Last Wednesday, “The USTA Encourages Double Dipping” described how USTA National Regulations essentially endorse the practice of USTA League players competing for multiple teams within the same division. This week, we pick up that same thread by delving into the tangled web of National and Sectional rules to show how ingrained that practice is codified at both of those tiers.
The USTA National Regulations stipulate that if a player is eligible on two teams that advance to the National Championships, they may only play for one of those teams at that event. In the interim, a reader shared that it is common for players to compete in two Sections in the eastern part of the United States. The fact that a regulation exists to sort out which team the player will compete for rather than imposing disqualification proves that “double dipping” across Sectional boundaries is OK.
It logically follows that players may thus also compete for more than one team at the Sectional Championships. In fact, the USTA League National Regulations delegate authority to each Section to sort out which team a multi-qualified player will compete for at that event.
1.04G(6) A player who qualifies to advance to championships on more than one team may be required by the Section to choose which team he or she will represent.
2025 USTA League National Regulations
In my home Section of Texas, that delegated authority is accepted. USTA Texas mirrors the (very advisable) one-team-only restriction established by National for the Sectional Championships. Doing so signals approval for players to compete in more than one local area with a minor caveat. USTA Texas will occasionally advance a wildcard team that did not win locally to the Sectional Championships to even out the number of teams competing. Consequently, a player could qualify for Sectionals for two teams from the same local level.
Players on Multiple Teams at the Sectional Championships. A player can play on more than one team at a Sectional Championship, provided they are at different levels. However, there will be no special scheduling for that player or team. Captains cannot captain more than one team at a Sectional Championship at the same level and gender.
2024 USTA Texas Operating Procedures
The last sentence of the rule above is an interesting tangent. Way back in 2020, “Casey Carlson’s Very Good Weekend” described how a USTA League captain advanced more than one team to the Tri-Level Sectional Championships. Since that original post was made, the USTA Texas Operating procedures were updated to contain a provision to prevent potential conflicts of interest should that situation arise in the future. I don’t know if it was the situation itself, the way I eloquently wrote about the potential issues at the time, or something else entirely that led to this new clause. However, it is one of those moments that I choose to indulge myself with the hope that this blog might be making a difference.
Typically, USTA National delegates authority to the Sections who then delegate authority to the local levels. However, in this part of the rules, USTA National regulations leapfrog over the Sectional level with a couple of options that apply directly to local league play.
1.04G(2) A player may play on only one team in an NTRP level within an Age Group in the same local league during the same season. In local leagues where NTRP levels are divided into flights, a player may not play in more than one flight.
1.04G(3) A player may play on more than one team in an NTRP level within an Age Group in the same season provided it is in separate local leagues. The Section has the authority to accept or deny participation.
2025 USTA League National Regulations
When I first read 1.04G(2), I initially panicked, thinking that local leagues in USTA Texas were violating that rule all over the place. However, 1.04G(3) reverts back to Sectional rather than local delegation of authority. All this to say, I was confused as to what Texas was doing until I reached the next USTA National Regulation.
1.04G(4) A Section may authorize participation in more than one NTRP level within an Age Group in the same local league during the same season.
2025 USTA League National Regulations
In other words, USTA National prohibits players from competing in more than one local league unless the Section has decided it is OK. So, in our example of Texas, that authority was gleefully accepted.
Players on Multiple Teams at the Local Level. Local Leagues can determine if players are allowed to play on multiple teams in the same league at the same level.
USTA Texas Operating Procedures
USTA Texas has decided that each local area can determine if players can compete on more than one team in the same local league. Since participation in USTA League at the Sectional level is measured in total league registrations rather than unique players, each area is incentivized to encourage its players to double dip to the greatest extent possible. Additionally, each league registration generates revenue for local and Sectional organizations. I would be shocked if any USTA Section decided that players cannot “double dip” at the Sectional Level.
So far, we have examined the delegation of authority to make rules about players competing on more than one team at the National and Sectional levels. We have also drilled down on how that authority flows down to the local level. Next Wednesday, we will examine how those rules are reflected in a couple of local areas in Texas before turning our attention to how those organizations encourage their players to compete in multiple flights in their own leagues. However, we will also examine how those same local leagues suddenly appear to be shocked and appalled when their players compete for a team in another local area. That’s where things get nasty.
- 2025 USTA League National Regulations, USTA Resource Document, April 14, 2024.
- 2024 USTA League National Regulations & Texas Operating Procedures, USTA Texas Resource Document, version 06.30.23.
- 2024 Texas Operating Procedures, USTA Texas Resource Document, no version marked beyond the effective year in the title.)
