USTA Team Registration Fees Increase 17%

[jimmycoop]

Hey tennis-n-sc--where are you in SC? I'm close enough (in MS) to come over for some of your tournaments! Our situation here is much the same as Goober's--for $30-$40 entry fee you get another T-shirt and lunch on Sat.(Fri-Sat-Sun tournament) which is usually pizza. Need a doubles partner?

[tennis-n-sc]

Originally Posted by jimmycoop

Hey tennis-n-sc--where are you in SC? I'm close enough (in MS) to come over for some of your tournaments! Our situation here is much the same as Goober's--for $30-$40 entry fee you get another T-shirt and lunch on Sat.(Fri-Sat-Sun tournament) which is usually pizza. Need a doubles partner?

You are in Mississippi and willing to travel to SC for a tournament? Geez, there must not be much going on there. What part of the state you in?

[eunjam]

Originally Posted by Dr. Van Nostrand

The cost to register on a team in the upcoming men's and women's season has increased from $18.00 to $21.00. Also, if you decide to un-register for a team you only get $18.00 of your original $21.00 registration fee back. I can understand that costs increase and there may be a need to increase team registration costs but a 17% increase seems a little steep. It was not that long ago that you could register an entire team for $75.00.

unfortunately......you need the USTA, more than USTA needs you.

sad fact, but sometimes the truth hurts.

i remember in the 80's it cost $10 to enter tournaments.

[pagepa]

It amazes me how people will gripe about a league fee thats less than $30. The USTA is a huge organization. Tennis Link is a tremendous benefit to players, captains, and coordinators. When TennisLink came along, it made every USTA player's and captain's life a lot easier. Before TL, there were so many issues with ineligible players not added to rosters, players who were not USTA members, etc. Not to mention all the match scores that were input incorrectly due to captain's illegible handwriting. Or the captains that never submitted their scorecards through the mail so countless match results were never entered at all. I wonder how many players were bumped up or down based on inaccurate and incomplete information? TL is a bargain at $2 - $3 per player. Tennis Link fees just went up in our area to $3 per player due to the USTA's partnership with Active.com. Active.com will give USTA members additional benefits such as restaurant discounts, etc. There is information out there if players take the time to look for it and ask. Most prefer to gripe.

What else do you get for your league fees? Players get organized competitive matches set up for them for an entire season. Players have the chance to compete against a variety of players at a variety of locations in their local area. They get the chance to advance to District, Sectional, and National tournaments. They get Area League Coordinators constantly working to recruit players and captains to ehance the leagues. ALC's also work with local tennis clubs and facility's on an ongoing basis. Even though a league season may only last for about 3 months, ALC's responsibilities last all year long. All of this for a lot less than the cost of one private tennis lesson. I call that a bargain. I don't know of any other adult recreational sports leagues that compares. I used to play league softball and it wasn't nearly as organized, had nothing beyond the local league, and it cost more money per person.

Also, keep in mind that it costs money to run and organize the USTA league tennis program. Many District and Sectional offices have a staff of paid employees. I'm glad they are paid employees. Paid employees are more professional, better qualified, and generally will do a much better job than volunteers. Local Area League Coordinators also have expenses, and certainly should not be expected to pay out of their own pockets to run leagues. They have the usual office expense and many spend many hours of their personal time working behind the scenes. Some coordinators have court fees to cover, some do not. Players and captains generally have no clue what's involved in starting leagues and running them.

The USTA League tennis program is not perfect, but it's a very good program. Players and captains who gripe about league fees, especially fees under $30 - $35, usually don't know what's involved behind the scenes.

[eunjam]

Originally Posted by pagepa

It amazes me how people will gripe about a league fee thats less than $30. The USTA is a huge organization. Tennis Link is a tremendous benefit to players, captains, and coordinators. When TennisLink came along, it made every USTA player's and captain's life a lot easier. Before TL, there were so many issues with ineligible players not added to rosters, players who were not USTA members, etc. Not to mention all the match scores that were input incorrectly due to captain's illegible handwriting. Or the captains that never submitted their scorecards through the mail so countless match results were never entered at all. I wonder how many players were bumped up or down based on inaccurate and incomplete information? TL is a bargain at $2 - $3 per player. Tennis Link fees just went up in our area to $3 per player due to the USTA's partnership with Active.com. Active.com will give USTA members additional benefits such as restaurant discounts, etc. There is information out there if players take the time to look for it and ask. Most prefer to gripe.

What else do you get for your league fees? Players get organized competitive matches set up for them for an entire season. Players have the chance to compete against a variety of players at a variety of locations in their local area. They get the chance to advance to District, Sectional, and National tournaments. They get Area League Coordinators constantly working to recruit players and captains to ehance the leagues. ALC's also work with local tennis clubs and facility's on an ongoing basis. Even though a league season may only last for about 3 months, ALC's responsibilities last all year long. All of this for a lot less than the cost of one private tennis lesson. I call that a bargain. I don't know of any other adult recreational sports leagues that compares. I used to play league softball and it wasn't nearly as organized, had nothing beyond the local league, and it cost more money per person.

Also, keep in mind that it costs money to run and organize the USTA league tennis program. Many District and Sectional offices have a staff of paid employees. I'm glad they are paid employees. Paid employees are more professional, better qualified, and generally will do a much better job than volunteers. Local Area League Coordinators also have expenses, and certainly should not be expected to pay out of their own pockets to run leagues. They have the usual office expense and many spend many hours of their personal time working behind the scenes. Some coordinators have court fees to cover, some do not. Players and captains generally have no clue what's involved in starting leagues and running them.

The USTA League tennis program is not perfect, but it's a very good program. Players and captains who gripe about league fees, especially fees under $30 - $35, usually don't know what's involved behind the scenes.

i'm not griping.

it is what it is.

[Raiden.Kaminari]

Originally Posted by pagepa

It amazes me how people will gripe about a league fee thats less than $30. The USTA is a huge organization. Tennis Link is a tremendous benefit to players, captains, and coordinators. When TennisLink came along, it made every USTA player's and captain's life a lot easier. Before TL, there were so many issues with ineligible players not added to rosters, players who were not USTA members, etc. Not to mention all the match scores that were input incorrectly due to captain's illegible handwriting. Or the captains that never submitted their scorecards through the mail so countless match results were never entered at all. I wonder how many players were bumped up or down based on inaccurate and incomplete information? TL is a bargain at $2 - $3 per player. Tennis Link fees just went up in our area to $3 per player due to the USTA's partnership with Active.com. Active.com will give USTA members additional benefits such as restaurant discounts, etc. There is information out there if players take the time to look for it and ask. Most prefer to gripe.

What else do you get for your league fees? Players get organized competitive matches set up for them for an entire season. Players have the chance to compete against a variety of players at a variety of locations in their local area. They get the chance to advance to District, Sectional, and National tournaments. They get Area League Coordinators constantly working to recruit players and captains to ehance the leagues. ALC's also work with local tennis clubs and facility's on an ongoing basis. Even though a league season may only last for about 3 months, ALC's responsibilities last all year long. All of this for a lot less than the cost of one private tennis lesson. I call that a bargain. I don't know of any other adult recreational sports leagues that compares. I used to play league softball and it wasn't nearly as organized, had nothing beyond the local league, and it cost more money per person.

Also, keep in mind that it costs money to run and organize the USTA league tennis program. Many District and Sectional offices have a staff of paid employees. I'm glad they are paid employees. Paid employees are more professional, better qualified, and generally will do a much better job than volunteers. Local Area League Coordinators also have expenses, and certainly should not be expected to pay out of their own pockets to run leagues. They have the usual office expense and many spend many hours of their personal time working behind the scenes. Some coordinators have court fees to cover, some do not. Players and captains generally have no clue what's involved in starting leagues and running them.

The USTA League tennis program is not perfect, but it's a very good program. Players and captains who gripe about league fees, especially fees under $30 - $35, usually don't know what's involved behind the scenes.

Have to agree mostly with you. But have you seen what kind of salaries they pay some of the people? Especially the USTA president?

I like the old days also when you could play $10 for tournaments, and that would be the end of it. People would know who the cheaters were. If someone played down, the tournament director wouldn't allow it unless the person was legitimately injured and needed to play down, unless they were an open player (then they could only play A, but never B, C, or D).