FILING A FAIR PLAY GRIEVANCE AGAINST SELF-RATED PLAYERS:

• A grievance may be filed by a captain, coordinator or member of a championship committee against a self-rated player when that player is seen at the TOP OF THE NEXT LEVEL or higher.  Email your local coordinator, your complaint, and it will be sent to the Texas Section Grievance Committee.
• The Texas Section Grievance Committee, after review, and in consultation with the NTRP experts who have augmented the committee, will take action as they deem appropriate.
• Such action may include disqualification, suspension from league play or other league sanctions.  When disqualified, all matches played, for that league,  will be taken away.
• The Texas Section Grievance Committee decision may be appealed in accordance with Regulation 2.03 of USTA League Tennis Regulations.
• The disqualified self-rated player can be added to a team at their new level, without replacing a player, as long as there are 2 or more matches left in the season.

 MULTIPLE LEVELS & LEAGUES:   (back)    

Captains need to know the status (primary/secondary) of all their players before the league starts.  Ft Worth teams will have limitations on the number of primary/secondary players when they are playing on more than one Ft Worth team in the same level.  Players playing on 2 different leveled-teams will not be included with the limitations unless stated.

Players can play in the Ft Worth Friday/Saturday, Dallas, & other area leagues at the same time, provided they meet the requirements of the local rules.  Each area rules are adjusted to their leagues.

A Ft Worth league player, playing in the same level, only can play on one Friday & one Saturday team (if not combined).

If a player's team has qualified, (Ex: Adult Spring League) to Sectionals in another area in U.S., before the Ft Worth league has started, regardless if primary or secondary, she will be ineligible to play in the Ft Worth league, when the division is the same (EX: Adult Spring League).

If a player's team has placed 2nd in another area, before the Ft Worth league has started, she can play in the Ft Worth league, if the captain is willing to release her (in writing) as a Ft Worth primary player.

Dallas leagues will not allow players that are on a Ft Worth team advancing to Sectionals, play in the Dallas City Championships, if they participated in the Ft Worth Playoff Championships, when the divisions are the same (EX: Adult Spring League).

A league with only 2 teams will not be allowed to have secondary players on either team (EX: 4.5 seniors).  An exception will be given when only 1-team forms (all primary) and a special situation is granted to qualify the team for Sectionals.  Captains are required before the league starts to notify coordinator of players that are on several teams & their status.

There is a limit of 2 players on each Ft Worth Senior team (regardless of level) that are also playing in the concurrent Dallas Senior League.  If a Ft Worth senior team has 3 or more players participating on Dallas Senior teams, the additional players will lose all their Ft Worth matches played.  Tennis Link will determine the ineligible players by order of registration (date & time).

When a league has no playoffs (Ex: Super Senior) and the first place team loses 2 (Senior Leagues)/ 3(Adult Leagues) or more secondary players to other teams that are also advancing to Sectionals, a one match playoff between the first & second place team's primary players will be held, provided the secondary players received credit for at least one match. When no playoff is needed with the 1st place team, the second place team that loses 2 or more secondary players to another team advancing to Sectionals will play a 1 match playoff with the 3rd place team. Captains are required before the league starts to notify coordinator of their players' status.

Each team is limited to 1-non resident player that lives outside the 50 mile radius of the Ft Worth & Dallas league boundaries (Ex: Houston).

When there is no playoff, the qualified Ft Worth primary players (credit for 1 or more matches) that are on a team advancing to a Sectional Championship (Ex: Super Senior), can not switch their primary position if registered on another area winning team in the same division (Ex: Super Senior).

When the Ft Worth Spring & Fall Adult Leagues have a Friday & Saturday team (of same level), with 5 or more duplicate players on the same 2 teams and the players involved have received credit for at least one match, these 2 teams will forfeit their right to a Playoff Championship position, even if only one team qualifies.  The Senior teams will be disqualified with 3 or more duplicate players on the same 2 teams.

CAPTAINS' GUIDELINES:

1.    Highly recommend that each team has a minimum of 8 players (Adult Spring), 7 players (Fall), & 6 players (Senior) that are playing only on one (1) team during the league.

2.    Before the league starts, know which players on your roster are on multiple teams and their status (primary/secondary).  View "Playoff Teams" to determine the status limitations for your players (same level).

3.    League strongly recommends that no more than 4 players (Adult Spring &Fall) & 2 players (Senior) from a Friday team (same level) register together on the same Saturday team (same level) & visa versa.

4.    League recommends that all teams in all levels have a limit of 2 secondary players.

5.    Advisable to notify the coordinator by e-mail, with names of your primary/secondary players before the league starts.

PLAYOFF TEAMS (same level)

1.    Adult/Fall leagues duplicate players' status when both Ft Worth teams (same level) have qualified for Playoffs.      

            Teams should reschedule when the weather is too severe or when the home site is inundated with rain at match time (Both captains must be in agreement before canceling the match). 

            Both captains are responsible for getting in touch with each other and have the match rescheduled within 1-week and played in 3-weeks  or by the cutoff date for the end of the league, whichever comes first.  Make-ups can be played as a whole team or played by individual courts on different days. Teams that do not reschedule within 1-week, may be referred to the local Grievance Committee.  Captains need to e-mail the coordinator the date, time & site of the rescheduled match.

Rescheduled matches can be played in the morning, afternoon, night & the weekend.  They can be played as a whole or by individual courts on different days. If individual players are contacting the opposing players, by court assignments, these players are not locked in, unless they started play before the rainout.

Once a match is rescheduled and confirmed by both captains, the date, time, & site can not be changed unless it is rained out or weather is too severe (agreed by both captains).

TIE-BREAK:   (back)

            If team points are tied at the end of the league, the USTA League Tennis Regulation tiebreak procedure will be used starting with the most individual matches won. If still tied, the following will be used until the tie is broken: fewest number of sets lost, fewest number of games lost, head to head, toss of coin.

PHONES:   (back)

            Cell phones must be turned off before the match starts.  Players should try to remind each other to do so.  First time a phone rings, during a point, if a let is called on time, the point is replayed..  Thereafter, if any phone rings again on the same court & disrupts play, that player will lose the game.

STAGGERED COURTS:   (back)

            Some facilities may have to stagger times due to a shortage of courts.  The home captain, the Sunday before the scheduled match, needs to contact the visiting captain so they can decide which courts will play at the later time slot.

REST PERIOD:   (back)

            Any player on the court may request a 2-minute rest period between the 1st and 2nd set.  A 10-minute rest period may be taken between the 2nd and 3rd set.  When a super/match tiebreak is being used in lieu of the 3rd set, only a 2 minute break may be taken.  No rest period after the 1st game of any set.

COACHING:   (back)

            Coaching is permitted, ONLY, between the 2nd and 3rd sets.  No coaching is allowed when a match/super tiebreak is being used in lieu of the 3rd set.

RAINOUTS:   (back)

Both captains must agree, if they are going to cancel the match before the scheduled time.  Otherwise, both teams must arrive at the site and then determine how they plan to handle the situation.

            Original lineups can be changed, if zero matches were started before rain.  If one court started play, before the rain, the lineup is  locked for all courts that were scheduled to play at this time, including any forfeits.  Write down scores, sets, games, server, side, etc.

            Rain during the Match:  Captains need to decide if they want to wait or reschedule new dates.

            When there is no rain, but courts are wet at scheduled time and if not usable within 30-minutes, the match will be treated as a rainout.

            Some facilities have both indoor and outdoor courts.  If rain occurs just before play starts or during play and captains agree to move indoors, these matches will be treated as a rain make-up.

• If zero matches were started before rain, rosters can be changed and any forfeits scheduled at this time do not stand.  All courts are not required to play indoors at this time.
• If 1 or more matches started before rain, the roster is locked for all courts that were scheduled to play at this time, including forfeits.  All courts are not required to play indoors.

INDOOR COURTS:   (back)

            When both captains agree to play indoors, each player will split the court fee cost.  The captains or the individual courts, need to decide before the match, what they will do if time expires before the match is finished.  In order to save time, players may decide to switch ends only at the end of each set, play no-add,  reschedule the rest of the unfinished match, etc.