the Court Participation Policy.
CHP Code of Conduct.
CHP Member Protection Policy.
CHP Complaint Handling Process.
CHP Membership Policy.
Other applicable CHP participation and safety policies.
The Sunday and Thursday King of the Court policies are intended to operate together as a player development pathway.
This policy establishes eligibility for a particular playing session. It does not establish a separate disciplinary process or override rights provided by the CHP Rules of Association.
Where there is any inconsistency between this policy and the CHP Rules of Association or applicable law, the Rules of Association and applicable law prevail.
20. Final Principle
Sunday King of the Court exists to provide developing and intermediate CHP players with meaningful, competitive games and a genuine pathway into advanced play.
Thursday Advanced King of the Court exists to provide the next level of competition.
CHP deliberately allows an overlap between the two sessions so that progression is gradual rather than abrupt.
At the same time, players who have clearly progressed beyond the Sunday standard will be encouraged to move on to advanced playing opportunities so that the next group of developing players has the same opportunity to compete, improve and progress.
The objective is simple:
Sunday develops players. Thursday challenges advanced players. The pathway between them should remain achievable.
Version: 1.1
Effective Date: September 2025
Last Review Date: August 2026
Responsible Body: CHP Committee
Approved by: CHP Committee
Review: Annually or as required