By Chequetta Allen, Sunday Women’s League Vice President
It is almost time for the fall league registration period to begin, and without fail, as soon as the registration period has ended, I will get countless emails from players, not captains, asking the same questions about registration. The questions typically state, “I’ve just signed up for an ALTA membership, now can you assign me to a team,” or “I’ve just signed up for an ALTA membership, but I see I missed the cutoff to register for the league this year,” or “I missed the registration period, so what are my options to be able to play this year?”
Somehow it does not seem to be clear to new ALTA members that the registration period detailed on our website is a team registration period. This is the time when “team building” occurs, or the time when captains, in preparation for the upcoming season, are tasked with pulling together at least 12 ladies who are willing to be a part of a team and formally submitting a team roster for the Sunday Women’s League prior to the deadline.
Many new ALTA players are not aware that paying for an ALTA membership is just the first step in their journey to playing within a league. The next step for a player is to determine the appropriate ALTA level to play. The easiest way this can be determined is by going to your local tennis center or neighborhood club to hit with an instructor. This may even provide you with an opportunity to meet team members, a team captain, or a coach who is in need of players for a team at your skill level. It is true that the teams are formed during the roster registration period, but that doesn’t prevent a player from joining a team. If you are new to ALTA and you have not played on a team, then you can join almost any team that you feel is most suitable for your skill level.
If going to a local tennis center and your neighborhood tennis club doesn’t garner any success for locating a team, then you can access the resources provided on the ALTA website. In an effort to assist players who are seeking teams at their skill level, we allow team captains to post or advertise their need for players on our site. Additionally, in an effort to make available players more visible to team captains, we allow players to post or advertise their desire to locate a team at their skill level in their area.
We have several hundred Sunday Women’s League teams at all skill levels located throughout metro Atlanta. So, chances are good that you will find one that is a fit for you. Best wishes in your search, and thank you for playing ALTA.
