Part 3 in a series about recreational adult tennis in the USA and Southern California
Flexible tennis, Flex leagues, Flextennis, are all buzzwords describing organized tennis for leagues that provide a flexible match schedule. Around for about 5 years, this form of organized tennis is not only offered by the US governing body of tennis (USTA), but also by a large number of young and independent tennis organizations. Most of them are using the power of the Internet to run their leagues and communicate with their players. LeagueTennis.com, with over 17,000 members, it is one of the most popular flexible tennis leagues in the United States with singles, doubles & mixed formats for beginner to advanced level players.
Tricia Reeks is a techie. Managing technology projects for a major law firm in Atlanta gives her a lot of expertise with web solutions, user interfaces, and site usability issues. She is also a tennis player in the tennis capital of the United States, Atlanta, Georgia. The Greater Atlanta area is said to be home to more tennis players than all of Southern California together. Reeks played in several Atlanta based Flex Leagues and loved that format. However, as a techie, she felt there was room to improve the overall experience from a web site usability and customer service perspective.
Another chance for improvement was presenting itself when she realized none of the leagues out there allowed her to play multiple formats, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Reeks says, “It seemed the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for tennis with my passion for technology. I asked a friend, Prashant Gharpure to join me, and in 2007 we launched the league. We haven't looked back! LeagueTennis.com was the first flexible tennis league to offer all formats, singles, doubles and mixed. And we've become well known for our customer service." LeagueTennis.com is expanding and leagues are currently offered four seasons a year in Atlanta, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, Texas; also San Diego and Los Angeles, California with plans to go to other cities in the future.
But how does the LeagueTennis.com system work? At LeagueTennis.com, players sign up individually for singles or with a partner for doubles and are placed in divisions with other players at their playing level and near their chosen home court. Each match has a deadline, but players have the flexibility of scheduling the match any time prior to the deadline. Tricia Reeks notes that the format is very popular with players who don’t want to be tied down to a specific date and time as required by traditional leagues. “Others like it as a supplement to other leagues as they are guaranteed 6 regular season matches followed by citywide playoffs for top players in each division.”
Key to the smooth operation of this league tennis model is the web site and the team members in the background. Players can sign up on the website at www.leaguetennis.com and pay a nominal registration fee to participate. At the beginning of each season schedules are published online and players login to contact their match opponents. Once a match is played, scores are logged on the website. Players can track the standings in their division as well as the rest of the league. At the end of the regular season, players with the most points in each division automatically qualify to participate in regional playoffs and compete for the city champion title and prizes. Reeks says, “We have a great team at LeagueTennis.com who run the day-to-day activities. They are all tennis players and dedicated to the sport and to making our players happy. I feel very fortunate to have such a great group working for us!"
The league launched in the Fall of 2007, and in a few short years, has grown a loyal player base largely due to its focus on the player experience. “In fact,” says Reeks, “most new players to the league are referred by other players.” Reeks adds, “Our focus at LeagueTennis.com is to provide a superior player experience. We are all obsessed with the sport and have played in multiple leagues and found most flex leagues seriously lacking in this area. To that end we’ve put a lot of effort into developing a highly responsive support team. And since the leagues are managed via our website, we have made sure our site is robust and easy-to-use. Our players know they can count on a quality experience starting at the registration process, and continuing through the season.”
Asked what sheloves about league tennis, Reeks replies, "Tennis is a sport that appeals to an individual's social and competitive instincts, so it is a great way to compete and meet new people -- and staying fit is an added bonus! I love the fact that we can offer a really quality tennis experience to anyone who plays, from the beginner level up to the advanced former college player. I find nothing more satisfying then to be at a local court for a match and hear someone say how much they enjoy the league and how many wonderful people they have met by participating! We have a fellow in Houston who had not played tennis since high school and happened to see one of our ads. Thirty years later he is back into the sport with a vengeance, playing in our doubles and singles leagues four seasons a year! He has a whole new group of friends he met through the league!"
While some markets like Georgia and Florida are growing faster than others, Tricia Reeks and her partner have set their sights on many more areas in the United States. "We plan to continue to grow our tennis community into tennis markets across the U.S. Our flex league format is great for larger markets but we also are putting together some alternatives for smaller cities too. We are committed to making the sport available to as many people as possible while continuing to provide a top quality experience for our players, both through the responsiveness of our support team and the quality of our website!"
The organization has reportedly mostly satisfied clients amongst their 17,000+ player base. One of those very happy players is Alison McMillan. She reports,“I have played mixed, singles and ladies doubles with the league for numerous seasons. I also play in other leagues and while they not only cost more per season, their support department does not hold a candle to LeagueTennis.com. Not only does the LeagueTennis.com staff answer even what I am sure are the most mundane questions to most, they also answer my questions in a timely manner. I really appreciate their tireless efforts to grow a fantastic player supported league!”
Have you played at LeagueTennis.com? What is your experience? Please share and leave a comment in the Comment box below. Thank you!
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