What are the State League Championships?
The State League Championships are the next progressive competitive playing opportunity for any open age premiership teams from a Tennis Victoria affiliated association competition. These section premiership teams will come together to compete for the state title in each of eight rating bands. For a team to qualify for the 2023 Championships, they need to have won their open-age section’s premiership between the period of 15^th April 2022 and 1^st April 2023. Teams that have won junior section premierships are not eligible, but junior players that have won open-age premierships are eligible to participate.

Are the State League Championships for just the best players from our association?
The State League Championships are for any premiership team that wins an open-age or adult association section, not just Section 1 teams. This is the opportunity for any association player to aspire to more than just their section premiership – they could be State Champions.

When and where are the 2023 State League Championships being held?
The 2023 State League Championships are being held on the weekend of the 29^th and 30^th of April. Play will commence early on Saturday morning and Grand Finals will conclude on Sunday afternoon. The Championships will be held at Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club and Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club.

What are the benefits of the State League Championships to associations and clubs?
As the Championships are a progression of association competition, the Championships will add another layer of interest and incentive to players and teams to compete in their local competition. Also, the winning teams for associations will have the chance to compete against the premiership teams from other Victorian associations, regardless of size of association. Both associations and clubs for participating teams will be recognised by Tennis Victoria in promotions for the Championships. State championship trophies will be awarded to the winning teams, with pennants for winning clubs.

Why should teams enter the State League Championships?
This is the first opportunity for our Victorian association teams to earn the title of State Champions. Each match will be played on the prestigious venues of Royal South Yarra Lawn TC and Kooyong Lawn TC, and a cocktail function will be held on Saturday evening to recognise each of the participating Premiers. Lastly, the Championships will provide your team an opportunity to play competitive matches against similar level- based teams from other associations from all over the state. Matches will be refereed to pre-empt on court issues and sports trainers will be on site to take care of any injuries.

How do associations enter teams into the State League Championships?
Teams can register to participate through this link, or associations can submit teams via email to [email protected].

How many teams will be accepted?
A maximum of 64 teams will be accepted.

What happens if the premiership team cannot play in the State League Championships?
Only one team from an association’s section can play. If the premiership team cannot play, they will be permitted to submit their runner-up team (or any lower finishing team as necessary).

How many players can be named in a team?
A minimum of four players and a maximum of eight players can be named in the team. However, each player must have played, or have been named in their team for a minimum of three matches during the association season. If winning teams do not have four eligible players, they should contact Tyler Krumholz to discuss alternatives.

What is the cost for a team to enter the State League Championships?
There will be team cost of $200 to enter the Championships, which includes the Saturday night cocktail function. This will be invoiced to associations after the registration deadline. Associations can pass this cost on to participating teams.

Is this an open event, or are there separate gender, or age sections?
The State League Championships are an open event, meaning that all players, regardless of gender and age will be competing against each other, graded using UTR into level-based sections.

What is the playing format for the State League Championships?
Each team match will be a doubles-only format and each rubber will be an 8-game set (tie-break at 7-7). Each match will see a team of four players compete against another team of four players and will consist of the following sets: 1&2 v 1&2, 3&4 v 3&4, 1&3 v 1&3, and 2&4 v 2&4.

How will teams be placed into sections and State Champions be determined?
We will be using team’s average doubles UTR to place each team into a section of similarly rated teams. Each section will consist of eight teams, divided into two pools of four teams. The teams in each pool will play each other once and each team will play a maximum of two matches each day. Each section’s two winning pool teams will compete against each other for the State Championship.

What requirements do participants need to complete before participating?
Players’ UTR will be used to grade teams, so it is required that every player has a Match Centre profile linked with their Universal Tennis profile – link to do this here: https://www.tennis.com.au/competitiveplay/create- your-cpp. The Competitive Player Profile links a player’s Match Centre and UTR account together, creating the most accurate rating for that player.

The Championships are being played at two venues, does this mean teams will have to travel between the two?
No, we will be allocating each section a venue that they will compete at for the entire weekend.

Our team comprises of different genders, how can we enter as a team?
Universal Tennis provides the ability to use ratings to grade each team, regardless of gender. It will be a level-based event – meaning all genders may be paired together and opposed to each other.

What if a player has won premierships in multiple association competitions?
A player will be able to choose the team they wish to represent. However, a player can only be named in one team at the Championships. They must have played a minimum of three matches with that respective team in one season.

Are players representing my club or my association?
Teams will be representing both their club and association, and both will be recognised by Tennis Victoria.

Is there only one State League Championship Team?
There will be a State League Championship team in each of the respective sections. For example, the team that wins in Section 3 will be the 2023 Section 3 State League Championship Team.