Ruth Anne Bendall
USTA Alabama State League Coordinator
rbendall7@gmail.com
Adult 55’s League Championships – May 4-7, 2017 – Pelham, AL
Sectionals – September 15-17, 2017 - Asheville. NC
Adult 40’s League Championships (Levels 3.5 & 4.5+) May 18 -21, 2017 – Auburn, AL
Sectionals – July 28–31 – Mobile, AL
Adult 40’s League Championships (Levels 3.0 & 4.0) June 1- 4,
2017 – Pelham, AL
Sectionals – July 28–31 – Mobile, AL
Adult 18's League Championships ( All Levels ) June 22-25, 2017 – Mobile,
AL
Sectionals – July 21–24 – Mobile, AL
Mixed Doubles 18 & 40's Championships (All Levels) September 7-10,
2017 – Dothan, AL
Sectionals – October 6-9, 2017 – Little Rock, AR
Tri Level 18 & 40's Championships (All Levels) September
21-24, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL
Sectional Invitational – October 13-15 –
Jackson, MS
Adult 65's League Championships – October 5-8, 2017 – Pelham, AL
Sectionals – December 1-3 - Hilton
Head, SC
Combo Doubles 40 & Over & 55
& Over – October 19-22, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL
Combo Doubles 18 & Over – November
2-5, 2017 – Gulf Shores, AL
Sectional Combo Doubles (55 & Over) March 2–4,2018
Auburn, AL
Sectional Combo Doubles (18 & Over and 40 & Over) March 9–12,2018 Mobile,
AL
USTA
LEAGUE
MAJOR REGULATION CHANGES FOR 2017
1.
2.03A(4) and Inside Cover: Allow one (1) default to count towards
eligibility for National Championships
2. Early Start Ratings are eliminated.
2.05B(3)a: Players who are moved up and are clearly above level must adjust
to their new NTRP level immediately
2.05B(3)b: Players will always use their most recent valid year-end
rating to register for any early start leagues.
Players moved up at year-end are not allowed to advance to any
National Championship at the lower NTRP level
2.05B(3)c: There is an exception for players on a 2.5 team; they may
continue through National Championships unless they are clearly above level
3. 2.05E(2): Ratings for players 65 & Over who
are moved up will be published; automatic appeal will be granted upon request
(through TennisLink auto appeal function).
4. 2.07: Only National Championship players will
not be allowed to appeal their rating down for one year after participating in
a National Championship. All other Championship players will be allowed to
appeal their ratings up or down. The appeal will be granted if they meet the
appeal criteria.
5. 3.01 Grievance Procedures: Sections may honor sanctions imposed in
another Section.
USTA Local Regulations
Eligibility
Each player shall have reached the required minimum age prior to or during the
calendar year for each of the Age Groups in which they compete for all leagues
- Adults, Mixed, Southern Combo and Tri Level. All players must be current
(paid) members of the USTA through their local league season and must register
for a team via Tennis Link. When registering, each player must pay the present
local league fee plus an internet Tennis Link fee per league season.
Players must have a NTRP computer rating. New players to the system must
"self-rate" when registering for a league using the NTRP Guidelines.
Team Rosters
Each team shall appoint a team captain and he/she may only captain one team per
level per league. The captains should read and be familiar with the rules
and regulations of the USTA, STA, ATA, and Local League found on each
organization's website. It is the captain's responsibility to create
his/her team via TennisLink each season and notify the players of the team
number so they can register for the team. Non-playing captains must
appoint one player to create the team and register in order to obtain a team
number. Let the Local League Coordinator (LLC) know when you want to be a non-playing
captain. The Registration Deadline Dates are published on the local MALT
(Mobile Area League Tennis) website under Leagues. The LLC may
amend the dates as needed.
All local leagues will limit the number of players that appear
on a team roster to no more than 16 for Adult 18 & over and
Adult 40 & over, all other leagues will be limited to 14 players
on a roster. The only exception to this regulation would
be when a player needs to be placed on a higher level team after
being disqualified from his/her present team before the end of
the season's local round robin competition. Adult 40 & Over 4.5+
may register (3) 5.0 players but the restriction of two (2)
players in each match still applies. A maximum of four players
on a roster may reside out of the state of Alabama with the
exception of teams that play their local league at state
championships. These teams may have no more than two
out-of-state players; this also includes the 65 & Over
Invitational. See (USTA-Alabama 1.04D(4). The 18 & Over
5.0+ men and women will play local at state, may request local
play if only league in the state. See USTA-Alabama 1.04G
If any Adult Age Group consists of only two teams in a level of play, each team
must maintain its roster with at least 40 percent of its
players at the designated NTRP level of play. The exception is the Adult 55
& Over Age Group that uses combined NTRP rating levels and will not be
required to comply with this Regulation.
Addition of Players to Roster
Additions can be made prior to the last two scheduled matches for the
Adult 18 & Over, 40 & Over and 55 & Over Age Groups as well as the
Mixed Division. Additions can be made prior to the last scheduled match for
Southern Combo Doubles and Tri Level. If any of these leagues are played as a
weekend tournament, the LLC will establish the deadline date for adding a
player. The State League Coordinators (SLC) will establish a roster addition
deadline for all leagues that play their local league at the state
championships. Roster additions cannot be made for play-off purposes only.
Team Match
Each home team shall identify and reserve its home courts. If your facility
does not have water on the courts, the opposing team captains should be
advised. The home team provides new balls which must be a standard Type 2 USTA
approved ball and any USTA "transition" ball is prohibited. The home
team will be responsible for court fees for the visiting team, if applicable.
If a match is scheduled and the home team’s courts are not playable one
and one quarter hours prior to match time and the home team does not
have an alternate location, then the captain should consider playing at the
opposing team’s courts if the courts are playable and available. Any team
having to split their times of scheduled matches due to court availability
should notify their opposing captain at least three (3) days prior to the match,
not including match day. Failure to do so
may result in a forfeit by the home team for not having enough
courts when the opposing team arrives for the match.
Players feeding in should be present one half hour before the
designated start time agreed upon by the two captains
All women teams playing a
scheduled USTA Winter Night League match should have all 5 courts (3 courts if
2.5) available at match time. This is to avoid players having to be out
any later than necessary. Matches can be played earlier than the
scheduled match time if courts are available and both captains agree.
A player may not use electronic devices such as cell phones or any device capable of receiving communication.
Format of Play
All matches will be the best of two sets, with a set tie break at 6-all. In the
event of split sets, a match tie break (first to 10 by 2) shall be played in
lieu of a third set with the two minute set break and no coaching allowed. The
tie break shall be scored as 1 set & 1 game for tie break procedures. All
tie breaks should be the Coman tie break (Click for Details). Team format for the Adult 18 & Over
shall be two individual singles and three individual doubles
matches for 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, and 4.5 levels. For 2.5 and 5.0+
levels the format shall be one individual singles and two
individual doubles. The format for the Adult 40 & Over shall be
two individual singles and three individual doubles for 3.0,
3.5, 4.0 and 4.5+ levels. The format for all other leagues
(Mixed Doubles, Combo Doubles, and Tri Level) is three
individual doubles. A team will be awarded a point for
each individual match won.
Team Line-up
Captains should exchange line-ups simultaneously prior to the beginning of the
team match. Match numbers are located on the schedule. A 15-minute default rule
is in effect, starting at the exact time the match is scheduled to begin and
subjects players to being defaulted. In the event of illness, injury,
disqualification, or no-show of a player prior to the start of an individual
match (once the lineup has been exchanged), a team may substitute a player in
the affected position within the 15-minute default time using a player not
already listed on the lineup. If no such substitution can be made, the affected
position will be forfeited. If a team does not have enough players to
field a full lineup, the team not having enough players will forfeit from the
bottom spot of either singles or doubles and move other players up (exception
is Tri Level where defaults are by the NTRP level)..
At the conclusion of each match one of the captains, no matter which,
or a team member should enter scores on TennisLink by match number.
Confirmation must be done within 48 hours of posted scores by the team captain
that did not enter the scores.
If a team forfeits an entire team match during
round robin play, the local league coordinator may disqualify
the team. A forfeit of more than two courts is considered
an entire team forfeit for both the Adult 18 & Over and 40 &
Over leagues. For all other leagues (including Adult 55 &
Over) that play three courts a forfeit of two courts is
considered an entire team forfeit. The local league coordinator
may dispute/correct stats and standings to reflect the proper
scoring for all other teams in the round robin when a team
forfeits an entire match. This may occur at the end of the
local league season. If all teams in contention for the
championships have already played the forfeiting team in good
faith, those match results will stand as played.
Player Participation
Players may play on only one team in an NTRP level within an age group in
the same local league during the same season. In local leagues where NTRP
levels are divided into flights, a player may not play in more than one flight.
1.04G(2)
A player may play up to one NTRP level above the player's current NTRP level.
(For example: a 3.0 can play up to a 3.5)
Rescheduling Matches
The following weather conditions - rain,
lightning, or severe temperature (below 32 degrees F or the wind
chill is below 32 degrees one and one half hours prior to match
time) shall authorize the cancellation and re-scheduling of a
scheduled match. Either captain may elect to reschedule.
In the event that rain or inclement weather forces the
cancellation and re-scheduling of a team match, unrestricted
substitutions from the team roster may be made in any individual
matches that have not begun. This includes moving a player from
one position to another. Completed matches will stand as played
and incomplete matches must be resumed by the same players at
the exact point, game, and set that existed when play was
halted. Rescheduled matches should be completed within 12 days
of the scheduled match. Notify the coordinator within 24 hours
of the originally scheduled match, giving the coordinator the
rescheduled dates and times. Rainouts of the last match of the
season must be rescheduled within 6 days of the original match
date or before the published end date of the league whichever
comes first. The only exception would be a league played as a
weekend tournament. In this case, the LLC will reschedule the
matches.
If a match is not played due to inclement weather, the following procedures
should be followed::
The home team captain should contact the opposing team captain and offer three
(3) possible days for rescheduling. These offered dates should be
within the 12-day rescheduling timeframe. The opposing team captain should try to field a team on one of those three
offered days of play. Notification should be made to the home team
within two days of the offering. If a rescheduled date is agreed upon,
the only reason for not playing on that agreed upon date would be
inclement weather. Once a date has been agreed upon, the local league
coordinator should be notified. It is the home captain's responsibility to
make court arrangements for rescheduled matches.
Captains may request the rescheduling of a match due to a
conflict with player(s) involved in USTA Alabama League
Championship play (Flight, State, Section, or National
Championships). No more positions may be rescheduled than the
number of players registered or participating in said
championship. Eligible players for rescheduled positions are
defined as players listed on the championship roster submitted
for the flight playoff, State, Section, or Nationals. These
rescheduled matches must be played either prior to the originally
scheduled match or within 12 days of the completion of the
championship event. If earlier arrangements have not been made,
Captains needing to reschedule should exercise courtesy and good
sportsmanship and notify the opposing captain at least 7 days
prior to the scheduled match date about his conflict.
The local league coordinator may administratively reschedule a match.
Progression to State Championships
Local season champion shall be the team with the greatest number of team
matches won and shall represent the local league at the State Championships. In
the event of a tie the USTA League Regulation (2.03H)
for tie breaks should be followed. The tie shall be broken by the first of the
following procedures that does so:
Individual matches:
Winner of the most individual matches
Head-to-Head: Winner of the head-to-head match
Sets: Loser of the fewest number of sets
Games: Loser of the fewest number of games
A Coin Toss
In the Adult and Mixed Division, a player is eligible to progress to
championship level below National Championships if that player has played on
the same team in at least two (2) matches at the same NTRP
level in the same Age Group during its local league season. A maximum of
one default received by a player during local league competition shall count
for advancing. Retired matches shall count toward advancing for all
players involved in both USTA League Divisions 2.03A(3). In order to
advance out of local leagues to Combo Doubles and Tri Level Championships a
player must have participated in one (1) match with one default
counting.
USTA Alabama: Players who qualify for the Adult State Championship may
advance on an 18 & Over, a 55 & Over, and 65 & Over team. Players
may not advance on two teams in the same age group except the 40 &
Over division as it is played on separate weekends. Players who
qualify for the Mixed State Championship may advance on one 18 &
Over and 40 & Over team, but may not advance on two teams in the
same age group. See USTA Alabama Regulation 1.04G(6) for
exception.
Teams entered in the State Championships that withdraw after the state entry
deadline will be subject to a fine of $75 per person payable to ATA. Any
team that defaults a court throughout the championship is also subject to the
$75 fine unless excused by the tournament committee. Said
players will be ineligible to compete in any USTA league,
including Tri-Level and Combo Doubles leagues, until the fine is
paid. Appeals may be submitted to the chairman of the
Adult League Committee within one week of the said championship.
All entry fees will be forfeited
Grievance Procedures
A grievance must be filed in writing with the Local or State/Area
League Coordinator prior to the commencement of the next match
in the flight involving the team or individual complained
against, or within twenty-four hours after the end of local
league play, whichever occurs first. A copy will be sent to the
appropriate league Grievance Committee and to the party or
parties against whom the complaint has been filed. Self-Rate
Eligibility Grievances are filed with the State League
Coordinator. USTA Alabama mandates that the party (or
parties) filing the self-rate eligibility grievance complaint
must provide the documentation to support their complaint at the
time of their filing..
The Local League Grievance and Grievance Appeals Committee may consist of:
Brenda Barter Bryan Cooper
Kim Barton Fred Cooper
Megan Cooper Brian Dorgan
Lisa Hansen Andrew Fusaiotti
Carol Ann Jeffery
Thomas Galloney
Becky Lund James Giddens
Kelly McGinley Ernest Ladd
Kristen Pfeffle Mark Pawlowski
Lizbeth Stanton Kenneth Sands
Bebe Lindsey Barry Lund
Lynes Crocker Louie Brackett
The grievance and grievance appeal committee members may be selected from the above list and may be amended by the
LLC in the event conflicts exist.
It is the team captain's responsibility to update changes in an email address with the
LLC and with USTA. Email is the primary means of
communication used by the coordinator.