Player League Agreement

Doubles

Availability and Schedule

  • After signing up, all players must set their availability in their account at beachtennissantamonica.com/account#league.
  • Players can update their availability anytime from their account page.
  • Wednesday match schedules are posted every Monday.
  • Saturday match schedules are posted every Wednesday.

Match Day Protocol

  • League matches are scheduled on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
  • Check in with the league organizer upon arrival.
  • Matches are “followed by” — start times are approximate based on court availability.
  • Only a 5-minute warm-up is allowed once the match is assigned to a court.
  • Both teams must rake the court after their match.
  • The winning team must return all match balls and report the final score to the coordinator.

Format of Play

  • ITF beach tennis rules apply:
    • Level 1: 1.80m net; male players follow the 6m rule.
    • All other levels: 1.70m net; 6m rule not required.
    • Men may serve overhand in all levels. Divisions are based on level, not gender.
  • Best of 3 sets to 6 games:
    • 5–5 goes to 7.
    • 6–6 triggers a 7-point tiebreaker.
    • Split sets lead to a 10-point super tiebreaker.
    • All tiebreakers must be won by 2 points.
  • Super tiebreaker wins count as a set but do not count as a game.
  • If a player retires:
    • During the first set → Match is scored 6–4, 6–4 for the non-retiring team.
    • During the second set → First set score stands, second set is 6–4, and super tiebreaker is 10–8 to the non-retiring team (if needed).

Late Arrivals

  • 15 minutes late = Lose first set 6–3.
  • 20 minutes late = Lose match 6–3, 6–3.
  • No-show = Lose match 6–0, 6–0.

Rescheduling

  • Each player may reschedule one match per edition. Requests must be made by Wednesday at 11AM before the match.
  • Late reschedule requests result in a 6–0, 6–0 loss.
  • Each edition includes two official reschedule dates: the Wednesday and Saturday after the edition ends.
  • To reschedule, email btsantamonica@gmail.com and text (213) 585-5917.
  • BTSM may schedule rescheduled matches during regular league days if both teams are available.

Substitutes

  • Each player is allowed two substitutes per edition.
  • Exceptions may be made for injuries or other uncontrollable events. A permanent replacement of equal or lower level must be approved by BTSM.
  • All substitutes must be approved by the BTSM coordinator and must be of equal or lower level.

League Rankings

  • Rankings are determined by:
    1. Total matches won
    2. Sets won minus sets lost
    3. Games won minus games lost
    4. Head-to-head results
  • Rankings are based on top 6 doubles results.
  • If all players in a division played more than 6 matches, rankings will be based on the number of matches played by the player with the fewest games.
  • If a player does not complete the league minimum of 6 matches, remaining unplayed matches will be recorded as a 6–4, 6–4 loss.

Divisions & Placement

  • Top 2 players (except Level 1) move up a level.
  • Bottom 2 players (except Level 5) move down a level.
  • If a player skips one edition, their last played edition is used for placement. Skipping two or more results in a drop of one division for every two editions missed.
  • New players typically start in the lowest division unless approved otherwise by BTSM.
  • A maximum of 14 players are allowed in each division. If a division exceeds 14 players, a new division is created on the following league edition.
  • Men's and women's divisions are separate.
  • Top 3 women in Division 1 may compete in Men's Division 2.
  • If signing up with a partner, a maximum of 2 matches may be played together per edition.
  • If a new division is being created, more than 2 players from each division might be moved up or down a division to ensure divisions have similar numbers of players and are balanced.
  • New Player Placement Considerations:
    • Match performance in league play and tournaments.
    • Observed performance during training sessions.
    • Requests from players already competing in a division who regularly train or compete with the new player.
  • Example: If a player entering the league for the first time regularly trains and competes in tournaments with Division 2 players, they may be placed directly into Division 2.
  • ITF Player Definition: An ITF player is defined as a player who has a current ITF ranking higher than 1000 and has won matches in ITF main draw events.
  • Men’s ITF players enter Division 1 for their first league.
  • Women’s ITF players enter Division 2 for their first league.
  • All other league rules apply once placement is established.

Refund Policy

  • No refunds are issued after the Wednesday before the first weekend of each edition.