LEAGUE AND
TOURNAMENT PLAY
AT
MTC Tennis Committee
November 2016
INTRODUCTION
The rules and guidelines set forth herein govern Marin Tennis Club’s participation in USTA Leagues, Women’s
Leagues and the Club’s Tournaments.
The Tennis Committee has the discretion to waive or modify the application of any of these rules, consistent
with the spirit of these rules, when such action is necessary or appropriate for the benefit of the Club or its
members. Issues not covered by these rules will be decided by the Tennis Committee.
These rules are published to ensure that all members are fully informed about these important issues. Maximum
opportunity for members to participate in leagues and tournaments is the goal. Clarity and consistency will help
us achieve this goal and give the widest possible spectrum of members the opportunity to enjoy competitive and
social tennis.
1. GENERAL RULES FOR LEAGUES AND TEAMS
A. Sign-up Procedures
1. Before the sign-up period starts the Tennis Committee will solicit volunteers and/or recruit members to agree
to serve as captains. If no one volunteers to serve as captain for a given team, there will be no team. Captains
must be dues-paying members in good standing, and should be at the appropriate playing level for the team.
2. Sign-up rosters will be posted, showing the names of the captains and their team philosophy (e.g., goal is
post-season play and will always play the strongest available lineup, or goal is developmental and everyone
will get opportunities to play, etc.).
3. Using the posted information, members may sign up for any team on which they are qualified to play by
completing the online sign-up form. If there is more than one team at any level, members may change teams
at any time until sign-ups close. Captains are free to recruit members to sign up for their teams, or to switch
to their teams, at any time until sign-ups close. Where appropriate, the online sign-up forms will ask
members whether they will be available to play singles.
4. After sign-ups close, if not enough members have signed up to field a viable team at any given level, the
captain may add one or more non-members to the team, provided that the rules regarding non-members on
MTC teams (set forth below) are followed. If there is more than one team to sign up for at any level, and the
sign-ups are split so that one or more of those teams are not viable, the Tennis Committee will address the
situation and work with the captains to attempt to combine the teams or otherwise resolve the matter. Except
for Sonoma/Napa/Marin teams where roster changes are governed by league rules, a team may add additional
members at any time during the season subject to the provisions in Paragraph A, item #5 below. For
Sonoma/Napa/Marin teams, if the number of sign-ups exceeds the team size limit imposed by league rule, the
roster will be reduced following the procedures set forth in section 3 D below.
5. If a player fails to sign up for a team during the sign-up period and subsequently decides that he or she wants
to play, that player may contact the office and will be allowed to request a team level (e.g. W3.5 or M4.0) but
NOT a specific team. The TC will then work with the captains to place these late sign-ups onto teams based
on where additional players are needed. If an additional team is being formed to accommodate too large a
sign-up, these players will typically be placed on the new team.
6. Captains may make additions to their rosters after sign-ups close subject to the following criteria. MTC club
members may be added after getting approval from the TC chair and the TC league liaison for that league.
(email works fine). Non MTC members may only be added after approval vote by the full Tennis Committee.
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B. Non-Members on Club Teams
In general, only full, active dues-paying members in good standing may play on an MTC team. Non-members
may play on MTC teams only when it is necessary to serve the interests of dues-paying members. Specifically,
non-members will only be permitted to play on a Marin Tennis Club team if there are not enough members,
willing and able to play, to field a viable team as defined herein. The other rules for determining viability are set
forth below. In order to add a non-member to a team, the following procedures must be followed:
1. Sign-ups will be open to members only at the outset.
2. Soon after the member-only sign period closes, teams will be classified as non-member eligible or
ineligible based on the number of members signed up and the minimum size for a viable team. Captains
will be advised and the information will be posted.
3. Teams that are non-member ineligible may not recruit non-members.
4. Teams that are non-member eligible may recruit no more than two non-members to round out a viable
team up to the total number of players as specified herein to make a viable team. The non-members
must have a USTA rating at the level of the team. Team Captains shall complete the captains checklist
document listing the non-members recruited for submission and approval by the Tennis Committee.In
the case of singles players, members not “at level” of team will not count toward eligibility to recruit
non-members. (eg a 4.0 team with one 4.0 singles member and three 3.5 singles members may still
recruit up to 2 non-member singles). For teams with low MTC representation captains should approach
TC early to discuss possible exceptions.
5. Non-members shall submit an application to join the team accompanied by any relevant payment set out
in item 6 below and a signed copy of the waiver set forth in the Club’s Bylaws and a statement of
whether the non-member has an interest in joining the Club. Preference shall be given to non-members
who are interested in joining the Club.
6. Non-Members will be asked to pay a guest fee of $25 for the league season to cover matches and
official team practices.
7. Captains will be responsible for collecting paperwork and fees PRIOR to a non-member being eligible
to attend practices at MTC or play in matches at home or away. In the next billing cycle after the
captains submit the required checklist form to the TC and gain approval for their non-member guests,
the captain’s account will be charged $25 per non-member on their team, less fees already received at
the office.
8. Approximately one month into each season, the club office will check the rosters of all teams to ensure
that any non-members went thru the above process. Any exceptions shall be reported to the Tennis
Committee.
If this procedure is not followed, the non-member will not be allowed to play on the team (in home or away
matches) or to participate in any team practices. Late sign-ups by members, after one or more non-members
have been allowed to join the team (e.g., the addition of a new member to a team), will not affect the status of
non-members who have already been added to the team.
A non-member recruited to play singles shall not play in a doubles match, unless no members are available and
a default will occur if the non-member does not fill in.
Non-members will be allowed to play on MTC teams for a maximum of 2 years unless otherwise approved by
the TC for singles play.
 It is the period of time not the number of teams that is being monitored
 The 2 years do not have to be concurrent.
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The 2 years will be counted as of January 2009. Any non-member who played on a MTC team in 2008 is
limited to only one more year on one (or more) of our teams and new non-members joining one of our teams in
2009 can play two years that need not be concurrent years. Captains may appeal individual circumstances to the
tennis committee.
If a member on a team resigns his/her membership during the season and becomes a non-member, he/she will be
permitted to remain on the team to complete the season but will be required to pay the full (non pro-rated) nonmember fee to do so. A resigned member cannot join a non-member eligible MTC team for a period of 2 years
from date of resignation. The Tennis Committee may make individual exceptions to these rules upon
considering a petition from the team captain.
C. The Role of the Captains
1. The Captain’s philosophy, as stated prior to the start of league sign-ups, must be carried out.
2. Once teams are established, the captains must become aware of all team members playing ability. In order to
do this, captains are strongly encouraged to hold team practices or schedule clinics with the pros.
3. As a courtesy, prior to the close of sign-ups captains should inform any players they feel may not get much
playing time, so those players will have an opportunity to switch to another team if they wish.
4. Team rosters, match lineups, match results and practice times must be emailed to the entire team. Captains
must keep all team members on all team emails until such time as a member specifically asks to be dropped
or leaves the team.
5. If a captains meeting is scheduled by the Tennis Committee, at least one captain from each team must attend
the meeting.
6. Captains should hold a team meeting for the purpose of discussing the team’s strategy and partnerships. This
meeting should be an informal get-together with an exchange of views from the captain and the players.
7. In the event of uncertain court conditions, the captain must arrive early to check the condition of the courts
and, if necessary, have players squeegee the courts in order to make them playable by the starting time of the
match.
8. Each captain must follow the procedures set by the Tennis Committee and the Club office to schedule and
reschedule home matches. If rainouts occur, it is the responsibility of the captain to reschedule the match
after checking the main calendar and coordinating with the Club office.
9. Captains are responsible for doing lineups, presiding over matches, and verifying and entering scores.
10. Captains have a two-year term limit. Anyone who has captained one or more ustanorcal teams for two
consecutive years cannot captain or co-captain in the following third year regardless of the teams they
captained during the previous two-year period. Further, effective January 2017 an individual can only
captain up to two ustanorcal teams in any one calendar year thus limiting someone from captaining
more than four teams in any two-year period. Just to reiterate this is a one-year “time-out” from
captaining USTA teams for each individual.
D. Team Practices
Practices are highly encouraged by the TC as a way to build team camaraderie and be inclusive of all team
members. All members of a team must be invited to play in team practices. Depending on court availability,
team practices may be held after 1 pm in the afternoon or in the evening. On weekdays where no matches are
scheduled team practices may be held after 12 noon. Practice courts may not be reserved in advance. Any
deviation from these procedures will mean loss of practice privileges for the remainder of the season.
E. Scheduling
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No League Matches will be scheduled on any MTC recognized Holiday, namely: New Year’s Day, Martin
Luther King Jr Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans
Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day [club closed].
2. USTA TEAMS
A. Viable Team
A viable team shall be defined as any team meeting the minimum number of players set forth below. Note that
teams that must field singles positions need to have a minimum of 2 member singles players (who have stated
that they are indeed willing to play singles for the team) before the team is allowed to form; i.e. non-member
recruitment to fill a team will not be allowed unless this 2-member minimum is first met.
LEAGUE
MINIMUM
VIABLE
TEAM
SIZE
MINIMUM #
OF MTC
MEMBERS
REQUIRED
ON TEAM
Adult 18+
18
16
MINIMUM # OF
MTC MEMBERS
AT TEAM
LEVEL (E.G. 3.5RATED ON A 3.5
TEAM)
10
Adult 40+
12-14
10-12
6-7
14
14
12
12
8
8
14
16
12
14
N/A
N/A
Adult 55+
Norcal Adult 65+
Norcal Adult 70+
Combo
Mixed 18+
Mixed 40+
NorCal Mixed 55+
* changed from 5
NOTES
At least 4* players willing to
play singles, including 2
member players at least
one “at level”
At least 3* players willing to
play singles, including 2
member players at least
one at level
None
None
None
A minimum of 8 men and 8
women
Note that in the event the club membership does not have an adequate number of members that play league
tennis to form a team at a given level, the Tennis Committee may override this policy.
B. Joint Team Policy
Where club membership does not have an adequate number of members that play league tennis to form a team
at a given level, the Tennis Committee encourages the formation of a “joint team” that shares players and court
time between two local clubs. Players from another club that has combined with MTC to field a joint team will
be exempt from paying non-member fees but will only be allowed to play on MTC courts for matches and
formal team practices (unless they are registered as guests and members pay the appropriate guest fees). Half
the home matches for a joint team will be played on MTC courts, and half will be played on the courts of the
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other club. This joint team approach will be a recommended one for hard-to-field teams such as 4.5 and super
seniors. A hard to field team that does not wish to form a “joint team” with another club must form with at least
50% MTC members. The General Manager will assist in talking with his peers to locate opportunities for
joining teams.
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C. Developmental Teams
In order to help improving member players grow their competitive game, the Tennis Committee supports the
fielding of developmental teams as follows:
 The team declares as a developmental team and seeks approval from the TC to be posted as such. The TC
will have flexibility in approving based on number of non-developmental teams forming during a given
season and expected court availability.
 If approved, the team will be posted for sign-ups and clearly identified as a developmental team. As such,
the “minimum number of players at team level” rule will not apply.
 The 80% member participation rate WILL apply, and any exceptions will have to be approved by the TC.
 A developmental team will NOT be treated as a “hard-to-field” team even if it is in an otherwise “hard-tofield” category such as 4.5 level or 3.0 level. The very concept of a developmental team implies that it is
being formed to give members opportunities to play that they might not otherwise have, so the TC will not
be making special exceptions to allow a developmental team to recruit, say, 5 non-members instead of the 2
or 3 that it might qualify for under the standard policy.
 Developmental teams will be scheduled into non-prime time slots for their home matches; e.g. on weekday
evenings or at 4 or 5 p.m. on weekends.
D. Scheduling
The Club develops a master calendar for each USTA season which is shared with captains soon after the USTA
releases the number and timing of matches in each division, usually at the Captains meeting called by the Tennis
Committee. The master calendar provides a date and time for every match. Captains may request alternative
times for matches through the Club office. Captains must also work through the Club office to reschedule any
rainouts. The match schedule, captain’s requests for alternative dates, and requests for make-up dates are all
governed by the following scheduling rules:
1. USTA matches shall not be played before 1 pm on any day, unless specific time windows are approved by
the Tennis Committee and Board.
2. No more than six courts may be scheduled for league play at any one time.
3. A maximum of four Adult 18+ USTA matches may be scheduled on any day at 1, 2, 4 and 5pm
4. For all other USTA leagues a maximum of five matches may be scheduled on any day at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 pm.
5. Only one match of any kind may be scheduled on any evening at or after 6 pm.
6. No matches will be scheduled on holidays.
The General Manager may modify the above rules for match scheduling and court usage to accommodate
rainouts, playoff schedules, Club events and other special circumstances.
E. Third Set Tiebreakers
Teams are required to play third set tiebreakers if another USTA match is scheduled to be played later that day
on the same courts.
First round play of Marin League and Sonoma Napa Marin League will be required to play a 3rd set tie-break.
The objective being to complete these matches in a more timely manner thereby opening courts for recreational
play. Effective 2013-4 season.
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F. Leagues & Teams
Adult 18+
• Men’s and Women’s
• Minimum Age 18
• All teams must have a minimum of 6 players rated at the team's registered level by the time of the first
scheduled match of the season
• 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 and Open Divisions
• Team sign-up time: February
• League play: April through June; playoffs in July
• Format: 2 singles & 3 doubles for 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 & 4.5; 1 singles and 2 doubles for 2.5, 5.0, 5.5 & Open
Adult 40+
• Men’s and Women’s
• Minimum Age 40
• 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5+ Divisions
• Team sign-up time: November
• League play: January through March; playoffs in April
• Format: 1 singles & 2 doubles for local play; 2 singles & 3 doubles for post season
Adult 55+
• Men’s and Women’s
• Minimum Age 55
• 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: November
• League play: January through March; playoffs in April
• Format: 3 doubles
Mixed 18+
• Minimum age 18
• 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: May
• League play: June through September; playoffs in September
• Format: 3 doubles matches
Mixed 40+
• Minimum age 40
• 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: May
• League play: June through September; playoffs in September/October
• Format: 3 doubles matches
Mixed 55+ [
• Minimum age 55
• 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, and 9.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: July
• League play: September through November; playoffs in December
• Format: 3 doubles matches
Norcal 65+
• Men’s and Women’s
• Minimum age 65
• 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: January
• League play: March through May; playoffs in June
• Format: 3 doubles matches
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Norcal 70+ Daytime
• Men’s and Women’s
• Minimum age 70
• 6.5, 7.0, 7.5 and 8.0 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: August
• League play: September through December; no post season play
• Format: 3 doubles matches
Combo Doubles
• Minimum age 18
• 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, 9.5 and 10.0+ Divisions
• Team sign-up time: July
• League play: September through December; playoffs in January
• Format: 3 doubles matches
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3. WOMEN’S LEAGUES
A. Viable Team
A viable team shall be defined as any team meeting the minimum number of players set forth below. Note that
teams that must field singles positions need to have a minimum of 2 member singles players (who have stated
that they are indeed willing to play singles for the team) before the team is allowed to form; i.e. non-member
recruitment to fill a team will not be allowed unless this 2-member minimum is first met.
.
LEAGUE
VIABLE MINIMUM # OF MINIMUM # OF NOTES
TEAM
MEMBERS
MEMBERS AT
SIZE
REQUIRED ON
TEAM LEVEL
TEAM
Marin League
20
18
N/A
None
Sonoma Napa
22
20
N/A
At least 4* players willing to
Marin League
play singles, including 2
member players
* changed from 5
Note that the Sonoma/Napa/Marin League allows roster additions only once, in the middle of the season. The
Marin League allows players to be added at any time.
B. Charges for League Play
There is a sign-up fee for all league teams to cover team entry costs and office time, plus an administrative fee to
be set by the Board. There will be a fee for each team a member joins. If players are added during the season the
additions must be turned in to the Club office. There will be no pro-ration of the fee for a partial season sign-up.
C. Sonoma/Napa/Marin League
• Divisions 1,2,3,4
• Team sign-up time: May - June
• League play: September through March
• Format: 5 doubles matches and 2 singles matches
• Matches are played on weekday mornings
• Home team provides balls and refreshments
D. Team Selection
Because of roster limits placed on Sonoma/Napa/Marin teams by the league, the following guidelines will be
used to determine the team rosters in the event that there are more applicants than spots available. Roster
replacements due to absence or injury may be made in midseason. In the event that there are more applicants
than spots open at that time, the captain shall use the same guidelines to fill any available openings.
 Availability: Players must be available for at least 50% of the matches.
 USTA Rating: Preference will be given to players with higher USTA ratings (current and earned from
past year play).
 Singles Players: Preference will be given to players able and willing to play singles until there are at
least five singles players on the roster.
 Strength: After the above guidelines are used, priority shall be given to players based on strength and
availability.
In the event that application of these guidelines does not fully resolve the selection of a team, the captain and an
appointed committee will make the final decision.
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E. Marin League
• A1, A2, A3, B1, B2 and C1 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: May - June
• League play: September through March
• Format: 5 doubles matches
• Matches are played on weekday mornings
• Home team provides balls and refreshments
4. OTHER SUPPORTED LEAGUES
A. Twilight League
• Minimum age: 18
• 6.5, 7.5 and 8.5 Divisions
• Team sign-up time: March - April
• League play: May through July
• Format: Men’s doubles women’s doubles and mixed doubles
• No ad scoring, tiebreaker at 5-all, 12 point tiebreaker instead of a third set
• Matches start at 6 pm
• Play is social in nature
• Players can be added to the roster at any time
• Home team provides balls and refreshments
• Fee set by the Board to cover the cost of administrative fees
B. Play Tennis Marin
• Both Singles and Doubles Leagues
• Open to all players in Marin
• Matches may be scheduled in the afternoons (after 1 pm weekdays and weekends)
• Third Set Tiebreaker to be used in all matches
• Reservations for these court times must be made with the office at least 48 hours in advance
• Matches may be played at other times, but a guest fee will apply and players will be subject to Club court time
regulations
• All opponents must sign in as a guest.
5. TOURNAMENTS AND EVENTS
A. Club Championships
MTC holds the following Club Championship tournaments at all levels of play:



Singles (annually)
Mens and Womens Doubles (alternate years starting 2014)
Mixed Doubles (alternate years starting 2015)
The format of each tournament varies, but some general guidelines are:
There must be at least four doubles teams or four singles players entered at a level in order to have a
championship at that level. Because of the difficulties of scheduling, members may only play in one level.
Members who sign up must commit for the duration of the tournament. If a member is unable to complete a
tournament, there will be no refund of fees. Charges for tournaments are based on the cost of running
tournament and the number of entries.
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B. Social Tennis Events
The Club holds a number of social tennis events each year, open to all members. The current schedule includes:





April - Joker’s Wild
May – Grand Prix Championships
June - Calcutta
July - Olympics of Tennis
October - Sadie Hawkins Day
These events may be changed, at the discretion of the Social Tennis Committee.
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