Here in Transchoptankia, we are considering forming a USTA league, be it men's, women's, or mixed. How do I sell this proposition to the local tennis community? We already have plenty of free courts to play on, and in place are a couple of men's singles and doubles leagues that have been running for 30+ years. We also live in a relatively low-populated area, so travel to other cities might be required. Yes, the thought of playing better players and possibly advancing to a district, sectional, and even national championship is very appealing, but is it worth the $42 annual cost of a USTA membership plus the $20+ add-on fees? Please help me out here. Has anyone at this site ever started a USTA league?
USTA Leagues: Are They Worth the Effort?
- Thread starter USS Tang
- Start date
floridatennisdude
Hall of Fame
Hope you guys ran a survey to see if the community will support it. You really need three teams in an NTRP level to have an enjoyable local league.
It won't be an immediate success, but it should work out over time. People will want to be on the first team to advance to district, section, and national championships. It builds on itself.
It won't be an immediate success, but it should work out over time. People will want to be on the first team to advance to district, section, and national championships. It builds on itself.
i have played in areas without usta leagues. they generally have very well organised n highly competitive club/interclub/rec competitions to make up for their absence
if u set up a usta league u are gonna have to convince ppl to leave those leagues they have often v strong ties to 2 compete in a usta league that will cost more money n involve more travel
u have the carrot of sectionals etc 2 offer. that will attract ambitious players but for vast majority of teams they aint gonna qualify so its hard to see much reason to join if theyre already happy in their current comps
straight up - i imagine it will be very hard 2 get ur initial critical mass of players 2 run the league. so if u gonna do it, prepared for a fair few seasons of hard slog b4 u get traction
if u set up a usta league u are gonna have to convince ppl to leave those leagues they have often v strong ties to 2 compete in a usta league that will cost more money n involve more travel
u have the carrot of sectionals etc 2 offer. that will attract ambitious players but for vast majority of teams they aint gonna qualify so its hard to see much reason to join if theyre already happy in their current comps
straight up - i imagine it will be very hard 2 get ur initial critical mass of players 2 run the league. so if u gonna do it, prepared for a fair few seasons of hard slog b4 u get traction
goober
Legend
Is your city already in a USTA district? I thought most if not all of the US already is geographically covered by some district although you may not be aware of it. I would look up on the USTA website what district your city falls in and contact the league cordinator through their email or phone listed. Rather than starting a whole league by yourself you can form a team and join one. You will have to travel to other cities. No way to get around that for a city with low population. This will actually be your toughest point to overcome IMO. I know players that play in low population districts and they have to drive anywhere from 30-90+ minutes to play a match. A fair number of players are not willing to do that.
Fuji
Legend
I have to drive that in my own city to get a match most of the time! It's just brutal!
-Fuji
beernutz
Hall of Fame
You can reduce the annual USTA membership cost by buying multiyear and/or family memberships. I believe I paid around $255 for a 5 year family membership (just my wife and I use it) which works out to just over $25 per year per person. I also only pay $15 per USTA league season (which is the same as what our local league charges per season) here but that may vary by region.
I think you've hit on the biggest benefits of USTA leagues, particularly the ability to go to the various playoffs. The downside of USTA playoffs is that you have to pay an additional fee for them (it was $25 for the most recent state playoffs I was in) plus travel although I'm lucky that my city annually hosts the 3.5-4.5 men's league state playoffs so no travel is required. I imagine there are fees for sectionals and nationals as well, although that probably is small potatoes compared to the travel expenses to attend them.
We have strong local doubles only association which hosts men's, women's and mixed leagues but it has no singles or combo or tri-level leagues in it which USTA has. USTA also has senior's leagues and will expand those in 2013 while the local league as yet has no age distinctions.
If you haven't contacted USTA I'd be interested in what kind of help they provide you.
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