Frequently Asked Questions

Benicia Bocce League holds one season per year, running roughly from May to September. In order to join the league, you'll need to either create your own team during open registration, or find a team to join.

When registration is open, typically early in the calendar year, register your team online. To get notified when registration is open, sign up to receive our newsletter.

In order register a team, you'll need at least 6 players, and at most 16. An email address and phone number are required for both the capo (captain) and co-capo. Though, it is recommended you provide an email address for all your players, as that allows for the waiver to be emailed directly to them. If you aren't exactly sure who will be playing on your team, don't worry. You will be able to make changes to your team's roster after registration through the third week of the season. Just make sure you will have at least six players. If you don't have enough people, check out the Facebook Group we've created to get free players in touch with the teams that need them.

Each season is divided into several divisions, each playing on a different night of the week. You'll also need to make three picks for which divisions you would like to be placed in. See division placement for more information on how your team will be placed.

Fees are due at the time of registration. The cost is $350 per team, plus $25 per player. Keep in mind that our league has become popular, so we may not be able to accept all new teams each year. If we are not able to accommodate your team, your registration fees will be refunded.

The league does not place players directly on teams. We've found it creates a much healthier dynamic on the teams if they self organize. If you are looking for a team to join, check out the Facebook Group we've created to get free players in touch with the teams that need them. Of course, you're free to find a team any way you'd like.

The Capo is the leader for a team. And the co-capo is effectively their backup. The capo is primarily responsible for registering their team. Part of that process is creating and managing the roster for the team online. Then the capo and co-capo need to attend the Capo Meeting, which takes place a few weeks before the season starts each year. During the season, the capo serves as the point of contact for the league, responsible for distributing any news from the league to the team. The capo is responsible for rescheduling any matches the team cannot attend, and fielding similar requests from other teams. On the day of the match, the capo of the home team is responsible for making sure the courts are properly prepared before the match. Additionally capos from both teams need to decide who will take score for the match and submit the scoresheet, as well as who from their team will play is each game of the match. Finally, the capos are responsible for ensuring their team adheres to the rules and regulations. Ideally, capos are taking care of conflict on the courts without having to get the board involved.

See How do I create a team for more information about registration. Registration is done online during an open registration period before the start of the season. During registration, you will pick the top three divisions your team would like. At the end of the registration period, division placements will be made with the following priorities:

1. First priority is given to returning teams that are staying in their previous division.
2. Next priority goes to returning teams that are moving divisions.
3. Then priority goes to new teams that are created by returning players. (Sometimes teams grow and split.)
4. New teams have last priority.
5. And finally, priority goes to the team that registered first.

Ties are broken by registration date, so it helps to register as early as possible.

All the players on a team are required to sign a waiver of liability before the team can play. This is done electronically on the website. When you register your team, an email will be sent to each of your players with a link to sign their waiver. As the capo, if you do not provide an email address for a player, you must get a link to the player's waiver from the website, and are repsonible for getting your player to sign their waiver.

We defer to the City of Benicia to makes the call on if matches are rained out. And, we do not hear from them until the day of, typically in the afternoon. So, unless an email goes out notifying teams of a rain out, matches are still on as scheduled. It is the up to the capos to make a call and decide if they would like to reschedule using the online rescheduling system.

Rescheduling is done online by capos and co-capos only. Find your match in the schedule and hit the Reschedule button. Alternatively, go to this page to see a list of matches you are able to reschedule. You’ll see a calendar of alternative dates. Pick ALL the dates that your team can play, not just the one you want. The capos on the other team will be emailed and will see a list of dates you’ve given them. If one of those dates works for them, they will select it, the match will be rescheduled, and both teams will be notified. As you can see, providing as many dates as possible makes it more likely the opposing team will be able to find one that works for them.

If you believe the rules to have been broken during a match, and you can’t work it out with the opposing team capo, it’s important to continue playing the match under protest. You can then bring your dispute to the board, where the Rules Committee will evaluate. Please do not abandon the match, or your team will forfeit.

The proper court prepration process is outlined in the official rules under the "Court Maintenance" section.

The league uses Perfetta Club Pro bocce balls, which conforms to the Bocce Federation regulations. Balls are 107mm, 920 grams. Pallinos are 50mm, 67 grams.