Bear Digital Cup Series

The Bear Digital Cup Series is Cape Town’s club padel league, endorsed by the SA Padel Association. Clubs compete across six divisions — three men’s and three women’s — and each division has two groups, A and B, with up to 10 clubs in each. Every club plays every other club in its group once, half the fixtures at home and half away, and the top four in each group go through to Finals Weekend, with R180,000 in total prize money up for grabs. Cup Series is a club-only league — every squad represents a recognised Cape Town padel club, not a private team.

Each club selects 2 to 4 players per division for the season (we recommend four, to cover injuries and unavailability) — through open trials or its own selection. Every club enters a squad in all six divisions (24 players in total). The club takes care of kit and sponsors, manages the squad throughout the season, and is the point of contact for the league.

Entry is R3,000 per division — R18,000 per club in total, as entry into all six divisions is compulsory. The fee covers your club’s place in all six divisions, every league fixture plus entry to Finals Weekend. Court fees and playing kit are not included — court fees are the clubs’/players’ responsibility and are paid at each fixture. Clubs pay by card or EFT (using your club name as the payment reference), with your place confirmed once payment reflects.

Every club enters a squad in all six divisions. Men’s: Premier (4.5 and up), Challenger (3.5 to 4.5) and Social (2.5 to 3.5). Women’s: Premier (4 and up), Challenger (3 to 4) and Social (2 to 3). Each division is based on your players’ Playtomic level, set for each player in your squads. Players can play up a division, but not down.

Demand. More clubs asked to join than our first season had room for, so we’ve opened up from 10 places to 20. Each division now has two groups of up to 10 clubs, so a full group still plays 9 fixtures and the season keeps its dates. Club entries still close on 30 November 2026.

After club entries close, a seeded draw places each club in Group A or Group B, and your club plays in that group in all six divisions. The season is a home & away round-robin within your group. Cup Series Admin builds and publishes the full fixture list — date, time and venue for every fixture — 30 days before the season starts. In a full group of 10, each club plays 9 fixtures, split as evenly as possible between home and away. Court fees are the clubs’/players’ responsibility and are paid at each fixture.

Matches are played over two sets with golden-point scoring — first to six games, win by two, with a 7-6 tiebreak at 6-6. Every match then finishes with a 10-point tiebreak: at one set each it decides the winner, and if one club has won both sets it’s still played for the bonus point. Two of your registered players are on court at a time, and the pair you select for a fixture plays the whole match. There are no substitutions, except when a player is injured and a registered reserve is at the venue to replace them.

A win is worth 3 points and a loss 0, and the club that wins the 10-point tiebreak, which is played in every match, earns 1 bonus point. Standings are ranked on total points, then games difference, games for, and head-to-head where clubs are tied. A forfeited match is recorded as a 6-0, 6-0 win to the opposing club, which gets 4 points (3 for the win plus the bonus point).

The top four clubs in each group qualify for Finals Weekend. The quarter-finals cross the groups (A1 v B4, B2 v A3, B1 v A4, A2 v B3), and the winners go on to the semi-finals and the division final, all on the same weekend. All six divisions crown their champions at Finals Weekend, sharing in the R180,000 total prize pool.

Only for an injury. The two players you select for a fixture play the whole match, so there are no substitutions during a set, between sets or before the tiebreak. If a player is injured during a match, a registered reserve from your squad in that division who is at the venue can replace them for the rest of the match. If there’s no reserve there, your opponents win the match and earn the bonus point. If your club can’t fulfil a fixture, let Cup Series Admin know as soon as possible; unfulfilled fixtures are recorded as a forfeit (4 points and a 6-0, 6-0 result to your opponents).

Only the first 10 clubs to enter in each city become Founder Clubs — the clubs that built the league. The title stays with your club for good and is always shown on your club profile and venue page on cupseries.co.za. Clubs that enter after the first 10 still get a full place in every division.