Details
New Life Fellowship (NLF) Pickleball League
Pickleball Country Club
(10506 Kinghurst Dr, Houston, TX 77099)
8-10pm
10/16 - 11/20
No DUPR cap / non-DUPR reported league
How NLF's MLP League Works
Based on Major League Pickleball rules, we use side-out scoring for games, rally scoring for the Dreambreaker tiebreaker, and a setup where each player is limited to two of the four games per match. Teams can have any mix of players—some might have two guys and two girls, others might have no girls. Here’s how it works:
Teams: Each team has four players. No gender rules—teams can be any combination of players (e.g., four guys, four girls, two and two, or anything else).
Matches: A match between two teams includes four doubles games, with any two players from the team paired up for each game. A fifth game* is played if Games 1-4 are tied.
Game 1: Doubles (Any 2 players from the team)
Game 2: Doubles (Any 2 players from the team)
Game 3: Doubles (Any 2 players from the team)
Game 4: Doubles (Any 2 players from the team)
Game 5: Dreambreaker: Singles (1 player from each team every 4 points)
*Game 5 is only played if Games 1-4 end in a 2-2 tie.
Lineups: Teams pick four players per match. Each player plays 2 games per night (or 3 if dreambreaker is reached).
Player Limits: Each player can only play in two of the four games per match. You can’t have your strongest players in every game, so choose your lineups wisely.
Scoring for Games
Side-Out Scoring: All four doubles games use side-out scoring. Only the serving team scores a point. Win a rally while serving? You get a point and keep serving. Lose the rally? The other team gets the serve (a “side-out”) but no point.
Game Length: Games go to 11 points, and you need to win by at least two.
Dreambreaker Tiebreaker
Format: Singles tiebreaker with all players rotating; rally scoring to 21 points (win by 2). Rally scoring means points are earned regardless of which team serves.
Final point: At 20 points, the serving team must win on their own serve to get 21 points to win the game.
Why This Format?
Strategy: Limiting each player to two games means you can’t stack your best players in every game—lineup decisions are key.
Example Match
Team A vs. Team B:
Game 1 (Doubles): Team A wins 11-8 (Players 1 & 2 vs. Players 1 & 2).
Game 2 (Doubles): Team B wins 11-9 (Players 3 & 4 vs. Players 3 & 4).
Game 3 (Doubles): Team A wins 12-10 (Players 1 & 3 vs. Players 1 & 3).
Game 4 (Doubles): Team B wins 11-7 (Players 2 & 4 vs. Players 2 & 4).
Result: Tied 2-2, so Game 5 is played.
Game 5 (Singles): Team A wins 21-15 (Players rotate: 1, 2, 3, 4 vs. 1, 2, 3, 4, one player from each team every 4 points).
Outcome: Team A takes the match 3-2.
Get in on the action! Come join NLF’s MLP League!