1. Begin by requesting a USTA Team Number using our Team Registration Form.  Wait for an email response from CATA that gives you the USTA Team Number.  Once you have the team number, you can use the USTA TennisLink Team Registration system to add players.

   All team registration deadlines are HARD deadlines -- no extensions, no excuses, no exceptions

2. A minimum-size roster (See your league description for minimum size requirements) MUST be entered into TennisLink by the posted registration deadline in order to qualify a team, schedule playing dates, and reserve courts

   Any team may add more ROSTER players (up to the maximum roster size) via TennisLink up until 11pm the night before your season begins

3. A player's NTRP difference may not exceed 1.0 for the level entered.  The NTRP difference between members of an individual doubles pair may not exceed 1.0.
4. Non-Resident Rule: There is a limit of one (1) non-resident players outside of a 50-mile radius of Austin on any local team. (effective all 2009 leagues).
5. Rosters are "frozen" at 11pm the night before the season begins and NO ROSTER CHANGES can be made thereafter -- NO EXCEPTIONS

   TennisLink will not allow any player to be added to a roster if USTA membership is not current throughout the term of the league season.

6. Players must be current USTA members (which means through the end of the season) in order to be eligible to play any USTA match; It is each player's responsibility to join or renew his/her membership.
7. 51% Rule
   The 51% Rule states that 51% or more of the roster players must be rated at the level of play entered. Exception to the Rule would be the winner of the previous local league who wish to remain together as a team and play at the next higher level of play. In this case, 75% of the original team must remain together. WAIVER REQUEST: Any team requesting exception to the rule must present it in writing to the League Coordinator for approval no later than two weeks prior to roster deadline. Consequence of violation is that the team will be subject to removal of players until the team is in compliance with the rule.
8. ONLY CATA has the authority to delete a player from a team roster.  If a roster player needs to be deleted from a team, notify the Leagues Coordinator immediately.  Both the Team Captain and the Player in question MUST send written authorization to delete the player from the roster or else the roster cannot be altered.  REFUNDS - CATA will not issue a league refund except if a flight does not make or if a player decides not to play BEFORE the first scheduled match of a league season.  Absolutely no refunds will be issued during a season for injury, relocation, or lack of play time.  CATA will issue the refund less the $3 TennisLink fee and a $5 processing fee ($8 of your total fee will not be refunded). 

   FOR TEAMS AFFECTED BY THE 51% RULE ONLY:  Team Captains are strongly advised to check the USTA rating of each ROSTER player prior to entering that players name on the USTA registration website

You may play on multiple teams of DIFFERENT levels (E.g. 3.0 and 4.0) regardless of team play days (E.g. Friday and Saturday, OR Saturday and Saturday)

You may play on multiple teams of SAME level (E.g. 3.5 and 3.5)  if teams play on DIFFERENT days (E.g. Thursday and Saturday) Primary Team Declaration -- players on multiple teams must declare a primary team for playoffs (local and Sectional); players must commit to Championship with only one team; if the Primary Team does not advance to local playoffs/Sectionals, player becomes eligible to play on a different team. You must declare your primary team BEFORE the season starts or your primary team will default to your first match played. If an event is divided into more than one weekend, each Area/District or Sectional Championship in a Division is considered the "same competition."  Same competition is defined as (a) same Section, (b) same Division, or (c) any NTRP level. Therefore, an individual could play in the Texas Women's 4.0 Sectional as well as the Midwest Women's 4.0 Sectional.  They could NOT play in the Texas Women's 4.0 Sectional and the Texas Women's 3.5 Sectional as this is the same DIVISION, even if not the same weekend.

1. All USTA teams are required to supply 3 home courts per team for all home matches/lines
2. Tennis courts must have drinking water and restroom facilities within walking distance to be used for league play. 
3. HOME COURTS FOR LEAGUE PLAY - Captains are required to get permission from a tennis facility if a team wants to use courts at the facility for league play. Permission from the facility is required for each league season. CATA will not issue a Captain a team number until permission is granted by the facility.

1. All USTA teams are required to supply tennis balls for all home matches/lines
2. Penn, Wilson or Dunlop hard court balls are acceptable
3. oversize balls are allowed if ALL players agree to their use PRIOR to the beginning of the match; oversize balls are NOT recommended by CATA

1. launch your browser and go to http://national.usta.com
2. log in using captain's personal USTA number
3. new page - enter team number
4. new page - print blank scorecard, print team roster, etc.
5. for Captains Report, click on flight (blue letters in upper RH corner)
6. new page -- click on Team Captain Report button

New Tiebreak Rules - Coman The Coman Tie Break will be used in ALL tie break sets (7 –Point Set tie break and 10-point match tie break) at the local level.  This is the standard tie break to be played in Sectionals and Nationals in 2006.  The Coman tie break is the same as tie breaks we are currently using except that:  Ends are changed after the 1st point, then after every 4 points (so that's the 5th point, 9th point – score is 5-4 for example, 13th point – score is 8-5 for example, etc.), and at the conclusion of the tie break.  No team is stuck fighting sun or wind for the first 6 points of the tie break, making it fairer for everyone.  Only with match tie break can you decide who will serve first.  Set tie breaks use the normal service rotation.  Here's a graphical description.

1. In a league with 5 lines to be played:

   	When only three courts are available, the 3 lines of doubles play first, followed by the 2 lines of singles (#1 singles on first available court and #2 singles on second available court).  The only exception to this format will be if both captains agree in advance.   Singles players should be on-site no later than one hour after official match start time.  A singles player is defaulted if more than one hour has elapsed since official match start time AND 15 minutes has elapsed since a court became available (from completion of doubles match(es)) for that singles line.
   	DEFAULT TIME - A default will occur when a player has not arrived within 15 minutes after the scheduled match time.
   	DO NOT ASK other team captain to reschedule a match if you cannot field a complete team, even it it means your team must default a line

2. All matches must be played as scheduled

   	Matches may be rescheduled for wet or dangerous conditions or for other situations determined by the Leagues Coordinator.
   	Unless notified by the captain, all players must be available on site until 30 minutes after the scheduled start time

3. It is the home captain's responsibility to contact (by phone AND by email, if possible) the visiting team captain NO LATER than 48 hours prior to the match to confirm court availability, start times, captain or co-captain contact information (including cell phone number for rain outs).  DO NOT SIMPLY LEAVE A VOICE MAIL.  Persist until you get a response!

   It is the visiting captain's responsibility to provide contact information to the home captain NO LATER than 48 hours prior to the match.  DO NOT SIMPLY LEAVE A VOICE MAIL.  Persist until you get a response!

4. If the listed team captain (HOME or VISITOR) will not be available:

   	Let opposing team captain know by phone and by email, if possible, who will be in charge for the match (important for defaults, court location, weather, etc.)
   	DO NOT SIMPLY LEAVE A VOICE MAIL.  Persist until you get a response!

5. If weather conditions are questionable:

   If temperature is 40 degrees or below OR wind chill factor is 30 degrees or below, the HOME CAPTAIN is responsible for calling off a match and for notifying the visiting captain within 1 hour of match start time.  Captains should contact each other as soon as possible.

   It is the HOME team captain's responsibility to call off matches.  Consideration for the opposing team is encouraged.  LINEUP EXCHANGE - If the match is cancelled, captains must exchange lineups the day of the match, either in person or electronically to the CATA League Coordinator and your Flight Coordinator.  Once lineups are exchanged, lineup players may have substitutes, but cannot change to another line.  If a lineup player changes to another line, the match will be defaulted.  All efforts must be made to get the match played on the day scheduled.

6. If a match is delayed due to wet conditions, after that match has started, players must wait up to 15 minutes and both captains must agree that courts are playable to resume play.  Captains should use reasonable judgment in determining whether courts will be playable with the allotted time and ask players to help prepare the courts for play.  If any line of that match has begun play (at least one point has been played) before inclement weather causes the matches to be suspended, the ENTIRE line-up is frozen and those players must play the make-up match.  Important: If any of the original players (per line) becomes unavailable to play the make-up match, the "unavailable" line must default the match.
7. If back-to-back matches are scheduled at the same site, matches in progress shall be allowed to finish, even if this causes a delay in the start of some of the lines in the next scheduled match.  

   The players of the 2nd match still need to follow the normal time guidelines set forth above.

8. For each scheduled match, a team must have a minimum number of eligible players needed in order to win a team match or the entire match must be defaulted.  If a team defaults an entire match for any reason during round robin play, then all matches of that team played or to be played during that round, shall be null and void.  The local League Committee may impose further sanctions or penalties on said team.
9. PLAYOFFS - Flights with two divisions (ie. North/South) a single elimination playoff with the top 2 finishers from each division to determine the league winner.  For Flights with only one division, the top team (1st place finisher) will be the league winner;  however, if there are weekday and weekend leagues of the same flight (ie. Weekday 4.0 and weekend 4.0), then the top finisher in each league will play a playoff match against each other to determine the overall league winner that will advance to Sectionals.
10. A player is eligible to progress to Sectional competition if that player has played on that same team in at least 2 qualifying matches prior to a local championship with only one default counting.  Three matches will be required for a player to progress to a National competition with no defaults counting.  A retired match shall count for all players involved.
    
    *Effective 2007* from the Texas Section- "To encourage play, the following action will be taken when a team scheduled for the sectional tournament pulls out within 14 days of the tournament or leaves a Sectional Championship, causing a full team forfeit before completing all scheduled matches. All players on that forfeiting team can play in their local league the following year but cannot advance to ANY Texas Sectional Championship in that following year. The League Coordinator for the city or area in whose league the team played will be notified of the year suspension for all players on the team. The players through their League Coordinator may appeal their suspension within 14 days of notification to the Sectional Appeals Committee who may grant relief under extenuating circumstances."
    
    
11. USTA League Tennis Regulations shall be followed during local league play, except where modified for local league procedures.

1. In case of rain, the Team Captains, by mutual agreement, will reschedule the match within 3 weeks at the same facility.  

	The The Home Team has primary (but NOT exclusive) responsibility for contacting the Visting Team and offering 3 alternate make-up date/time combinations for the make-up match, if possible.  Make-Up Matches should be scheduled within 72 hours of the original match date/time and played within 3 weeks of the originally scheduled match date/time (or no later than one week after the last originally scheduled match date/time, whichever comes first). If any line of that match has begun play (at least one point has been played) before inclement weather causes the matches to be suspended, the ENTIRE line-up is frozen and those players must play the make-up match. Important:  If any of the original players, of the frozen lineup, becomes unavailable to play the make-up match, the "unavailable" line must default the match If NONE of the lines have begun play before the match is suspended due to inclement weather, the entire lineup is null and void and captains may alter lineups for the make-up match. EXCHANGE LINEUPS - If the match is cancelled, captains must exchange lineups the day of the match, either in person or electronically to the CATA League Coordinator and your Flight Coordinator.  Once lineups are exchanged, lineup players may have substitutes, but cannot change to another line.  All efforts must be made to get the match played on the day scheduled.
	Make-up matches can be rescheduled in entirety or line-by-line.
	Make-up matches should be scheduled according to their designated league format  EX:  weekday morning leagues reschedule during weekday morning hours, etc.)  OR with mutual consent, any time or place for the convenience of both parties on a given line.

	Important:  the time and date for the make-up match, once agreed upon, may not change EXCEPT for bad weather conditions HOME Team Captains are STRONGLY encouraged to offer the VISITING team AT LEAST 3 alternate date/time combinations for the make-up match, if possible.   If teams cannot agree on a time and date to reschedule, then the League Coordinator shall determine the time, date and location of match.
	Captains are required to use CATA's new Make-Up Match Notification form to let CATA and Flight Coordinators know about scheduled make-up matches.  Captains have 72 hours to notify CATA by submitting their Make-Up Match Notification Form. CATA will forward this form to the Flight Coordinator once received. This will help prevent a double default from automatically being assigned by TennisLink.  Please go to Make-Up Match Notification to see the form.
	AUTOMATIC RESCHEDULE MATCH STATUS Any regularly scheduled league match(es) involving a team in which 50% or more of male or female roster players is scheduled to play in a USTA Local Playoff, Sectionals, and/or Nationals event shall be granted AUTOMATIC RESCHEDULE status by the Leagues Coordinator and the opposing team.  The opposing team captain should be notified no later than 48 hours prior to the scheduled match date.  Captains can reschedule the entire match or line by line.  The affected match shall be rescheduled following the 3-week Make-up Match rule.

1. Winning Captain has primary responsibility to report scores (see TennisLink Score Entry for assistance)

   	After 48 hours, opposing captain must confirm/dispute scores
   	Opposing captain has right to enter scores if winning captain does not enter scores within 48 hours -- if not confirmed or disputed within 48 hours by winning captain, such reported scores will be considered final and not subject to change

2. USTA will automatically enter "DOUBLE DEFAULT" for unreported match scores past the 48-hour deadline.  

   In case of rainout, captains should contact their respective Flight Coordinator to set up a 3-week window whereby scores can be changed; otherwise, double defaults "freeze" after 96 hours and cannot be changed.

3. Team Defaults
   A team must have a minimum of eligible players needed in order to win the team match or the entire match must be defaulted. 
4. Scoring of Team Defaults
   If a team defaults an entire team match for any reason during round robin play, then all matches of that team played or to be played during that round, shall be null and void. If all teams have already played the defaulting team, the matches stand as played. The local League Committee may impose further sanctions or penalties on said team.

1. Shorts, skirts, t-shirts are acceptable
2. Most private clubs require male players to wear shirts with sleeves
3. Men MUST wear shirts; women MUST wear shirts over sports bras

1. Captains should make players aware of all USTA league rules and teams should be aware of the DEFAULT RULE
2. Team Defaults.  

   LOCAL/SECTIONAL/NATIONAL LEVEL RULING: For each scheduled match, a team must have a minimum number of eligible players needed in order to win the team match or the entire match must be defaulted.  If a team defaults an entire match for any reason during round robin play, then all matches of that team played or to be played in that round, shall be null and void.  The local League Committee may impose further sanctions or penalties on said team.

     For matches having 5 lines:  A team may default a maximum of two lines in a match without defaulting the entire match. In such cases, defaults shall be determined by the team captain in accordance with the following:

	Singles. The No. 2 singles must be defaulted before the No. 1 singles may be defaulted.
	Doubles. The No. 3 doubles must be defaulted before the No. 2 doubles and the No. 2 doubles must be defaulted before the No. 1 doubles.

For matches having 3 lines:  A team may default a maximum of one line in a match without defaulting the entire match. In such cases, defaults shall be determined by the team captain in accordance with the following:

Doubles. The No. 3 doubles must be defaulted before the No. 2 doubles and the No. 2 doubles must be defaulted before the No. 1 doubles.

	For matches having 5 lines:  A team may default a maximum of two positions in a match without defaulting the entire match.  Lower lines should be defaulted first.
	For matches having 3 lines:  A team may default a maximum of one line in a match without defaulting the entire match.  Lower lines should be defaulted first. LOCAL LEVEL RULING:   Scoring of Team defaults.If a team defaults an entire team match for any reason during round robin play, then all matches of that team played or to be played during that round, shall be null and void. If all teams have already played the defaulting team, the matches stand as played. The local League Committee may impose further sanctions or penalties on defaulting team. SECTIONAL/NATIONAL LEVEL RULING:  Scoring of Team Defaults.   If a team defaults an entire team match for any reason during round robin play, then all matches of that team played or to be played, shall be null and void.  If all teams in contention for the Championships have already played the defaulting team in good faith, the matches stand as played.  The section may impose further sanctions or penalties on said team. ATTENTION PLAYERS: PRIMARY TEAM If your players are on multiple rosters in the same league (Adult, Mixed, Senior), YOU (not your captain) must declare ONE playoff team for local playoffs/ Sectionals in writing before the season begins  -- Go to Primary Team Declaration online form (form must be received PRIOR to first season match, regardless of lineup)
Protests	A protest alleging an on-court violation of a rule or procedure shall be submitted in writing with the local League Coordinator or be submitted as an online Complaint prior to the commencement of the next team match involving such individual or team, or within twenty-four hours after the end of local play, whichever occurs first. A grievance alleging a violation of USTA rules and procedures, standards of conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship shall be filed in writing with the USTA League Grievance Committee responsible for enforcement.  USTA League Tennis Grievance Procedures shall be followed. If the matter is an NTRP protest, please email a written protest to Tosha Smith at tsmith@texas.usta.com, at the USTA Texas Section.