← Ladder Games

Ladder Player's Guide

What is the Ladder?

The CVE Tennis Ladder is a season-long doubles competition where any team can challenge any other team of similar skill. You earn points for every match you play — whether you win or lose — and rankings update automatically.

There are no fixed rounds or brackets. You control your own pace: challenge as many teams as you like, play your matches, and climb the standings.

Key idea: Every match counts. Winners earn 10 points, losers earn 5 points. Participating consistently is rewarded — playing 5 matches makes you Finals-eligible. See the Rules button at the top of the ladder page for the full official rules document.

Divisions & Skill Groups

There are three divisions based on the composition of your team:

DivisionWho plays
Men's (M)Both players are men
Women's (F)Both players are women
Mixed (Mx)One man and one woman

Within each division there are two skill groups:

  • Group 1 — A, A−, B+ level players
  • Group 2 — B, B−, C+ level players
Challenges can only be issued within the same division and skill group. You cannot challenge a team in a different division or a different skill level.

Teams are assigned a code such as M1, F3, or Mx2 — the letter(s) indicate the division, and the number is your team's registration order within that division. Your code is how other teams know who you are.

How Rankings Work

Rankings are based on cumulative points earned during the season:

  • +10 points — winning team
  • +5 points — losing team

Points are added as soon as the opposing captain confirms the score as Final.

The standings show two tiers:

  1. Finalists — teams that have played 5 or more matches, ranked by points
  2. Non-finalists — teams with fewer than 5 matches, ranked by points below Finalists
Reaching 5 matches played earns your team a ⭐ Finals star. When the admin activates Finals mode for your division, only starred teams may create new challenges.

Creating a Team

To enter the ladder you need to form a two-person team. Only one person (the Captain) does the registration — the other person becomes the Teammate.

1
Go to Ladder Games and click Create New Team.
2
Search for yourself by name or member ID. When your name appears, click the arrow button next to it — this identifies you as the Captain.
3
Choose your Division (Men's / Women's / Mixed) and Skill Group (1 or 2).
4
Search for your Teammate by name or member ID and select them.
5
Optionally set a PIN (5 digits) so you can sign in quickly next time without an email link.
6
Click Create Team. Your team code (e.g. M4) is assigned automatically.
Each person may be on one team per division. For example, you can play Men's (M) and Mixed (Mx) at the same time, but not two Men's teams. A member cannot be both captain and teammate on the same team.

Signing In

There is no password to remember. Sign in by going to Ladder Sign In and entering your name, member ID number, or your team code (e.g. F2).

The system then finds your team(s) and offers two ways to authenticate:

  • PIN — enter your 5-digit personal PIN (if you have set one)
  • Magic Link — receive a one-time sign-in link by email (link expires in 72 hours)

If you are on more than one team, you will be asked to choose which team you want to manage in this session. You can switch teams later by signing out and back in.

Email links vs. PIN: Both work equally well. PIN is faster for frequent use. Magic links are great when someone else needs to sign in on your behalf (e.g. your teammate confirming a score).

Setting Your PIN

Your PIN is personal — it belongs to you, not your team. If you are on two teams, the same PIN works for both.

To set or change your PIN:

  1. Sign in to your team dashboard.
  2. Go to the Settings tab.
  3. Enter a new 5-digit PIN and click Save PIN.
Keep your PIN private. Anyone who knows your name and PIN can sign in as you. If you think your PIN is compromised, change it immediately or leave it blank — you can always use magic links instead.

Issuing a Challenge

Any captain can challenge any other team in the same division and skill group at any time during the season (unless Finals mode is active — see below).

1
Sign in and go to My Team Dashboard → Challenges tab.
2
In the Send a Challenge panel, select the opposing team from the dropdown and choose a Handicap if applicable (Even, +15, +30, −15, −30).
3
Click Send Challenge. The opposing captain receives an email with Accept and Decline links.
The opposing captain can also accept or decline directly in the app under their Challenges tab — no email required.

Once a challenge is sent it appears in both teams' Challenges tabs with status Awaiting Response.

Responding to a Challenge

When your team receives a challenge, the Captain gets an email with two links:

  • ACCEPT — clicks the link and the challenge is accepted immediately
  • DECLINE — clicks the link and the challenge is declined; no match is played

Alternatively, sign in to your team dashboard, go to the Challenges tab, and click Accept or Decline directly in the app.

Only the Captain of the challenged team can accept or decline. Teammates cannot perform this action.

Scheduling the Match

Once a challenge is accepted, either captain can propose a match time using the club's reserved court slots.

1
In the Challenges tab, click Propose Schedule on the accepted challenge.
2
Choose a Location, then a Day, Time, and Court from the available slots. Only slots that are not already claimed by another match will appear.
3
Click Send Proposal. The opposing captain receives an email with a Confirm link and a link to propose an alternate time.
4
The opposing captain Confirms the schedule (via email link or in the app). Once confirmed, the slot is locked and the match appears in Upcoming Matches.
Proposing an alternate time: If the proposed time doesn't work, either captain can click Propose Alternate Time in the Challenges tab. This cancels the current proposal and returns the slot to the available pool. A new proposal can then be made. Cancelling entirely: If the match needs to be called off altogether (before a final score is entered), either captain can click Cancel Match on the challenge card.

Coordinating off-app: the Get Emails button on each challenge card copies the opposing captain's, their teammate's, and your teammate's email addresses to your clipboard — handy for arranging a time by email or text.

Slots are available up to 14 days ahead. If no club slots appear, use the non-club court option to enter a location manually.

Entering & Confirming Scores

After the match is played, one captain enters the score. The other captain then confirms or rejects it before points are awarded.

1
After the match, sign in and go to the Challenges tab. Find the completed match and click Enter Score.
2
Enter the Set 1 score (required). Add Set 2 if a second set was played, and a Tiebreak score if the sets were split.
3
Select the Winner and click Submit Score. The score is marked Pending Conf. and the opposing captain receives an email with two links.
4
The opposing captain clicks Confirm as Final (points awarded immediately) or Reject Score (the entering captain will be asked to re-enter). Both options are available in the email and in the app. If no action is taken within 48 hours, the team that submitted the score can finalize it as-is.
Scores are final once confirmed and cannot be edited. However, the entering team can update the score at any time before confirmation — just click Enter Score again. For errors on a confirmed score, contact the Ladder Coordinator to void it.
The captain who entered the score sees a live countdown: "Xh Ymin remaining for the other team to confirm." Once 48 hours have passed, a Finalize Score button appears. The opposing captain sees both Confirm as Final and Reject Score buttons. Re-submitting the score resets the 48-hour clock.

Captain Responsibilities

The Captain is the active manager of the team. All game-play actions — issuing challenges, accepting or declining, proposing schedules, and entering scores — are performed by the Captain.

The Teammate can sign in to view the team dashboard but cannot take any of the above actions, including confirming or rejecting an opposing score.

There is only one captain per team at a time. If circumstances change, the captain can transfer captaincy to the teammate (see below).

Teammates are kept in the loop automatically: the system emails the teammate at every step — challenge sent, accepted or declined, match scheduled, and score entered or finalized. So you stay informed even though the captain is the one taking action.

Changing Your Teammate

If your teammate can no longer play, the captain can substitute them for another club member.

  1. Sign in and go to My Team Dashboard → Settings tab.
  2. Under Change Teammate, search for the new teammate by name or member ID.
  3. Click Replace Teammate. The previous player is marked as "substituted" in the history.
The new teammate must not already be on a team in the same division. They may belong to teams in other divisions at the same time.

Transferring Captaincy

To make your current teammate the new captain:

  1. Sign in as the current captain.
  2. Go to My Team Dashboard → Settings tab.
  3. Click Transfer Captaincy to Teammate and confirm.

The roles swap immediately. You become the teammate and your partner becomes the captain.

Registering for a New Season

Your team and match history carry over from season to season — you do not need to create a new team. At the start of each new season, simply sign in and register.

When you sign in at the start of a season and your team has no entry for that season yet, a blue card appears on your dashboard:

  1. Your skill group from the previous season is pre-selected.
  2. You can change it if you want to move to a different group.
  3. Click Register for this Season. Your team then appears in the rankings.
Only the Captain can register the team for a new season. Your teammate will see the normal dashboard once registration is done.

Withdrawing from Competition

If your team can no longer participate, the captain can withdraw from the current season from the Settings tab.

  1. Sign in as the captain.
  2. Go to My Team Dashboard → Settings tab.
  3. Scroll to the Danger Zone section and click Withdraw from Competition.
  4. Confirm. Your session ends immediately.

Effect of withdrawing:

  • The team no longer appears in the rankings.
  • The team cannot receive new challenges.
  • Match history and points are preserved.
  • The Ladder Coordinator can reactivate the team if needed.
This action applies to the current season only. The team can register again at the start of the next season.

Looking for a Team

If you are available to form a new team, you can add yourself to the Looking for a Team list. Your name then appears on the main Ladder Games page for the division(s) you select, visible to all players.

To manage your status:

  1. Sign in and go to My Teams.
  2. In the Looking for a Team card, click Sign up for the division(s) you are interested in.
  3. To remove yourself, click Remove me.

To see everyone currently signed up for the ladder, open the Registered Players page (button at the top of the Ladder Games page).

Auto-removal: As soon as you join a team in a division, your Looking for a Team entry for that division is automatically removed.

Finals Mode

Toward the end of the season, the Ladder Coordinator may activate Finals Mode for one or more divisions. When Finals Mode is on:

  • Only teams with a ⭐ Finals star (5 or more matches played) can issue new challenges.
  • Teams without the star can still play out any challenges already in progress.
  • The Finals standings determine the season champions for each division.

Finals Mode is shown on the Rankings page with a banner, and on the Ladder Games home page.

Tip: Make sure your team plays at least 5 matches before the season ends to earn Finals eligibility. Every match counts — even a loss gives you 5 points and counts toward the 5-match threshold.

Common Questions

Check your spam folder. Email links expire in 72 hours. If you still can't find it, go to Sign In and request a new magic link. If your email address is not on file, contact the club administrator to update your member profile.

No — only the Captain can issue challenges, accept/decline, propose schedules, enter scores, and confirm or reject an opposing score. If you need your teammate to manage the team, use Transfer Captaincy in the Settings tab.

Available slots come from the club's reserved ladder court schedule and are shown up to 14 days ahead. If no slots appear, it means all nearby slots are already claimed or none are scheduled yet. Use the "Use a non-club court instead" option to enter a custom location, or wait a few days for upcoming slots to fall within the 14-day window.

If the score is still in Pending Conf. status, you have two options: (1) the opposing captain can click Reject Score — the entering team will be asked to re-enter; or (2) the entering captain can click Enter Score again to correct and resubmit directly. Once a score is confirmed as Final it cannot be edited — contact the Ladder Coordinator to void it. A voided score reverses the points for both teams and allows a new score to be entered.

Yes — you may be on one team per division. For example, you could play Men's (M) with one partner and Mixed (Mx) with another — but not two Men's teams. Each team has its own record and ranking. When you sign in, you choose which team to manage in that session.

Either captain can click Propose Alternate Time in the Challenges tab at any point before the schedule is confirmed. This cancels the current proposal and returns the slot to the available pool. A new proposal can then be made. Proposing an alternate time does not affect the challenge itself — it remains accepted and active.

You can only challenge teams in the same division and skill group. Teams in a different division (M vs F) or a different skill group (Group 1 vs Group 2) will not appear. Also, your own team is excluded from the list.

Your team exists but the captain has not yet registered it for the current season. The team will not appear in rankings or be able to issue challenges until the captain signs in and clicks Register for this Season on the team dashboard. As a teammate, you can use the Ask captain to remove me button on the My Teams page to email the captain if you would prefer to join a different team instead.

Looking for a Team lets you signal to other players that you are available to form a new team. Go to My Teams and use the Looking for a Team card to sign up for one or more divisions. Your name appears on the main Ladder page for anyone to see. Once you join a team in that division, your name is automatically removed from the list.

The Coordinator Role

The Ladder is built to run itself: the players manage the competition day to day. The coordinator role is light — general oversight and exception handling. Most seasons you will only need to open the panel a few times.

What players do themselves — not the coordinator's job:

  • Issue, accept, and decline challenges
  • Schedule matches and book courts
  • Enter and confirm scores
  • Create a team, change a teammate, register for the season, and withdraw

What only the coordinator can do:

  • Turn Finals Mode on or off per division
  • Void a final score (the only way to fix an already-confirmed score)
  • Deactivate or reactivate a team and clean up orphaned teams
  • Send a broadcast email to ladder players or all members
  • Manage the ladder flyer and photo album
In short: you never enter scores, schedule matches, or move players around — the teams do that. You mainly step in at season changeover and when a correction is needed.

Getting Access to the Panel

The coordinator panel is reached from the Ladder Games page → Coordinator Panel card. Two ways in:

  • Access link: click Send me an access link. A magic link valid for 30 days is emailed to the assigned coordinator.
  • Site admin: if you are signed in as an admin, you reach it directly via Admin → Tournaments & Events → Ladder System.
If you see "No coordinator assigned," the site administrator must designate a coordinator first (Admin → Events → Ladder System → set the Manager).

Coordinator Tasks

Finals Mode

Turn Finals Mode on per division (M / F / Mx) toward the end of the season. While it is on, only Finals-eligible teams (5+ matches) can start new challenges; matches already in progress play out normally. Turn it off when a new season opens.

Voiding a Score

Once confirmed, a score is locked for players — you are the only one who can fix it. In Recent Scores, click Void next to a final score: the points are reversed (−10 winner, −5 loser) and the match returns to "completed" so a correct score can be re-entered.

Managing Teams

Deactivate a team to pull it from the rankings and challenges (e.g. a team that dropped out); Reactivate to restore it. The Active Teams Not Registered card lists orphaned teams to clean up.

Email Broadcasts

Send an email to all club members or only the registered ladder players for the current season. All recipients are blind-copied (Bcc).

Flyer & Photos

Upload a PDF flyer (max 5 MB) or save a Google Drive photo-album link; both appear on the Ladder Games page.

Site-admin only: two actions require a full admin login (not just a coordinator link) — setting the Rules Document URLs and permanently deleting an inactive team (which erases its match history).
Questions not covered here? Contact your Club Leadership.