Captain's Corner
USTA League captains volunteer their time to provide organizational support to USTA league play. They assemble teams, set rosters, and record scores from matches. No experience is required to captain a team - any player can fill and support the role. Some captains may also team up as co-captains to share responsibilities. Here is a list of minimum and optional responsibilities:
Captain Responsibilities
| Minimum | Optional |
|---|---|
| - Register team and ensure all players are registered before a match - Ensure opposing team has lineups prior to match - Scores are recorded in TennisLink after match - Have access to USTA regulations/resources or know who to reach out for questions - Advocate good sportsmanship | - Coordinate practices and team building - Serve as the team coach providing strategy, guidance, and hype |
Resources
Registering the Team
Select the "Southern" Section → "Kentucky" District/Area → "Lexington" Area
Select the respective league and flight.
Create your team name using the format "KY/LEX/<Captain's Last Name>"
Recording Scores
Both teams must be involved in the match reporting of scores. One team must report the scores (typically the Home team) and the other team MUST confirm or dispute the entered scores within 48 hours of the reported score or they lose the right to dispute the score. If the match has not been confirmed or disputed within the 48 hours of score entry, TennisLink will automatically confirm the match.
Input the date the match was played and select the players from the drop down lists for home and visiting teams.
Click the Winner radio button identifying the winning team for each court.
Enter scores for each match, reporting the winner's score first. The match status defaults to Complete.
If the match was a default, enter the winning player(s), the score as 6-0, 6-0, and status as Default.
If the match was incomplete, enter the winnning player(s), the score at the stopping point, and status as Retired.
Team Communication
Each individual may have communication preferences and certain mediums may be best for some teams over others. Here are a list of options to consider for your teams. Captains may choose to use one or more to organize and manage the season. Regardless of the method, reaching out to players individually is often more effective than group channels.
Email - A standard method to communicate and particularly good for sharing lots of information at once. Emails sometimes get lost and are not regularly checked
Text Messaging - A standard method to communicate and often more accessible than email. Information might be hard to find in group texts however and can get noisy if the chat is always communicating.
GroupMe - A group based application that can be separate from a group text and accessible on a browser, mobile app, or through text messaging.
Spond - A team focused application on mobile and browser that offers event scheduling, polls, posts, reminders, and more. Offers email and text particpation as well.
Rally Tennis - a mobile app focused on scheduling tennis matches unrelated to league play.
Other Resources
2015 New Captain & Player's Guide
Team Management by Jeff Jones - Tips & recommendations from a local team captain who manages multiple teams with procedures, tools, and email/text templates and examples.
FAQs
How much time does serving as a captain entail?
The amount of time depends on the goals of the captain. It can be as little as serving as the designated person amongst the group to get the team organized or more involved with strategic scheduling and organization.
How much do I need to know about tennis rules?
While it helps to have experience playing, it is not necessary to captain a team. Other players, captains, and resources are available for assistance.
Do captains get any perks?
While there are no specific perks for captains, there are often opportunities throughout the year for captain appreciation.
What do I do if my team advances to other championships?
If your team has qualified to advance to the State ("District") championship for your league, review the Championship schedule and keep on the lookout for registration and travel info as they are often in other cities.
USTA League captains volunteer their time to provide organizational support to USTA league play. They assemble teams, set rosters, and record scores from matches. No experience is required to captain a team - any player can fill and support the role. Some captains may also team up as co-captains to share responsibilities. Here is a list of minimum and optional responsibilities:
