Finding an amateur tournament or league

Whether you’re a beginner looking to step into the world of competitive tennis or a seasoned veteran, the choice of amateur tournaments and leagues in the UK can be bewildering. They come in many shapes, sizes and difficulties, each with their own rules and regulations.

We’ve collated the most useful online resources to help you find the best competition or league for you and will regularly update the page with new information.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)

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As the sport’s governing body in Britain, you’d expect the LTA to have a decent, country-wide competition portal. Luckily, the website doesn’t disappoint and it’s an invaluable tool for seeking out tournaments for children, teenagers and adults. You’ll need British Tennis Membership and the contests are sorted by LTA Grade and location.

Once you’ve found one that fits, the LTA provides detailed venue information, reviews from people who have previously competed, a simple calendar view and directions. Remember that it costs money to enter a tournament, normally £10 to £30.   

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Tennis Services UK Limited

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Primarily operating in the South East, Tennis Services UK (TSUK) is a handy way of searching for tournaments in your area, and promises to deliver “a quality tennis experience for those playing for fun or in pursuit of a full-time career in tennis”. It also ranks the competitions by difficulty, or LTA Grade.

To apply for tournaments using the online portal, you will need to take out British Tennis Membership, which is free if you belong to an LTA-registered club or £25 per year otherwise. Note that there is a fee, usually around £10 to £25, to enter a competition.

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Tweener Tennis app

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The Tweener Tennis app is different from the previous entries as its focus is more on arranging matches and entering mini leagues than tournaments. After setting up a profile, you can connect with other signed-up players to create your own box league.

All of the games are at an LTA Grade 6 level, making it perfect for beginners or people wanting to have fun. There is also the ability to track your progress using complex graphs (always a bonus), message other players in-app and set targets for yourself.

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Local Tennis Leagues

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Approved by the LTA, Local Tennis Leagues aims to bring local tennis players together on public courts and launch leagues where there previously were none.

At the start of 2016 there were around 160 leagues across the country, which are open to anyone over 18 and are divided into groups of up to eight evenly matched players. Simply sign up, pay a small fee to join a league and arrange to play games at your local court.

The website also includes an extensive, but simple, set of rules and regulations to make sure everyone is on an equal footing. Best of all, the fact that Local Tennis Leagues is classified as a “nomadic club” means you’ll as get the £25 British Tennis Membership thrown in for free when you join.

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About Max Figgett

Max is a writer for Tennis Talent and the owner of a pretty decent forehand, if he says so himself.

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