Where do you want to start?

Three ways into Florida tournaments. Pick the one that sounds like you.

Apply for a sanction

Window dates, fee deadlines and the event charts for the 2026 to 2027 period.

Become a tournament director

Five steps to approval, from Safe Play to your first application.

Host at your facility

You have the courts. We can help you find a director and fill the calendar.

DATES AND DEADLINES

Sanctioning for 2026 to 2027

What is open, what is closing, and what you can apply for.

Key dates at a glance

One window, one application, a full season of Florida tennis. Important dates to note will be updated here:

  • Window opens: Coming Soon!
  • Window closes: Coming Soon!
  • Sanction fees due: Coming Soon! Unpaid sanctions are revoked, so do not let this one slide.
  • Rolling window: Level 6, Level 7 and Junior Circuit events can be submitted year-round. Earlier is always better.

Applications cover Adult, Junior and Wheelchair events. Miss the window and it is not the end of the world, just email us.

What you can apply for

Every level and every division, laid out in one place. For platform walkthroughs and score reporting, the Serve Tennis help center has step by step guides.

Adult ranked events

Age, NTRP, family and wheelchair divisions, with the levels that count for ranking.

Youth events

Red, orange and green ball through the full junior levels and Junior Circuit.

Wheelchair events

Divisions, classifications and the events on the Florida wheelchair calendar.

Level 3, 4 and 5 calendar

See what is already on the schedule before you pick your dates. National dates are subject to change.

SANCTIONING FAQ

Quick answers before you apply

The questions we get most, answered in a sentence or two. Anything we missed, our tournaments team is quick to reply.

When does the window open and close?

The 2026 to 2027 window dates are coming soon! Level 6, Level 7 and Junior Circuit events roll year round.

FOR TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS

Get approved, then get to work

The five steps to approval, plus the regulations, guides and forms you will use all season.

The five steps to approval

Five steps stand between you and your first sanctioned event in Florida. Work through them in order and you will be ready to submit an application.

Every tournament director must be Safe Play approved before Serve Tennis will let you submit an application, and so must the staff and volunteers helping you run the event. Safe Play combines education, a background screening and clear policies to keep players safe, built alongside the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Start early. The screening takes a few days, and an incomplete Safe Play status is the most common reason an application stalls.

Tournament directors are added by invitation from USTA Florida, your district, or USTA National. Once the invite lands in your inbox, accept it and your name is on the approved list.

Have not been invited yet? That is what we are here for. Send us a note and tell us a little about the events you want to run.

Serve Tennis is the USTA platform where tournaments are built, run and reported. Before you can submit an application, your USTA profile has to be linked to the organization hosting the event.

One exception: if you are an independent contractor hired by other organizations and you are not collecting player registration fees in your own account, skip the linking steps. You will be added to the approved director list, then the organization admin adds you to the tournament.

Player registration fees flow through Stripe Express, so your account needs to be connected and verified before entries open. Stripe will ask for a few verification documents during onboarding.

Check your verification status well before your first tournament goes live so refunds and payouts run smoothly.

Safe Play done, invitation accepted, organization linked, payments connected. Now you can submit your application during the sanctioning window and get your event on the Florida calendar.

Tournament director resources

The rulebooks, guides and forms worth bookmarking before your first match is called.

Adult and family regulations

The tournament, ranking and sanctioning regulations that govern adult and family events.

Junior guidelines

Red, orange and green ball guidelines for running junior events the right way.

NTRP regional qualifier guide

How the NTRP National Championships work, how to set up the tournament, and how to handle the 2.5 division.

Grievances

How the grievance process works and what to do when something needs reporting. The report form lives here.

FOR FACILITIES, CLUBS AND PARKS

Bring a tournament to your courts

What hosting takes, how to find a director, and how to get your events in front of players.

How hosting works

You have the courts. Somewhere out there is a director with a draw and nowhere to play it. Here is how facilities, clubs and parks plug into the Florida tournament calendar.

The basics are simpler than most facilities expect: enough courts for the draw, dates that do not collide with nearby events, an approved tournament director, and a primary host site that is a USTA Organization Member.

If the applying organization does not control the courts, a site permission letter from whoever does is required by the application deadline. Get that conversation started early.

No director on staff? You do not need one on payroll. Inside the Serve Tennis tournament application there is a search for approved tournament directors, so you can add someone already cleared to run events.

Prefer an introduction? Tell us your location, your courts and the kind of event you want to host, and we will point you toward directors working in your area.

Administrator roles control who at your facility can create tournaments, edit draws and handle payments. Each role has its own permissions, so give people the access their job actually needs.

Once your tournament is approved it lands on the USTA calendar, which is where competitive players go looking. Register with us and you can submit your other events to the USTA Florida calendar too.

Looking for a tournament director

Tell us where you are and what you want to host. We will connect you with approved directors running events nearby.

Already running events

Submit your tournaments, clinics and socials so Florida players can find them on our calendar.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting Tournaments

For facilities and directors who want to host events.

This page walks facilities and directors through hosting a sanctioned event, from getting started to running the day. Reach out to us and we’ll help you plan your first tournament.

There’s an approval process to become a sanctioned director, along with the tools you’ll use to run events. This page has the steps.

Serve Tennis is the platform used to manage sanctioned tournaments, from entries to scheduling and results. Resources for using it are linked here.

Sanctioned events appear in players’ USTA accounts and the tournament listings, so players can search and register. Our tournaments page shows the player side.

Depending on the level, you may need certified officials on site. We can help you connect with officials in your area.

Connect With Us

Have a question, need some guidance, or want to learn more?

Reach out anytime, and our team will be happy to point you in the right direction.