Proposals for the formation of a Social League

These rules are being proposed to provide a start point for the formation of a new social league.

Any individual player or group of players who may be interested should contact the Chair for more details.

Organisation

1. All court time will be arranged by the League.
2. All shuttles (plastic) will be provided by the League.
3. Scoresheets showing order of play will be provided by the League.
4. There will be a charge per player per fixture sufficient to cover expenses.

Venues

1. Venues must be capable of offering 3 courts simultaneously.
2. Possible locations: Bridport, Yeovil, Weymouth, Beaminster, Dorchester, Sherborne, Crewkerne.

Teams

1. Teams will consist of 3 players; there must be at least one lady (could all be ladies!).
2. Each player will play with each other team member.

Divisions

1. There shall be 6 teams per division.
2. The formation of each division will be rotated half-way through the season to provide alternative opponents.
3. There will be 5 fixture evenings per division per half-season.
4. This will result in fixtures approx every 3 weeks.

Fixtures

1. All teams in a division will attend each fixture for their division.
2. Each team will play 2 matches per fixture; one full match against each of two opposing teams.
3. Total 6 matches per fixture.

Matches

1. Each match will consist of 3 rubbers.
2. Each rubber will consist of 2 games to 21 points - no decider.
3. Each player will therefore play in 2 rubbers (4 games) per match.
4. Each player will therefore play in 4 rubbers (8 games) per fixture.

Pros

1. No organisation required - teams only need to turn out 3 players
2. Single car required for travelling keeping costs down
3. Smaller teams may result in more teams and possibly new players/clubs
4. Many social players play in groups of 4 - thereby giving some stand ins
5. Having 18 people at a fixture should result in a more social occasion
6. Minimum commitment of 5 evenings badminton
7. Running over a half-season allows new teams to enter easily
8. Guaranteed 8 games - current formats guarantees minimum 6 maximum 9 - better value for money
9. No food costs
10. No "home" advantage to teams used to playing at smaller single-court venues

Cons

1. Cost may be higher than usually paid by casual players
2. Possibly too much badminton per evening - most will only usually play for an hour
3. Travelling to venues further afield than normal

The following example may help:

Assume teams A. B, C, D, E and F form a division.
Matches played over 5 fixtures up to 3 weeks apart.


Possible Fixture 1:  A v B (eg.team A will play against B - 3 rubbers total)
                     C v D
                     E v F
                     C v A
                     E v D
                     F v B

Possible Fixture 2:  A v F
                     B v D
                     C v E
                     D v A
                     E v B
                     F v C

Possible Fixture 3:  A v E
                     B v C
                     D v F
                     B v A
                     D v C
                     F v E

Possible Fixture 4:  A v D
                     B v E
                     C v F
                     C v B
                     E v A
                     F v D

Possible Fixture 5:  A v C
                     B v F
                     D v E
                     D v B
                     E v C
                     F v A

NOTE: Scoresheets will be provided per fixture to avoid confusion!