CCTA NEWS
CONTRA COSTA TENNIS ASSOCIATION TO FORM
League Play to Begin July 2003
In an effort to move beyond the politics and controversy that has recently plagued USTA NorCal’s Adult Leagues and “just play tennis,” a group of clubs in the East Bay have decided to form their own regional tennis organization with the primary purpose of offering a viable alternative.
The Contra Costa Tennis Association (CCTA) will be a regional non-profit tennis organization that offers players the opportunity to participate in singles and doubles leagues year-round, however the initial focus will be to establish team play beginning in July 2003. A group of 30 players attended an organizational meeting on January 21 in Walnut Creek to talk about the venture and determine the CCTA’s purpose and governance. Clubs represented included the Walnut Creek RC, ClubSport Valley Vista, Concord TC, Oakhurst CC, Lafayette TC, Roundhill CC and Pleasant Hill TC.
Spearheading the initial effort is Fred Safipour, a former teaching pro at the Walnut Creek Tennis Center and Kent Lindeman, a past president of the Walnut Creek Racquet Club. According to Lindeman, he and Safipour were driven to action after hearing countless people complain about various aspects of existing league play and who did not believe they had any choice but to participate in what “has been the only game in town” for the past 20 years.
Lindeman is quick to point out that the CCTA, which will have official offices in Walnut Creek, is not setting itself up to be a direct competitor of USTA NorCal Adult Leagues. Instead, league play will offer an alternative format that aims to provide a competitive yet fun environment which many enthusiasts have complained has disappeared from organized team competition.
CCTA will offer other benefits to players, including discounts to play in other leagues and tournaments, provide monthly electronic publications, membership directory and a website with on-line scoring. The association will be run by a volunteer Board of Directors which will be comprised of at least one representative from each participating club or facility in an attempt to gain direct input on what programs, events and services should be offered on a continual basis.
Based on the positive input from players at the initial meeting, Lindeman feels confident that the CCTA will ultimately be successful because the organization will fill a need that currently exists. He points to the results of an exploratory survey sent to players in Contra Costa County last Fall to back up this claim. “Nearly 80% of respondents told us that they would be interested in participating in an alternative league,” states Lindeman, “while ‘Amount of Playing Time’ (35%) and ‘Using Traditional Tennis Rules and Scoring’ (27%) were the two highest ranked items when we asked what was most important when considering participation in organized leagues.”
For additional information on CCTA, please contact Kent Lindeman at jklindeman@astound.net or Fred Safipour at safipour@sbcglobal.net.
**published in March 2003 issue of Inside Tennis
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