Is a tennis club allowed to organise its own competition alongside the KNLTB?

Yes, that is completely allowed. KNLTB competitions are a federation offering that clubs take part in, but every club is free to organise its own internal competitions, tournaments, and ladders on top of that. Most clubs already do, often in the form of a club championship.

Which format works for a tennis fall season?

A ladder competition works best for most clubs. Players challenge each other and schedule their match whenever it suits them, so there is no court clash with KNLTB home matches. An alternative is a Beat the Box system for 16 to 64 players with more structure.

How do you handle court scheduling alongside KNLTB home matches?

Choose a format without a fixed playing time (like a ladder), or schedule rounds on evenings when the KNLTB does not play (usually Tuesday or Thursday). Book courts in advance in the club system and communicate clearly who has priority and when.

Which period is suitable for an internal tennis fall competition?

September to March, with a natural break around the Christmas holidays. Start right after the KNLTB summer break (the first week of September) and wrap up before the KNLTB spring competition begins again (late March). That gives you a run of about 26 weeks with room for breaks.

How many players do you need to make a ladder worthwhile?

At least 12 players, ideally 20 to 50. Below 12 there are too few challenge options and the rankings quickly become static. Above 50 it gets harder without software, but with automatic rating calculation it works well past 100 players.

Guide2 June 20265 min read

Running a fall tennis competition alongside your KNLTB team

KNLTB competitions run from April to June. So what does your tennis club do from September to March? An internal fall competition keeps players active, opens the door to new formats, and keeps members engaged without competing with the KNLTB.

Coen ReekersSlams.app

For many Dutch tennis clubs, the KNLTB competition is the heart of the sporting year. But that competition runs from April to the end of June. After that comes the summer break, and from September there is a gap of six to seven months until the KNLTB fall competition or the start of the next spring season.

In that gap, a lot of tennis clubs lose their most active members. People head to the court less often, fall out of their rhythm, and by January they go looking for another sport for the winter. An internal fall or winter competition keeps them engaged.

One important note: this is not a KNLTB replacement. It is an addition to what you already offer, aimed at players who want to stay active through the winter months.

Why run an internal competition alongside the KNLTB

Three reasons why this makes sense for most tennis clubs:

It keeps members engaged in the quiet season. Players who have a match every week keep training, keep paying their membership fees, and stay enthusiastic about the club.
It creates room for new players. Not everyone wants to jump straight into a KNLTB team. An internal competition is easy to join, ideal for players who have just finished their lessons.
It takes pressure off the competition organiser. A rolling ladder or box system needs far less organisation than a KNLTB cycle. No team allocation, no umpires, no travel planning.

4 differences between the KNLTB and an internal competition

Aspect	KNLTB competition	Internal competition
Registration	Per team, in advance with the federation	Per player, open and flexible
When you play	Fixed competition day (Wednesday/Sunday)	Whenever players schedule it themselves
Level	Fixed KNLTB rating and division	Open or based on club rating
Duration	9 to 10 weeks in spring or fall	Flexible, often ongoing

The biggest difference: the KNLTB is a fixed slot each week, while an internal competition can run continuously with players scheduling their own matches. That fits the rhythm of life for many adult members.

3 formats that work for a tennis fall season

Ladder competition

The best fit for a tennis fall season. Players challenge each other and schedule their match whenever it suits them. The winner moves up the rankings, the loser moves down. No fixed playing time needed.

The advantage for tennis: players use the regular club booking system, so there is no court clash with KNLTB home matches or training. A ladder of 30 to 50 players works well even in winter, as long as there are enough indoor or covered courts. More about ladders.

Box system

Players are split into groups of four at a similar level. Everyone in a box plays everyone else in their box, and after three to four weeks the top player moves up and the bottom player moves down.

This works for tennis clubs that want structure but not the full-blown organisation of the KNLTB. Good for 16 to 64 players. More about Beat the Box.

Americano tennis

An Americano for tennis exists too, but it works differently than in padel. Players play individual sets (first to 4 or 6 games) with rotating partners. It works as a tournament evening for 8 to 16 players, not as an ongoing competition format.

How to set it up without a court clash with the KNLTB

The biggest practical challenge is court scheduling. KNLTB home matches usually take up half the club on a Wednesday evening or Sunday morning. For an internal competition, that means:

Choose a ladder format (no fixed slot needed) if the KNLTB takes up the central time slots.
Schedule box rounds on quiet evenings, for example Tuesday or Thursday.
Book courts in advance in the club reservation system so KNLTB players cannot suddenly claim the court.
Communicate clearly who has priority and when.

Example: a tennis club with 200 members

Say you have a tennis club with 200 members, around 80 of whom are active in KNLTB teams. The other 120 play recreationally, without a fixed competition structure.

A ladder for 40 to 50 of those recreational players, running from September to March, costs the club about two hours of organisation per month: adding new players, answering questions, and sharing an interim standing halfway through. Software keeps track of the rest.

For the players it means: a goal to train for during winter, a reason to keep coming to the club, and social connections with other recreational players they never meet in the KNLTB cycle.

Three pitfalls with a tennis fall season

Pitfall 1: confusing KNLTB players. Be explicit that the internal competition is not a replacement. Some KNLTB players automatically assume this is their fall competition and drop out disappointed when it turns out to be something else.

Pitfall 2: running too close to the KNLTB fall competition. The KNLTB sometimes has a fall competition too (September to November). Do not cut across it with your own format that asks for the same players. Make it clear that your competition is complementary.

Pitfall 3: too little promotion. Recreational players do not read club emails. Put up posters, announce it on the courts, and ask club coaches to mention it to their groups.

A tennis fall competition with Slams

Setting up an internal tennis fall competition with Slams takes less than an hour. You pick the format, add players through an invitation link or CSV, open registration, and the system keeps track of the rest. No court clashes, no Excel, no WhatsApp spaghetti. Slams for tennis clubs. Start for free.

Look ahead to spring with the guide on the 2027 tennis spring competition, or read the general approach in planning a season.

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