Pickleball

• Everyone must wear mask/face covering entering the facility and can remove once ready to play. Masks remain highly recommended for physically active activities.
• Must complete e-screening – one screening can be done for one family, simply list all members of you family.  All patrons are required to complete screening no more than one hour prior to entering the facility. Screening can be completed at burlington.ca/screening and will need to be shown before entering the facility. To expedite entry, please come prepared to show proof of your screening results (screenshot or email confirmation) to City staff. All family members must enter the facility together.
• Come ready to participate. Limited use of changerooms, washrooms and showers.
• Players can enter the facility 10 minutes before play time and must leave immediately at end of play time.
• Water bottle filling only at fountains, please bring own water bottle.
• Practice health measures at all times: stay home if ill, practice cough/sneeze etiquette, wash your hands, don’t touch your face or eyes, maintain 2 metre physical distancing from all others not in your household.

What entrance should I enter at each facility?

Most facilities will use the main entrance. For Haber Community Centre – please use north side doors (#8), closest to Gym 1.

Can I bring in food and drinks?

At this time no food and drink can be brought into the facilities. with the exception of a personal water bottle.

Will there be equipment that we can use?

There will be no equipment provided. All players are to bring their own pickleball paddles and several balls labelled with their name to reduce all touching of non-personal equipment. No equipment sharing permitted.

Do I have to complete COVID-19 contact trace screening for each member in my rental group?

Each individual player attending the rental space is required to complete screening no more than one hour prior to entering the facility. Screening must be completed at burlington.ca/screening. It is the responsibility of the reservation-holder to confirm that all players have completed and cleared the screening process.

Can I offer private or group lessons during a Book-A-Court rental?

No. Book-A-Court is meant as an opportunity for friends to gather and enjoy the sport of Pickleball in a recreational format. The space is not available for the sale of lessons, training, coaching or equipment that involves commercial promotion or use of the space. To rent a gym facility, please email customer service.

How far in advance can I book?

Residents can book a court up to two weeks in advance.

How long can I rent for?

Booking periods are 90 minutes each.

Do I have to wear my mask once in the rented space?

Everyone must wear a mask when entering the facility. It is highly recommended to wear a mask during physical activity.

Can I book more than one rental per day?

Yes. You can book as many rentals as are available. All bookings are final.

For a complete list of what is available through the Lending Library, visit the Lending Library

• Bookings can be made online by logging onto your Live & Play account at liveandplay.burlington.ca.
• Lending Library staff ensure all equipment is disinfected prior to lending following strict cleaning protocols.
• Social distancing is required when picking up and returning equipment.
• Reservations must take place 24 hours prior to pick up date selected.

Can I pick-up/return the equipment on same day?

No. To reduce contact and ensure that equipment is properly sanitized between each user, borrowers must adhere to the outlined lending periods. Lending periods are: Monday from 11 a.m. to Wednesday 10 a.m., Wednesday from 11 a.m. to Friday 10 a.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to Monday 10 a.m.

Can I make a booking by phone or in-person?

No. At this time, we are asking residents to book their equipment using our online platform through liveandplay.burlington.ca.

Is the equipment being cleaned and disinfected?

Yes. Our staff have been trained to clean and disinfect the equipment properly before being handed out and upon return.

When filing out the online borrowing agreement, it asks how many people will attend? What do I put?

You can leave this blank or put in a 1 to indicate that one person will pick up the equipment.

Do you provide pick up and drop off of the Pickleball Equipment?

No, the City does not provide pick up or drop off of the Pickleball equipment. The borrower must return the equipment on the due date indicated on lending contract.

What if I lose one piece of the equipment?

A credit card will need to be saved on your account in the Financial Information section. Your account will be charged the $50 fee to replace the item. Please take care to ensure all pieces are returned together.

I no longer need the pickleball equipment. Can I cancel?

Should you need to cancel your equipment reservation, please contact Customer Service as soon as possible by emailing rentals@burlington.ca. This will allow the equipment to become available for others to book and enjoy.

If I book more than one lending period in a row, can I hold on to the equipment?

No. Borrowers must adhere to the lending period outlined on their contract. At this time, you are not able to extend the length of your equipment lending period by booking additional days or booking additional days in a row to keep the equipment for multiple lending periods. All equipment must be returned after the 48 hour lending period.

• Courts are open to public 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
• Courts will be opened when conditions are safe for play.
• All players are welcome. Play is restricted to 30 minutes when others are waiting. Order of play is on a first-come basis.
• Players acknowledge that use of court is at player’s own risk.
• Clearing court of debris, snow or moisture is necessary prior to play.

• Player conduct guidelines and ranking information available at burlington.ca/pickleball.
• 2-meter physical distancing required at all times.
• Mask-wearing is required at all times while not playing pickleball, and highly recommended during play.

Before you Play:

• Check regulatory requirements before playing at Government of Ontario: COVID-19 or Pickleball Canada's - COVID-19 Tips and Recommendations.

• Spectators not permitted.

• Players waiting to enter court must remain 2-metres apart at all times and must wear a mask.

• Bring your own hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to be used on all high touch surfaces before, between, and after games.

• Do not share equipment.

• Mask wearing is required at all times while not in-game, and highly recommended during play.
• Do not play if any player:
  • Exhibits Covid-related symptoms
  • Has been in contact with someone with COVID-19 in past 14 days, or
  • Is considered at-risk due to health concerns

Game Play:

• Always maintain 2-metre distance from all players, always. 
• Consider Singles, Skinny Singles (half-court play) or if Drills is the best option to maintain safe distancing.
• If Doubles is played, allow ball to drop if players are at risk of close contact with another player.
• When serving, each player must use their own ball. Return balls to owner by paddling ball under net. 
• Stay on your side of the court during play and exit courts when game ends.

Please note that it is not the role of staff members to police appropriate court behavior. It is the expectation that all players agree to the following guidelines and self-regulate to ensure compliance. Staff will monitor issues, and ask players not adhering to guidelines to remove themselves from the program if they contravene etiquette rules of play. Repeated incidents will result in enforcement of the City of Burlington Zero Tolerance Policy.

1. Recreational Play programs allow for a range of skills to join in, enabling players to be challenged and to develop. Remember to welcome all skill levels to the court and to be patient and supportive with players of differing abilities. Attending the appropriate level of play creates a fun, challenging and safe play environment. If a player is attending a program that matches their skill level, more advanced players are asked to continue to play respectfully to their opponent’s level. This provides both the opponent and the more skilled player appropriate challenge by focusing on changing shots, practicing ball placement and returns.
2. Players who have overestimated their skills and attend the wrong level of Recreational Play, will have no recourse when they are quickly outplayed. Players who are more advanced than the program they are attending will be required to play to the advertised skill level.
3. Staff can refer players who are not demonstrating required skills for the program they are attending, to the What Level am I self-assessment sheet and direct them to more suitable Recreational Play times if necessary. We ask all players to respect advertised skill level program times, and to ask for staff to assist them with determining their correct level if necessary.
4. Use appropriate language and be courteous to other players, spectators and staff at all times. Players or spectators whose actions fall into the realm of diva behavior, engage in heated discussions, and/or use inappropriate gestures will be asked to remove themselves from the court immediately. Repeated disruptions of this nature will result in further intervention.
5. Players can decide to adhere to or modify game rules as they see fit. However, all players in the match will need to quickly discuss and agree upon these modifications PRIOR to the start of game play. When rules of play are in question, avoid disagreements cutting into play time. Simply re-serve the point, ask a fellow player or staff for an impartial decision, or request the official IFP Rule Book for reference.
6. Drop-in players arriving at a City of Burlington facility are asked to check-in at the Customer Service Desk. Numbers of drop-in spots available will be indicated on a Sign-in Sheet. If space is available, drop-in players must provide Customer Service staff with a Drop-In ticket or payment, and receive an entry stamp. Drop-in players are asked to stroke a line through their name upon exiting if they leave prior to the end of the program. Players with reserved court-time can proceed to sign in with court-side staff. (Unstaffed Recreational Play: all participants will pay and sign in at Customer Service kiosks.)
7. At the court, whiteboards are available to determine order of play. Place your name on the whiteboard upon arrival. When a court becomes available, call out the names in your group, place a line through your group on the whiteboard and proceed to the court. DO NOT erase the whiteboard, a player’s name, or move a player to another group without permission. Fair partnering and inclusive play will be enforced.
8. Always introduce yourself before every match and shake hands or ‘Paddle Bump” at the conclusion of each match.
9. To prevent any uncertainty in scoring, always call out the score before serving. Ensure scoring calls are loud enough to be heard by all players on your court.
10. Be supportive of your partner. Positive feedback is appreciated.
11. Do your best to make fair line-calls during game-play. Ball calls are decided by the partners on the side that the ball drops. Balls will remain in play and will not be disputed following allocation of the point.
12. To prevent injury to others, call Ball! or Let! when you miss-hit a ball onto a neighbouring court.
13. Do not catch the ball with your hand or paddle anywhere on the court, even if outside court lines. The ball must be given the opportunity to prove it will be out regardless of how obvious.
14. Do not linger on a court before or after you play. Remember others are eager to get as much playing time as possible and will appreciate you freeing the court quickly.
15. In the event of an emergency, Program, Customer Service and Operations staff are all trained in incident response. Participants are able to contact any or all staff members to assist. Staff may be courtside, at Customer Service kiosks, or available by emergency call boxes depending on the program and location. Emergency response signage will be posted in all program spaces adjacent to entrances.