This section describes what you need to do to become a junior tournament player.
USTA Membership
You must be a USTA member in order to enter sanctioned USTA NorCal tournaments. Memberships purchased by telephone (1-800-990-8782) will be processed in 24 hours. Memberships purchased online (usta.com) are processed immediately.
Age Eligibility
USTA Northern California junior tournaments are categorized by age as well as level of difficulty. The age divisions are 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18. You can "play up" in a higher age group but you cannot "play down." You may play an age division until the month in which you "age out" of that division. This means players who are 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 years old may continue to play in their respective age divisions until the month in which they turn 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19, respectively. If a tournament carries over into the next month, the starting date of the event will determine your eligibility.
Birth Certificate
You are required to have a birth certificate on file at the USTA NorCal office. If you do not have a birth certificate on file, please send a copy to:
USTA Northern California
Attn: Birth Certificates
1920 North Loop Road
Alameda, CA 94502.
Residency Requirement
Excellence Tournaments and the Sectional Championships are open only to "Residents of Northern California." "Residents of Northern California" refers to permanent residents of USTA NorCal (as geographically defined in the USTA Bylaws) and temporary residents who do not reside in USTA NorCal solely for the purpose of participating in tournaments and who are:
U.S. Citizens:
a) Citizens of the United States
Certain Aliens:
a) permanent resident aliens in possession of a valid permanent alien registration receipt card (green card) or
b) aliens who have resided in the United States continuously for more than one year and who are members of families in the diplomatic or consular corps.
The residency of a USTA NorCal junior is determined by the primary residence of the physical and legal custodian or guardian of said junior player. USTA NorCal reserves the right to ask any player, parent, or legal guardian to furnish proof of residence, citizenship, and/or alien status, even though the junior may be holding a valid USTA card with USTA NorCal designation
Players who have made a declaration of citizenship to a foreign country or who have accepted endorsement from another federation into an international team competition shall not be eligible to participate in Excellence Tournaments or the Sectional Championships.
A player who has previously qualified to play in Excellence Tournaments and the Sectional Championships and who lost this right by:
- playing for another federation in an international team competition; or
- no longer being classified by the Department of Homeland Security as an alien with a status listed in Rule 3.B.ii. may apply for reinstatement. The USTA NorCal junior staff, in consultation with the USTA NorCal General Counsel, shall rule on the request. The player may appeal the ruling to the USTA NorCal Board.
