By Rita Maloof, First Vice President
How does an ALTA rule get changed?
ALTA has a Rules Committee that meets monthly. The committee is chaired by the first vice president. All other members of the committee are vice presidents of the individual ALTA Leagues. The committee looks for any revisions to the rules that may be needed and brings to the table any issues/problems that arise in one league so that they may be discussed. This results in procedures agreed upon so that consistency will exist throughout all leagues. These agreed upon changes are then submitted to the Executive Committee for discussion, adoption, or rejection. In addition to rule changes, the Rules Committee is responsible for creating, revising, publishing, and maintaining a handbook for courtside use by all ALTA captains. The committee also prepares answers to questions submitted by the membership in the Net News magazine.
What rules are changing for 2025?
Below are rules that have been updated for 2025. The list is not comprehensive. Be sure to review your actual adult rules document and member handbooks for all current updates.
2025 ALTA Adult Rule Changes
League Considerations and Rankings
Recognizing the advanced and continuing skills of our college rostered players, additional level requirements for play along with an age level expiration date has been adopted.
Once a player is listed on a college roster, that player must play at the following minimum levels until the age of 30:
NCAA Division I: AA
NCAA Division II: A3
NCAA Division III, NAIA and all other college players: A
All high school team players must play at the B level or higher. Any player that holds or has held ATP or WTA point(s) must play at the AA level until the age of 30, or until the expiration of their points.
Scoring – Playoffs and City Finals
The use of the ALTA Lineup Checker is now required for playoff and City Final lineup verification.
All playoff and City Finals lineups must be entered into the ALTA Lineup Checker BEFORE each playoff or City Final dual meet is played. Lineups must be based on relative strength of teams as determined by positions played and win-loss records established during the regular season. Any changes in a playoff or City Final lineup must be entered into the ALTA Lineup Checker. If the change is not entered into the ALTA Lineup Checker, the captain must be aware that the lineup can be declared illegal if it does not meet the standards of an ALTA-approved playoff or City Final lineup. Refer to the Adult Members handbook for additional information.
Senior and Day Leagues
Adding clarity and consistency to our Senior Leagues, the regular season formats will extend throughout the playoffs and City Finals.
- Playoff and City Final matches will no longer play in reverse order.
- The third set default in all Senior and Senior Day leagues for the regular season, playoffs and City Finals will be a third set tie-break unless all four parties agree to play a full third set.
- In a 4-line league, if necessary, the last players on the court will play a Super-Tie break (10-point) to determine the outcome of the match during the playoffs and City Finals.
Senior Mixed League
The default make-up date for Senior Mixed play has been moved from six days, Friday night at 6:30 p.m. to seven days, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Refer to your individual league rules for default make-up days for weeks six and seven.
