Team Captains

Responsibilities of a Captain for the Smashers Pickleball Club

There are several things a Team Captain should do to fulfill their responsibilities both to the Club and to their team once they have reserved their scheduled play assignments.

How to set up, register and begin a new team is outlined in the Team Guidelines document.. If you cannot access this document, email the webmaster and someone will email it to you. The Team Roster Fill-in Form is available on the page with the Instructions for Completing the Team Roster and the Ways to Play – Team page.

Responsibilities to the Club:

1. Provide the name of the team to the scheduler, your contact Information with phone number and email address, type of league (Mixed, Female or Male), brief description of the team. and skill level (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced).
2. Provide and maintain a current list of all players to the Scheduler at the beginning of the Fiscal year or when a new team is formed.
3. Attend the Captain’s meeting annually, and upon notification of additional meetings. If you cannot attend, designate a member of the team to attend. Assigning a co-captain to help fulfill these and other responsibilities in your absence is recommended.
4. A list of players and substitutes is required.
   • A minimum of eight players is required to reserve one court. 16 players are required for two courts, 24 for three courts, etc.).
   • Additional members should be added to allow for players unable to play every week.
   • If your team is seeking additional players, the Scheduler maintains a list of Smashers members looking to join teams.
   • Note: It is also recommended that Captains update their team rosters when there are changes in the team membership or skill level. The Scheduler may request updates periodically to make sure all team information is current.
5. Verify that all of your team members have paid their annual dues to the Smashers Pickleball Club. Each player on a team MUST be a paid member of the Smashers Pickleball Club to play on a team.
6. Fill your courts. A team may lose assigned court time slots if they are not fully utilized for three consecutive weeks.
   • You are encouraged to recruit new and additional players to help provide court time for all Club members as there is an ongoing shortage of courts due to the growth of the Club. If you consistently cannot fill your courts, please turn them back in to be reallocated.
7. It is your responsibility as Captain of your team to read the Smashers Email Blasts and posts to this website. There may be important information contained in them about the courts, elections, meetings, safety issues, court closures, and social events that needs to be conveyed to your team members. Some of your team members may not read or receive the email blasts.

Responsibilities to your Members:

1. You may run your team in the manner you and the team members deem appropriate; i.e. open, social, or competitive. Keep in mind, it is your responsibility to fill your assigned courts, and to provide the above responsibilities to the Club, this is YOUR team.
2. Make sure your team arrives and leaves the courts in a timely manner, placing all balls back in the holder and leaving no garbage laying around.
3. Do NOT play on wet courts for your own safety.
   • Squeegees are provided as well as carpets to dry courts and must be replaced properly (carpet side out, squeegees upside down) after use.
   • At the Palms, fans must be properly replaced and stored in the storage box after use.
   • Note: If the team ahead of your scheduled time is almost done with their ongoing game, allow them to finish.
4. If you have a shortage of players, invite other Smashers members to play with your team, or allow another team to temporarily play on your court. No guest player should take the turn of a standing member unless all other team members are in agreement with it.
5. Maintain proper court decorum and dress requirements for safety and in accordance with Smashers standing rules and by-laws. Problems should be addressed promptly. Should issues escalate beyond what you can handle, notify a Board member for assistance.
6. Please familiarize yourself with the Smashers standing rules, by-laws, and other available information related to Pickleball play within the Solivita community.