USTA Northern California

We will have an update about the remainder of the Spring 2020 season in August/early September.

Details about Fall FLEX league will be announced in August/September.

Flex League Registration Instructions
http://www.norcal.usta.com/adults/leagues/flex/?

Creating an account on the Flex League website
24-hours after you create your Flex League account, you can login to your Flex League profile here
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Tips

• Make sure you include your USTA number.
• (For future seasons you will get a discount.)
• Include the home court you plan to play out of.

Registering
Register here!

TO REGISTER:

• Click on the area you live in under FLEX LEAGUES.
• Click on Men’s Or Women’s events.
• Click on the league you want to play in and finally the sign-up button in red.

Please Note, When you register...

1. If you are registering for doubles, you will be registering for you and your partner. They will not need to register.
2. Make sure you choose under the promotion box for first time plays for free. There is a selection for you and your partner. When you press continue and check out you will see no charge.

Rules

Please join the league if you are committed to scheduling and playing 5-8 matches. Rules of Tennis and the Code for unofficiated Matches apply.

Players must be age 18 or over in the calendar year.

Ratings

Flex League results do not affect NTRP ratings. Players with current NTRP Ratings in Tennis Link must use that rating. They may play no more than 0.5 above their rating level and may not play below their level. Players without ratings must self-rate according to the NTRP guidelines. Flex League does not accept NTRP related grievances. Players are expected to exercise the highest level of integrity while competing in this program.

Match Scoring

A round robin format is used with one match assigned per week. One to two additional weeks are included at the end of the season to make up missed matches. Scoring format is best 2 of 3 sets with a 10-point match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set and scored as 1-0. If both players agree, the third set may be played out, but will still be scored as 1-0.

Scheduling

Our website offers an Availability page where players can notify their opponents where and when they prefer to play. Please be flexible with a variety of available days/times.

Flex League uses 'play by' dates to encourage players to schedule weekly matches. Matches can be played at any time*, in any order, as long as they are completed by the season deadline. *Daytime only flights must play matches on weekdays (M-F) between the hours of 9am and 3pm, unless otherwise agree on by players.

Both home player and visiting player are responsible for making contact to schedule matches. It’s recommended that one contact all opponents at the beginning of the season but no later than one week prior to suggested play date to start the scheduling dialog. Some player’s schedules are more compatible than others. Schedule and play the most convenient matches first.

Player(s) listed as “home' should provide new balls, reserve the courts for their home matches and expect that the “away” player travels to them. The “home” player can offer to travel to the “away” players location if he/she chooses. The date, time and location of the match must be agreed upon by all players.

If a match is rained out, it should be rescheduled and completed as soon as possible.

Courts

USTA NorCal offers a court finder service on our website. Visit the courts you’re planning to use in advance for lights, condition, parking, time restrictions, etc. Communicate this to your opponents. Reserve courts for a sufficient amount of time to finish a match. Rescheduling an unfinished match can be difficult, especially for the visitor.

Your club/facility may have guest fees that apply to your opponent. If your club/facility does not waive fees for Flex matches, the fee is your responsibility.

Flight Winners Gifts

Flight winners will be determined by the standings on the last day of the season. Players must play over 50% of their scheduled matches or a minimum of 4 matches to receive a winners gift. In the event of a tie, head to head competition will determine the winner followed by % of sets won and then % of games won.

Defaults

Within 24 hours of the agreed match time, the player unable to play will default the match unless the player receiving the default prefers to reschedule the match.

It is the home player's responsibility to ensure that the court is playable prior to the scheduled match time. If the visiting player arrives and the court is not playable, the visiting player may take a default or ask to reschedule the match at their court.

If a player does not arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, that player will default the match unless the opponent agrees to extend the time or reschedule the match. Defaults can greatly impact standings in many ways but are sometimes unavoidable. Defaults will be scored as a 6-0, 6-0 win for the player receiving the default. Excessive defaults by players who do not withdraw will be monitored for future seasons.

If you are unable to make contact with your opponent after 3 tries (twice via email and once by phone) 1. Report the incident and 2. Take a default win. If your opponent communicates after you’ve taken steps 1 and 2 that she would like to play, it is your choice to reinstate the match. Contact flex@norcal.usta.com to reset the match. After three reports that a player is non-responsive, player will be contacted, matches scored as defaults, and player suspended from playing the next season.

Player should make contact no later than one week before the posted date to schedule within that week or to postpone the match.

Withdrawing from the League

In the event that a player must withdraw from the league prior to completing the schedule, he/she should notify the administrator and her/his opponents.

If a player withdraws prior to playing a match, all of his/her matches will simply be deleted. If a player withdraws in the flight after playing a match, all players in the group will receive a 6-0,6-0 win against the withdrawing player. This rule attempts to give credit to players who have already played a withdrawing player without penalizing those players who did not play the withdrawing player. The administrator will attempt to replace a player who withdraws with a substitute for the remainder of the season. No refunds will be issued once schedules have been posted.

Sportsmanship Policy

All players participating in Flex League, as a condition of said participation, agree to abide by and be bound by the “The Code”: a Players’ Guide to Fair Play and Sportsmanship. Tennis is a game of courtesy and honor. We expect the highest level of sportsmanship on and off the court. Players who repeatedly hinder the enjoyment of the game will be warned then suspended from the league.

Please report unsportsmanlike conduct to flex@norcal.usta.com as soon as possible. First offenses will receive an email notification and warning, a second report of an offense will result in suspension from the current season and the one following. No refunds will be offered.

What constitutes an offense will be deliberated on a case- by-case basis and at the sole discretion of the Flex League administrator. Players who return after suspension are subject to a no-tolerance policy. Any further complaints on such players are grounds for permanent suspension from the league.

Ten winners for playing a match during Spring 2019 season:

Week 1: Sumant Chhunchha - South Bay

Week 2: Jessica Nahabedian - East Bay

Week 3: John Allen - East Bay

Week 4: Kari Robinson-South Bay

Week 5: Ernest Yip- San Francisco

Week 6: Mirella Bucci- South Bay

Week 7: Carlos Madrigal-East Bay

Week 8: Tammy Beykpour-Marin

Week 9:

Week 10:

How do I record the score for the Third Set?
A full third set is not played unless both parties agree. Instead, a 10 point tie break is the default format. Scoring is always 1-0, one going to the winner and zero going to the loser, regardless of whether a tie break or a full third set was played.

How do I schedule matches?
Be sure to fill out your Player Availability on your Profile and keep it current throughout the season. This lets your opponents know when you prefer to play but please be prepared with a variety of times that you can play.

Contact all of your opponents early in the season to get a match date on your calendars. Don't wait for them to contact you and don't wait until the week of your match.

Use the Comment Box in Player Availability to give your opponents added information such as dates you'll be out of town, best playing days/times, alternate facilities, directions, etc. If you're using a court for the first time, check it out in advance for availability, lights, parking, fees, water, rest room and alert your opponent.

What should I do if I can’t reach an opponent?
Communication is the most important aspect of Flex League. Acknowledge your opponent’s calls or emails even if you're unavailable to play. If you're leaving town, let your scheduled opponents know that you'll contact them when you return.

Our philosophy is to emphasize playing the match whenever possible. This is why we give the whole season to play all of the scheduled matches and at least one extra week at the end to complete your schedule. However, things happen and sometimes opponents seem to be unreachable or unavailable. Keep a “log” of emails or phone calls made in case this match doesn’t get played. If one player attempts contact and the other player does not, the administrator may give the player who made the attempts to play the default over the player who did not. There is also an option to record a double default where the match did not get played and neither player attempted adequate contact.

In round robin play, we score withdrawing players as 6-0, 6-0 wins for all other players in the flight since some may have already played the player and others have not. This rule attempts to give credit to players who have already played a withdrawing player without penalizing those players who did not play the withdrawing player.

You may also leave a match on your schedule unplayed.

Can I play in more than one level?
You can play 0.5 above your rating. We monitor feedback and hope that we see a high level of enjoyment and good competition. Many players are between two NTRP levels and can offer a great match at either level. We do not allow players to play below their current NTRP rating and do ask players to remember the need for integrity in placing themselves in this program.

Can I play in more than one area such as San Francisco and South Bay?
Yes. The league assumes that the individual has the best idea of whether he/she has enough availability for multiple flights within the same season. The player must be willing to play his/her matches within each of the league boundaries.

If you are a current USTA member you are eligible to receive a $10 per person discount at the time of registration. To receive this discount at the time of registration you must have your USTA membership number listed on your contact information page. You can update your information at any time. Once your USTA membership number has been added it will be synced with your account the following morning at 8 am. Please wait until 8 am the next day to register for your team.

How do I find my schedule and schedule the matches?

On the Flex League site you will need to be logged in. Once you are on your player profile page, at the top of the page you will see Scheduled Matches. Click on this tab and you will see your matches listed in order by week. This is a suggested schedule to help you plan your matches. They are all listed by week with the date being the Monday of that week. You can contact your opponents whether you are the home or away team that week. Once you schedule your home matches you can click on the plus sign to change the match date. The away matches have to be entered by the opponent.

How do I find the contact list and email the opponents?

Go to your profile page. You will see the competitions/ Programs you are registered for. Click on the league you want to contact. This will take you to the standings page. At the top you will see a tab third from the left that says Contact List. This will give you the individual contact information for the players in your league. You can also click on Send Email and select the individual player. If you do this however you will not have a record of when the email was sent or who you sent it to.

Suggestions for scheduling matches:

Be sure to fill out your Player Availability on your Profile and keep it current throughout the season. This lets your opponents know when you prefer to play but please be prepared with a variety of times that you can play.

Contact all of your opponents early in the season to get a match date on your calendars. Don't wait for them to contact you and don't wait until the week of your match.

Use the Comment Box in Player Availability to give your opponents added information such as dates you'll be out of town, best playing days/times, alternate facilities, directions, etc. If you're using a court for the first time, check it out in advance for availability, lights, parking, fees, water, rest room and alert your opponent.

How to post a score

Go to your player page. Click on Scheduled Matches at the top of the page. This will show you your list of scheduled matches. To the right side of each match you will see Record Result. That is where you post your scores.