Town of Greenwich Pickleball Code of Conduct
Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Pickleball Etiquette
Reprinted with permission from the Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Department.
On October 26, 2022 the Town of Greenwich created a Pickleball Code of Etiquette in response to more frequent conflicts in players finding common ground on organization, inclusion of all players, communication on the courts, etc., within town pickleball programs. In an effort to ensure that the town maintains the quality of their recreation sponsored activities, they have enacted a code of etiquette for pickleball.
All participants in town Pickleball programs must follow this code, (as should all players).
All participants enrolled in a Town of Greenwich Recreation sponsored pickleball activity are expected to act in accordance with all the following:
Be respectful and encouraging of all those playing, especially partners on the same court.
Refrain from negative, foul, rude, derogatory, or defamatory language.
Be inclusive of all those enrolled in the same registered group/level of play.
Assist when needed with any set-up or clean-up of court and/or equipment.
Enroll in the level of play that is best suited for you. Enrollment in multiple levels is not permitted. If you have mistakenly registered for the wrong group/level, you can contact Recreation to withdraw or move to the appropriate section at recreation@greenwichct.org.
Providing unwarranted instruction of other players is not permitted. Only designated Town employed instructors may offer instruction.
Commenting on another person’s level of ability is not permitted.
If a majority of players have decided on a system of rotation and play, then all enrolled participants in that group are expected to follow along with that decided system.
Do not run on other courts after your ball. If this happens while another court is playing a point, you can yell “ball” to stop play on that court before walking on the court.
Do not walk behind a court in play. Wait until play or the point has been completed.
The receiving team always makes the call. If you hit the ball on the other side of the court, it is NOT your call. It is always the call of the receiving players on their side of the court. The opposing side cannot override a call.
When questioning a call, it is to be done respectfully (ex: “Are you sure?”) and asked only one time. No other comments should be made with respect to calls.
When playing partners disagree on a call (Ex: One calls it out, one calls is good “in”), then the call “in” or good always stands.
The Town of Greenwich is offering group play to the community with registration by level of ability. The goal is to provide multiple opportunities for pickleball players to mix-in and play with a variety of other people and share court time.
Within each level, there will be a range of experience and knowledge. If you are not happy with the way it is going then enrolling in group play may not be for you and we suggest you play privately and reserve courts on your own time.
Those that witness violations of this etiquette can submit a formal complaint with the Department of Parks and Recreation by contacting Recreation Supervisor, Patricia Troiano at ptroiano@greenwichct.org. An incident report will be completed and filed.
Following incidents, if deemed necessary, those that have multiple or severe infractions may be removed from Greenwich Recreation pickleball sponsored activities without a refund.
