Playing Up a Level

[ChaelAZ]

In AZ our LC just sent out the upcoming league information and they say that a team cannot have more than 50% of the team playing up.

 

[cks]

that a team cannot have more than 50% of the team playing up.

In my area, the default rule is 51% players must be "at level". There are two exceptions to this rule. One for teams who won their league last season, and who want to play up as a team, and the other where there are only 2 teams playing in a division.

 

[schmke]

In AZ our LC just sent out the upcoming league information and they say that a team cannot have more than 50% of the team playing up.

That is the same rule we have in my section. It does get suspended in the event a team goes to Nationals and is then subject to the move-up/split-up rule, where if they move-up they can have more than 50% playing up.

 

[ChaelAZ]

In my area, the default rule is 51% players must be "at level".

That is the same rule we have in my section.

I thought we already had that in place as well, but they made it sound like a new rule in the announcement. Though it's all moot as our main captain isn't doing the team this season and I bowed out too. Unless someone else picks it up, but already had a few other teams asking about playing.

Think I am just doing tourneys...if I can find any.

 

[ktx]

This is a good rule. We don’t have that anymore in my section and had multiple leagues with a team or two entirely playing up. Kind of annoying.

 

[J_R_B]

It's a good rule in theory, but in practice, it's difficult to enforce. If a team is registering a bunch of below level players, at what point do you suspend them if they don't hit the at-level quota? Do they have to maintain that ratio throughout the entire registration process? What if the below level players are just quicker to register? Do you do it right before the season when the schedule has already been released and people are making plans? I've only seen this enforced once, and that was with a team that was out of compliance one year and the LLC let it slide and then started registering the same below level players again the next season and were eventually removed from the league when it was clear they didn't really have a line on any more at-level players to get in compliance. The team wasn't even a top team at the lower level, although I didn't mind having a match or two against a patsy to experiment.

 

[BallBag]

Is it half the line up playing at level or half the registered team?

 

[ktx]

Half the team Altho I think when we had the rule in place it was 40%. I don’t see how it’s hard to enforce. Captains manage who gets the team code for registration and decides which below level players can play?

 

[TennisOTM]

Here is the wording of the rule for our area:

"USTA/UTA League Player “In Level” Requirement. For all USTA and Utah Tennis leagues each team must maintain its roster with at least 50 percent of its players at the designated NTRP level of play. EXCEPTION: This regulation does not apply to the 2.5W, 3.0M & 5.0 NTRP level. If a captain notices the opposing team is non-compliant the captain should notify the Local League Coordinator who will forward the notification of non-compliance to the Adult League Committee. Sanctions may be imposed."