HISTORY OF THE USTA LEAGUE TENNIS PROGRAM

1977 The USTA commissions an independent marketing firm to study future avenues for tennis, including league play.  The marketing firm's report urges immediate adoption of a national USTA league program.

1978 The USTA Center for Education and Recreational Tennis conducts a national survey of existing leagues.  Its findings project approximately 500,000 current league participants, a figure that further emphasizes the popularity of the league format.

The USTA underwrites a League Pilot Project in the Southern Section.  The Mid-Atlantic Section joins the project.  Teams compete within specified ability levels locally, and winners advance to a playoff between the two sections.

1979 The USTA Membership Committee appoints an Ad Hoc Committee to study the feasibility of a national league program and to propose a structure for this program.  The Ad Hoc Committee's recommendations are unanimously passed by the Membership Committee during the USTA's semi-annual meeting in September, and the item is placed on the call for a vote by the entire USTA at its annual meeting the following March.  Further development of rules and printed materials is continued by the Ad Hoc Committee.

The pilot project continues and is joined by the Western and Middle States sections.  The first Inter-Regional League Championships are held in November in Cherry Hill, N.J.

1980 The USTA unanimously adopts a national league program at its annual meeting.  The program will consist of league play for three levels of women's or men's teams, 5.5, 4.5 and 3.5, with the competition beginning at local levels and the winners advancing through sectional, regional and national championships.

A USTA National League Committee is appointed to oversee the development of the program.

Michelob Light becomes the title sponsor of the league, and Wilson becomes the official ball.

 A national staff is put together for the day-to-day administration of the program.

First-year participation reaches 13 sections and 13,000 participants and culminates in national championships in Chicago.
 
1981 Information and materials are developed, refined and distributed, including scoring materials from Wilson, the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) rating brochure, an NTRP rating film, USTA League Regulations booklet, a national survey on future development and a league catalog of trophies and premium items.

USTA Clinicians Service begins training NTRP verifiers through clinics.

Promotion is expanded to include a feature article in World Tennis, a monthly page in Tennis USA, ads in Sports Illustrated and World Tennis, distribution of promotional materials at major USTA events, and press aides to cover sectional, regional and national league championships.

 ncreased funding is provided to sections, and additional premium items are developed.

National championships are held at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, N.Y., site of the US Open.

Top Seed becomes a presenting sponsor for the national championships.  The involvement lasts only for the year.

Program participation includes 15 sections and 27,000 players.

1982 A gifts catalog is produced for USTA/Michelob Light League players containing premium items, clothing, trophies and other merchandise available for purchase.

A budget item is established for sectional associations to order merchandise from the catalog to further promote the program's name at the grassroots level.

For the second year, national championships are held at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Sixteen of 17 sections participate in the USTA/Michelob Light League Program, with more than 40,000 participants.

1983 All 17 sections of the USTA participate in the USTA/Michelob Light League Program, increasing player participation to more than 50,000.

The 4.0 level of play is added to the national championships.

National championships are held at Seabrook Island, Charleston, S.C.

1984 The format of the program is changed.  Regional championships are eliminated so that sectional championship winners now advance directly to the national championships.

The 5.5 level of play is replaced with a 5.0 level.  The rationale is to keep the league more in line with recreational tennis.

The national championships are held at four sites:  Las Vegas, Boston, Palm Beach, Fla., and Kansas City, Mo.
 
Volvo North America Corporation becomes title sponsor of the USTA Leagues program in October.

More than 65,000 players participate in the program.

1985 A three-year contract is signed with Wilson Sporting Goods, which continues to be the official ball of the league program.

More than 73,000 players take part in the USTA/Volvo Tennis Leagues program.

A sweepstakes, with the grand prize of a 1985 Volvo DL station wagon and a total of 1,245 prizes, is introduced in the program.

A coupon booklet offering special tennis discounts for clothing, shoes, racquets, etc., is given to each league participant.

The national championships are played in Las Vegas and Delray Beach, Fla.

1986 The 3.0 level of play is added to the national championships.

National championships are held in Las Vegas and Seabrook Island, S.C.  The format of play is a round-robin competition.

A yearly procedure of updating and revising the USTA League Regulations booklet is initiated.

A National NTRP Workshop is held, with emphasis on verification procedures for use in the league program.

Sweepstakes/coupon promotion is eliminated from the program.

Program participation increases to more than 88,000 players.

1987 The 2.5 level of play is added to the national championships.  In the first year, 20 teams compete -- 14 women's and six men's.

National championships are held in Tucson, Ariz., Charleston, S.C. and Las Vegas. Randolph Park, a public facility, is used in Tucson.

Volvo North America Corporation continues as sponsor of the program when a new three-year contract is signed with an option for two additional years.

Penn Racquet Sports (formerly Penn Athletic Products) takes over as official ball of the league program, signing a three-year contract.

The second National NTRP Workshop is held to expand on verification procedures and workshop formats to be used in the sections.

Program participation increases to more than 97,000 players.

A marketing/media pilot program is instituted in three sections (New England, Southern, Southern California) and funded by Volvo.

1988 USTA lowers the league age requirement to 19 years of age.

Program participation tops the 100,000 mark with a record-high 111,181 players.

National championships are held at four sites: Tucson,  Fountain Valley, Calif., Charleston, S.C., and Montgomery, Texas.  Randolph Park, a public facility in Tucson, is used for two of the national tournaments.

Promotion is launched with Penn in which a USTA/Volvo Tennis League sticker, including an 800 number for information, is placed on four million cans of Penn tennis balls.

The third National NTRP Workshop is held in New York to help bring the sections in line with player ratings.

1989 Program participation continues to increase, with a record-high of 124,357 league players.

National championships are held at three sites: Tucson, Palm Springs, Calif., and Key Biscayne, Fla.  Randolph Park, the public facility in Tucson, is again used for two of the national championships.

The CompuRank computer program is added to the league program to help ensure parity of player NTRP ratings.  The computer system will be instituted nationally in 1990 and is designed to standardize the method by which skill levels are assigned.

The NTRP Guidelines are updated to better define each of the skill levels.

The fourth National NTRP Workshop, continuing the work of bringing the sections in line with player ratings, is held in Dallas.

1990 Program participation continues on the upswing, with an all-time high of 143,506 participants.

National championships are held at four sites:  Randolph Park in Tucson, Sheraton El Conquistador in Tucson, McFarlin Tennis Center in San Antonio, Texas, and The Tennis Club and Doubletree Resort in Palm Springs.

The USTA ends its six-year relationship with Volvo North America Corporation and will now sponsor as well as administer the program.  The program is now  called USTA League Tennis.

The USTA renews its agreement with Penn Racquet Sports, making Penn the official ball of the league program through 1993.

Perrier Sparkling Water becomes an official product sponsor of the league program.  As part of the one-year contract, water is supplied for all the participants at the sectional and national championships.

At the USTA annual meeting, the USTA Adult Leagues Committee votes to establish a national USTA Senior League Program for 1991.  NTRP levels for the Senior League will be 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5, and the championship format will be three doubles matches.

The CompuRank computer program is fully functional in all but two of the sections.

The fifth National NTRP Workshop is held in Dallas.

1991 Participation in the adult division of the USTA League Tennis program reaches 133,196 players.  The senior division completes its first year of competition with 6,397 players.

Adult national championships are held at four locations: Randolph Park in Tucson, Ariz., Sheraton El Conquistador in Tucson, Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas and the Desert Princess Tennis Club of Palm Springs and Tennis Center of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.

Senior national championships are hosted by Brookhaven Country Club, L.B. Houston Tennis Center and Samuel Grande Tennis Center in Dallas.

Basketball great and tennis enthusiast Wilt Chamberlain signs on to serve as USTA League Tennis spokesman.  He appears in a commercial, brochure and poster for the league. 

All 17 sectional league coordinators are brought to Princeton, N.J., for a staff working meeting where ideas on the league are explored and shared.

All 17 sections are up and running with the CompuRank computer program.

A new league clothing line is introduced by Feron's, the company which also produced US Open clothing.

The NTRP Guidelines are again updated to further refine the various skill levels.

The sixth National NTRP Workshop is held in Dallas.

1992 USTA League Tennis participation reaches 167,515 in the adult division and 16,978 in the senior division.

Adult national championships are held at three locations: Randolph Park in Tucson, Ariz., McFarlin Tennis Center in San Antonio, and the Desert Princess Tennis Club of Palm Springs and the Tennis Center of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.

Senior national championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson and the Western Reserve Club and Kiwanis Club in Tempe, Ariz.

USTA introduces a new promotional campaign for USTA League Tennis, "USTA League Tennis -- Fun and Games aren't just for Kids."  This new campaign consists of  brochures, counter cards, posters and print advertisements.

USTA purchases the CompuRank computer program and computer services begins the program's functional redesign.  All 17 sections are using the CompuRank computer program.

The seventh National NTRP Workshop is held in Dallas, and 65 tennis teaching professionals participate.

Nineteen adult and senior coordinators meet in East Brunswick, N.J., for the second annual Sectional League Coordinators Working Meeting.

1993 League participation climbs to 178,641 in the adult division and 22,810 in the senior division.

A three-year contract is signed with Penn Racquet Sports, which continues to be the official ball of USTA League Tennis.

Adult National Championships are held at three locations:  Randolph Park in Tucson, McFarlin Tennis Center in San Antonio, and the Desert Princess Tennis Club of Palm Springs and the Tennis Center of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, and the Western Reserve Club and Kiwanis Recreation Center in Tempe, Ariz.

The eighth National NTRP Workshop is held in Dallas.

1994 A total of 188,088 players participate in the adult division of USTA League Tennis, while 25,225 players participate in the senior division of the program.

The rewrite to the USTA NTRP Computer Rating System is completed and distributed to the sectional associations for use at the local, area and sectional level.

Netknacks is selected as the official supplier of the 1995 USTA League Tennis Awards Program.

A new NTRP Training Video is created and released to the sectional associations.  This training video describes the role models of each NTRP level for both men and women.  It also gives tips for on-court observations and explanations on the use of the USTA NTRP Computer Rating System.
 
Adult National Championships are held at three locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson,  New Orleans City Park in New Orleans, and the Desert Princess Country Club, Tennis Club of Palm Springs and the Tennis Center of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.  Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center and Tucson Racquet Club in Tucson and the Western Reserve Club and Kiwanis Recreation Center in Tempe.

1995 A total of 201,436 players participate in the adult division of USTA League Tennis, while 28,341 players participate in the senior division of the program.

The USTA NTRP Computer Rating System is updated with revisions made to various reports.  Work continues on a history and tournament module.

The USTA League Regulations undergo changes to become more user friendly.

The 10th National NTRP Training Workshop is held in Indianapolis.

Adult National Championships are held at three locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, New Orleans City Park in New Orleans, and for the first time, Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center and Tucson Racquet Club in Tucson, and the Desert Princess Country Club and Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.

Penn Racquet Sports continues its sponsorship (eighth year) as the official ball of the USTA League Tennis Program.

Netknacks is selected as the official supplier of the 1995-96 USTA League Tennis Awards Program.

1996 A total of 219,009 players participate in the adult division of USTA League Tennis, while 31,643 players participate in the senior division of the program.

The sectional league coordinators meet for a working meeting in White Plains, N.Y., to discuss various aspects of the league program and receive training.

Adult National Championships are held at three locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, New Orleans City Park in New Orleans and Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, and the Desert Princess Country Club, Riviera Resort and Racquet Club, the Inn at the Racquet Club and the Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs.

Heineken and the Citizen Watch Company celebrate their first year as USTA Corporate Champions and sponsors of USTA Leagues.

Penn Racquet Sports continues its sponsorship (ninth year) as the official ball of the USTA League Tennis program.

Pro football Hall of Famer and U.S. Representative Steve Largent competes in the 5.0 National Championships in New Orleans on a team from the USTA/Missouri Valley Section. 

Netknacks continues as the official supplier of the 1996-97 USTA League Tennis Awards Program.

1997 A total of 226,826 players participate in the adult division of USTA League Tennis, while 38,023 players participate in the senior division of the program.

Adult National Championships are held at four locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala., Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs and the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club and the Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Calif., and Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

Infiniti is in its first year as presenting sponsor and official car of the USTA League Tennis Program.

Heineken and the Citizen Watch Company celebrate their second year as USTA Corporate Champions and sponsors of USTA Leagues.

Penn Racquet Sports continues its sponsorship (10th year) as the official ball of the USTA League Tennis program.

Netknacks is in its third year as the official supplier of the USTA League Tennis Awards Program.

1998 A total of 232,169 players participate in the adult division of USTA League Tennis, while 43,076 players participate in the senior division of the program.

The 13th National NTRP Training Workshop is held in Indianapolis.

Adult National Championships are held at three locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club and the Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs, and the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, and the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club and the Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Calif.

Infiniti is in its second year as presenting sponsor and official car of the USTA League Tennis Program.

Heineken and the Citizen Watch Company celebrate their third year as USTA Corporate Champions and sponsors of USTA Leagues.

Penn Racquet Sports continues its sponsorship (11th year) as the official ball of the USTA League Tennis program.

Netknacks is in its fourth year as the official supplier of the USTA League Tennis Awards Program.

The USTA League Tennis program changes its name to USA League Tennis in time for the 1999 season.  USTA programs have been re-branded under the USA Tennis banner as part of the USA Tennis Plan for Growth, a five-year, $50 million commitment to increase tennis participation in America.

1999 A total of 252,592 players participate in the adult division of USA League Tennis, while 48,711 players participate in the senior division of the program.

The set tie-break was instituted at USA League Tennis National Championships.  In the event of split sets, a 12-point tie-break is played in lieu of a third set with no rest period or coaching allowed.

Rain cancelled the USA League Tennis 4.5 Adult National Championships in Mobile, Ala. – the first rain-out of a national championship in the 20-year history of USA League Tennis.  The event was replayed in January 2000 in Tucson, Ariz.

The USA League Tennis program was expanded to include mixed doubles championships in 1999.  Local, sectional, and regional championships were held for teams with a combined NTRP rating of 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0 or straight NTRP rating of 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0.  The mixed doubles leagues had 59,028 participants in its inaugural season, bringing the total number of players in the USA League Tennis program to 360,331 in 1999.
       
The 14th National NTRP Training Workshop is held in Indianapolis.

Adult National Championships are held at three locations: Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz., the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala., and the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.

Senior National Championships are hosted by Randolph Tennis Center in Tucson, and the Riviera Resort and Racquet Club and the Tennis Club of Palm Springs in Palm Springs, Calif.

Mixed Doubles Regional Championships are played in Tucson, Ariz., Newport News, Va., and Pensacola, Fla.

Infiniti is in its third year as presenting sponsor and official car of the USA League Tennis Program.

Heineken and the Citizen Watch Company celebrate their fourth year as USTA Corporate Champions and sponsors of USA League Tennis.

Penn Racquet Sports continues its sponsorship (12th year) as the official ball of the USA League Tennis program.

Netknacks is in its fifth year as the official supplier of the USA League Tennis Awards Program.

2000 Over 390,000 players participated in the three recognized USA League Tennis divisions – Adult, Senior and Mixed.  Participation in the individual divisions is: Adult – 268,452; Senior – 54, 468 and Mixed Doubles – 67,882.

Penn Racquet Sports celebrated its 13th year as the official ball of the USA League Tennis Program by signing a new five-year agreement.

Heineken and the Citizen Watch Company celebrated their fifth year as USA League Tennis sponsors.

Infiniti completed its fourth year as presenting sponsor and official car of USA League Tennis.

Netknacks is in its sixth year as the official supplier of the USA League Tennis Awards Program.

The 15th annual NTRP Training Workshop was held in St. Louis, Mo.

National championships added a new venue – San Diego – where they utilized two excellent facilities, Balboa Park and the Barnes Tennis Center.  Tucson and Palm Springs continue to host national championships.

The USA League Tennis Mixed Doubles Division completed its second year as a national program, culminating with three Regional Mixed Doubles Championships.  The Southern Regional, played in Bainbridge, Ga., included the Southern, Florida and Caribbean sections.  The Northeast Regional, played in Newport News, Va., consisted of the Mid-Atlantic, Middle States, Eastern and New England sections.  The Western Regional, played in Tucson, Ariz., included the Southwest, Texas, Southern California, Northern California, Pacific Northwest, Northern, Midwest, Missouri Valley, Hawaii and Intermountain sections.

Decision package approved for re-write of the NTRP into Windows based format.

DNTRP Plan and Methodology, which will eliminate the need for visual verification before players enter the league program, was approved in concept.

TennisLink was utilized by ten sections to register players, report scores and provide standings on the world wide web.

2001 More than 408,000 players participate in the three recognized USA League Tennis divisions – Adult, Senior and Mixed Doubles.  Participation in the individual divisions is:  Adult - 282,771, Senior - 53,815 and Mixed - 70,980.

Lincoln completes its first year as the presenting sponsor and official car of USA League Tennis.

Penn Racquet Sports celebrates its 14th year as the official ball of the USA League Tennis Program.

Citizen Watch Company celebrates their sixth year as USA League Tennis sponsor.

The 16th scheduled NTRP Training Workshop is held in New York. 

Two adult national championships—4.5 and 5.0 are rescheduled following the aftermath of September 11. 

National Championships for Adult and Seniors are hosted in Palm Springs, Calif., San Diego and Tucson, Ariz.

The USA League Tennis Mixed Doubles completes its third year as a national program culminating in three Regional Mixed Doubles Championships.  Southern Regional is played in Pensacola, Fla; Western Regional is played in Phoenix, Ariz. and the Northern Regional takes place in Portland, Mass.

TennisLink is utilized by 16 sections to register players, report scores and provide standings on the World Wide Web.

The Windows based NTRP ME is launched in November for the sections to use for calculations. 

Regulations and procedures for implementation of dynamic NTRP in 2003 are approved at the 2001 Semi-Annual Meeting.

2002 There are more than 500,000 participants in the USA League Tennis program.  Participation in the individual divisions is:
Adult: 296,416,  Senior: 58,034,  Mixed: 71,259,  Other Leagues: 75,425

National Championships for Adult and Seniors are hosted in Palm Springs, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lincoln serves as presenting sponsor for second year.

Penn Racquet Sports celebrates its 15th year as the official ball of the USA League Tennis Program.

Citizen Watch Company celebrates their seventh year as USA League Tennis sponsor.

The Dynamic NTRP rating system, which allows for ease of entry for beginning players into USA League Tennis, was piloted in four USTA sections this year, with great success.  The system includes a self-rating component to complement online registration at USTA.com.  It’s one-stop shopping for those looking to get involved with tennis, soon to be implemented throughout all 17 sections.

2003 There are more than 530,000 participants in the USA League Tennis program.  Participation in the individual divisions is:
Adult: 311,310,   Senior: 61,117,   Mixed: 78,689,   Other Leagues: 80,942

National Championships for Adults and Seniors are hosted in Palm Springs, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Lincoln serves as presenting sponsor for its third year.

Penn Racquet Sports celebrates its 16th year as the official ball of the USA League Tennis Program.

Citizen Watch Company celebrates their eighth year as USA League Tennis sponsor.

The Dynamic NTRP rating system is implemented in all 17 USTA sections this year.  The system maintains the integrity of USA League Tennis, while at the same time easing both entry into USA League Tennis and the administrative process.

2004 There are more than 570,000 participants in the USA League Tennis program.  Participation in the individual divisions is:
Adult: 318,725;   Senior: 64,271;   Mixed: 85,841;   Other Leagues:103, 649

National Championships for Adults and Seniors are held in Tucson, Ariz., at Randolph Park and in Palm Springs, Calif., at both the Riviera Resort and Raquet Club and Moore Tennis Academy.

Lincoln serves as presenting sponsor for its fourth year.

Penn Racquet Sports celebrates its 17th year as the official ball of the USA League Tennis Program.

Citizen Watch Company celebrates its ninth year as USA League Tennis sponsor.

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