It is very common in my local area for USTA League Players to “double dip” by joining more than one team in the same season. In fact, both USTA Texas and many local league regulations within that Section explicitly allow that practice. This also means that rules are needed when the playoffs come around to determine when players can and cannot play for their respective teams. Today’s post explores the Greater Fort Worth Tennis Coalition (GFWTC) rules on players and captains to sort out primary and secondary teams.
As I work through this, I cannot help but think of this as declaring which team is a player’s “main squeeze” and which one amounts to a side piece. When a player declares their primary team, it indicates loyalty and commitment to that team. The secondary team provides a fun opportunity for additional play, but the player will only compete for them if it is convenient. Just as it is in romantic relationships, it may not be clear to the captains whether they are the main team or the side piece. I suspect many may assume that all team players are primary, which avoids the awkward conversation altogether but can create misunderstanding.
Fort Worth’s rulebook first mentions primary teams within a checklist of player responsibilities: “If applicable, declare your primary team with your captain prior to the start of the season if you play on multiple teams.” I have never actually done that, nor has a Captain asked me for that information. A spot check with the trophy husband, who captains many teams in Fort Worth, revealed that none of his players have ever offered that information unsolicited, either.
It is an inauspicious beginning, though that checklist for players is more of an etiquette thing rather than a binding regulation. However, the first actual rule listed for Fort Worth is likely unenforceable and thus also not complied with.
Ft Worth teams will have limitations on the number of primary/secondary players when they are playing on more than one Ft Worth team in the same level.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 5C
This regulation is problematic as written because no limit is imposed on the number of primary and secondary players. An explicit threshold must be documented if a team is ever challenged for having too many or too few primary players. That limitation simply isn’t defined here or elsewhere in the regulations. I suspect this rule has never been enforced or complied with. How could it?
That brings us to a regulation that includes wording that I believe to be an error, as discussed in previous posts in this series.
If players play on a two-team league, [sic] they must designate which team is primary and play in the playoffs for that team. Players have a responsibility to the team/captain to notify the captain if playing on more than one team and which team is considered primary.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 5D
A player in a two-team league would never have to declare which team is primary and secondary because there are only two teams, and a player cannot play on both. The intended wording should likely start with “If a player plays on two teams within the same division, they must designate…” I have played on two teams in the same division in Fort Worth leagues. While I always have a clear sense of which team is primary, I don’t think I have ever made an unsolicited declaration to my captains. In other words, I am likely violating that rule. Oops. I suspect that many others are in the same boat.
I believe most captains and players in Fort Worth operate under a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” paradigm as the season progresses. A team has no real reason to sort out its primary players until the playoff picture is determined. Just because a team makes the playoffs does not mean the team has to play there. In fact, there is a regulation that explicitly defines the bailout provision.
Captains will have a 24-hour deadline to accept or decline the bid for playoffs. Captains are required to email the coordinator a list of their primary/secondary players when players play for more than 1 playoff team.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 15D
In my experience, once a team has been notified that they made the playoffs, the captain canvasses the team to see who is available to play. The playoff bid is declined if the team doesn’t have enough players to compete. One of my teams did that very thing after the last fall season.
It would never occur to me that the following regulation would be necessary, but nevertheless, it exists.
When a player’s Ft Worth primary team does not qualify for Playoffs, or declines the bid for playoffs, she can play with her Ft Worth qualified secondary team. This automatically places her as a primary player for that team.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 15G
In the unlikely event that there was some record of a player making a primary team declaration, they can play for their secondary team if their primary team isn’t in the playoffs. I don’t know why that needed to be said, but the fact that this regulation uses the pronoun “she” suggests that some team once tried to block a player from competing on that basis. I’m pretty sure that signals which gender was responsible for that ridiculous scenario.
So far, we have discussed only situations where players double dip in more than one team within the boundaries of the GFWTC. However, most of the players in the DFW area are also local to the Dallas Tennis Association Leagues. Those respective playing areas are defined by USTA Texas and have about a 90% overlap.
I really don’t think the GFWTC cares at all about primary and secondary declarations for players on teams within their own boundaries. However, they care deeply about players who play for playoff-advancing teams in other areas. That is evidenced by the plethora of rules explicit to that situation in the GFWTC regulations.
Caution to players playing in more than one league [sic] Players cannot play on a Ft Worth playoff championship if they participate in any other area playoff matches in the same division. Players cannot play in Dallas Championships if they have won in the Ft Worth Championships in the same division. (Win in Ft Worth at 4.0 level, cannot play in Dallas 4.0 Championship.)
2025 GFWTC Regulation 15H
This is another area where I think the GFWTC needs to double check the precision of their language. The way this is worded is that if a player plays on playoffs for a team from another area, they are ineligible to compete in Fort Worth playoffs regardless of whether or not that team advanced. I don’t think that is the intent, but it would be great to get clarification. Additionally, Dallas is mentioned for a reason since that is where most of the overlap occurs. However, this rule would apply to players competing for any other area in Texas. As a point of reference, I personally have played Sectionals under the banner of Wichita Falls and Abilene in addition to both Fort Worth and Dallas.
That regulation also presupposes a calendar sequence based on how Fort Worth and Dallas typically schedule their leagues. Fort Worth usually comes first, though Dallas could overhaul their scheduling and change that. Regulation 15H reflects that Fort Worth is perfectly fine with a player competing in another area’s playoffs so long as their team did not advance to Sectionals from Fort Worth.
Finally, Fort Worth has a regulation that makes competing in Fort Worth playoffs a binding declaration of a primary team, but only if that team advanced to Sectionals.
Caution: Players who played in the Ft Worth Playoff Championships/Tournament and advancing to Sectionals are primary for that team and cannot switch primary positions if registered on another area winning team in the same division. Violation of this rule is subject to Grievance and may be suspended from Ft Worth, USTA up to 11 months.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 15I
That regulation also includes the explicit provision that people who violate it may be suspended from Fort Worth for up to 11 months. In fact, the organization aggressively identifies and prosecutes those players, making suspension a certainty. Since USTA Texas recently passed a rule that a player suspended from one local league is suspended from all leagues across the section, that penalty is suddenly a really big deal.
As the icing on the cake, Fort Worth prohibits a player who has already advanced to Sectionals for another area from competing in their regular season. Outside of divisions conducted as single weekend tournament team events, I am unaware of any calendar timing where that would be an issue.
If a player’s team has qualified (Ex: Adult Spring League, Combo/Trilevel) to Sectionals in another area in U.S. before the Ft Worth league has started, they are ineligible to play in a Ft. Worth league/tournament of the same division, regardless if primary or secondary.
2025 GFWTC Regulation 15J
At every level, the USTA encourages players to double-dip by competing in more than one local league. There are good reasons for that, as it promotes more match play. However, the fine print in these local regulations reveals an important caveat. Most areas want their players to double dip, but only if they are primary for their own organization’s leagues. This nuance is especially significant for the larger playing areas in the Section, particularly in Dallas and Fort Worth, where the playing populations significantly overlap.
The addition of the new USTA Texas rule, which enforces Section-wide suspensions for violations in any local league, adds a layer of seriousness to compliance with these local regulations. While ensuring fairness and consistency across the Section is a commendable goal, this approach could unintentionally amplify the consequences of relatively minor infractions. A player who unknowingly violates Fort Worth’s playoff rules, for example, could face penalties that affect their ability to compete across the entire Section for a year. That’s harsh.
It might be time for USTA Texas to conduct a bottom-up review of suspendable offenses at the local level. This review could identify whether all violations warrant the significant and far-reaching consequence of a Section-wide suspension. A thoughtful evaluation could help preserve the spirit of encouraging robust competition while ensuring that the penalties remain proportional and fair. Balancing these priorities would help foster growth in the sport and avoid discouraging players from fully engaging in league opportunities.
My analysis of the Dallas version of these rules is currently slated for January 8. The next two Wednesdays fall on holidays that will feature special edition content in the spirit of the season.
- 2025 GFWTC League Regulations: A handbook for captains and players, viewed December 10, 2024.
- USTA Dallas Local League Rules & Regulations, USTA Championship Year 2025, viewed November 16, 2024.