The Greater Vallejo Tennis Association is working with the USTA and GVRD to establish USTA League teams in 2009 in as many leagues and levels as possible. Below you will see a summary of the levels we would consider for teams.

United States Tennis Association Basics

Type of teams: Seniors, Mixed, & combos play 3 doubles matches only. Adult League play 3 doubles & 2 singles Matches. Higher ratings teams have fewer players and less doubles and singles play.
Combo leagues: combos can be for Age, Men, Women, Mixed, & Ability. Ability means you can have 3.0 and 4.0 playing together. Maximum spread is 1 full point level. Senior 50 Women 6.0 would mean woman 50 or over, 2.5 to 3.5 rating. Combo men's 6.5 would be 3.0 to 3.5 players (each individual match team could not be higher than 6.5).

Age: if want to sign up league by age, you are allowed to sign up if you turn the age during the year you play. Example: you want to play in the senior 50 age team for 2009 and you are 49, you would need to turn 50 during 2009 year…

Membership & Money:
USTA: To play on a USTA team, you must join USTA. Cost varies
on the number of years you join but generally about $40 for one year. Join USTA
After joining USTA, use your USTA number to sign up on a team.

Team: Cost to join a team for 2009 is $21 per team. Don't just signup for a team as you may never get to play. Contact the captain by email and ask if you can join. Most all private Clubs restrict participating to members only. USTA lists the type of club as public or private.

Sign ups: you can sign up on a team anytime during the season, but you must play 2 matches to compete in the playoffs. You must play 3 matches during the season to qualify for Nationals.

Location of Play: the fewer the teams, the farther you travel. Adult leagues have matches within a few miles in 3.0, 3.5 & 4.0 but 2.5, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5 and open many need to travel farther. Super Senior 65 travel 10-25 miles. Open leagues may need the whole Bay Area.

Volunteering: All USTA teams are asked to contribute time for a project to benefit local Tennis. It could running a one day tournament or Fun Day or assisting the local High School Tennis team event.

Ratings: USTA has a level of play called Ratings. Player rating As you play with others and compare your ability to others. You may self rate (pick your own rating) but if you win easily over other players, you risk the 3 Strike rule. If the computer decides you are playing in the wrong league, your team will have all matches forfeited in which you played and you will be re-rated out of that team. You many want to practice with a team before you join to see if you have similar skills and ability. Rating information

Championships: Some teams are the same throughout the United States and these teams have a National Championship. If the team says Norcal, it means the league is setup for Northern California only and there will be Norcal Championship only.

Adult Men's & Women's League
Team Registration: Jan 12 - Mar 8
Season starts: April 6th
Age: 19+
Levels: 2.5-open
Play: 3 doubles, 2 singles
National Championships

Super Senior 65 Men's & Women's
Team Registration: Jan 12 - Mar 16
Season Starts: April 6th
Age: 65+
Levels: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0
Play: 3 doubles
Norcal only

Super Senior 60 Men's & Women's
Team Registration: Apr 20 - May 17
Season Starts: June 29th
Age: 60+
Levels: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0
Play: 3 doubles
National Championship

Mixed 50 Doubles
Team Registration: May 11 - June 14
Play: July 13th
Age: 50+
Team Type: Mixed doubles teams (3)
Norcal only

Combo Doubles
Team Registration: May 21 - Jun 24
Play: July 14
Team types: Men's & Women's
Norcal only

Seniors 50 Men's & Women's
Team Registration: Jul 25 - Aug 19
Season Starts: September 22th
Age: 50+
Levels: 2.5-open
Play: 3 doubles
National Championships

Mixed Doubles
Team Registration: Nov 10 - Dec 12
Season starts: January 12th
Age: 19+
Levels: 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10 (combine level)
Play: 3 doubles
National Championships