About
TLOV is a growing community of tennis players in the Mid-Hudson Valley (V is for Valley)* united by a love of the game. Together we are connecting players, building local interest in the sport, raising everyone’s competitive level, and creating new opportunities to play.
* Most of our League players live in Ulster and Dutchess Counties – repping the Association of Ulster/Dutchess Tennis Players (AUDTP) – but many come from Orange, Greene, Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer Counties as well. Also, regular cameos from NYC, Brooklyn, and Jersey.
Our League began playing in the fall of 2020. By the end of the first season, we had 48 players, which seemed like a lot. A year later, we had 120 players. Now, we have more than 200 players in our midst. True statement: Tennis is more fun when you regularly play against new, different players at your level. We’re all in this together.
So, community comes first. TLOV is a non-profit, volunteer-led, player-driven tennis league. We’re changing the usual way tennis leagues, ladders, and tournaments get organized by giving power to the players. Unlike member-only groups or club-organized events or revenue-driven organizations like the USTA or UTR, we can flex to play when, where, and how we want. By making use of public courts, eliminating or minimizing fees/costs, and trying out new and varied formats, our League is more inclusive, more accessible, more competitive, and, when it all comes together, more fun.
No shade to any of our local clubs or teaching pros. We’ve been able to coordinate with multiple clubs and collaborate with a number of different pros in the area. It’s a win-win kind of thing. As our League grows, so does demand. The more our players compete against each other, the more they want to improve. That means more court bookings, more members, more players joining up for clinics and lessons.
In every sense, TLOV has no competitors. We’ve collabed with UTR, we’ve launched USTA teams and partnered with the USTA’s community-building efforts, and we freely promote other local tournaments and club programs. Happy to spread the LOV. But you won’t be finding any other tennis league like The League: our League is by the players, for the players – together, we’re the heart, soul, and spirit of local tennis.
We’re THE Tennis League of the Valley (formerly A Tribe Called Tennis), a free network that connects ALL local tennis players in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Regardless of age, level, income, locale, or club membership, our community is a hub for ensuring everyone can play competitive tennis matches if and when they want to. And, if you don’t want to play, you can still read the emails.
Let’s be honest. Much of what you’ve just read is specious hand-waving nonsense: The League is 90% about sending out long emails and frequent texts, 10% about actually playing tennis. But that 10%? Worth it.
what's not to LOV?
The League is everywhere and nowhere. We play on any and all local courts – public courts, tennis clubs, private courts. That means players can usually coordinate to play wherever is closest, most convenient for them. Or wherever they can most easily hit up a Chipotle on their way back home after playing.
For flex-scheduled events, we play matches morning, noon, and night. Our League is chock-full of artists, musicians, work-from-homers, doctors, professors, and similar ne’er-do-wells, so midday on a weekday isn’t out of the question.
Indoors in the winter. Outdoors in the summer. And forever replaying matches inside our own heads. Hey, if the pros don’t need an offseason, we sure don’t need one. Just claim an “injury” if you need some time off.
3.0+ to 5.0+. The level around here is kind of bad-ass. And everyone keeps getting better. Playing against so many different types of players and getting the chance to play players better than you – perfect recipe for improvement. Rumor has it that now that Federer is retired, he may start playing in our League. Let’s see if he’s still got it!
Meet the Commissioner
Tennis League of the Valley was founded by local player, Bill Blake. In 2015, after having taken almost 20 years away from the game, Bill moved to the area and started playing in Saugerties with some 3.0-level guys. Started from the bottom, now we’re here: 2x Ulster Open singles and doubles champ, Woodstock Open singles finalist and doubles champ, and Ace of the TLOV Season II champion Cantine Athletic tennis team. The League is a passion-driven, community-outreach, if-you-build-it-they-will-come project. Or: it’s an experiment in how much you can get away with if you call yourself “The Commissioner.”
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1 - Bill (tall), Barry (small), Courts at Bard College
2 - Bill (big smile), Billie (tiny smile), Woodstock Tennis CLub
About
TLOV is a growing community of tennis players in the Mid-Hudson Valley (V is for Valley)* united by a love of the game. Together we are connecting players, building local interest in the sport, raising everyone’s competitive level, and creating new opportunities to play.
* Most of our League players live in Ulster and Dutchess Counties – repping the Association of Ulster/Dutchess Tennis Players (AUDTP) – but many come from Orange, Greene, Columbia, Albany, and Rensselaer Counties as well. Also, regular cameos from NYC, Brooklyn, and Jersey.
Our League began playing in the fall of 2020. By the end of the first season, we had 48 players, which seemed like a lot. A year later, we had 120 players. Now, we have more than 200 players in our midst. True statement: Tennis is more fun when you regularly play against new, different players at your level. We’re all in this together.
So, community comes first. TLOV is a non-profit, volunteer-led, player-driven tennis league. We’re changing the usual way tennis leagues, ladders, and tournaments get organized by giving power to the players. Unlike member-only groups or club-organized events or revenue-driven organizations like the USTA or UTR, we can flex to play when, where, and how we want. By making use of public courts, eliminating or minimizing fees/costs, and trying out new and varied formats, our League is more inclusive, more accessible, more competitive, and, when it all comes together, more fun.
No shade to any of our local clubs or teaching pros. We’ve been able to coordinate with multiple clubs and collaborate with a number of different pros in the area. It’s a win-win kind of thing. As our League grows, so does demand. The more our players compete against each other, the more they want to improve. That means more court bookings, more members, more players joining up for clinics and lessons.
In every sense, TLOV has no competitors. We’ve collabed with UTR, we’ve launched USTA teams and partnered with the USTA’s community-building efforts, and we freely promote other local tournaments and club programs. Happy to spread the LOV. But you won’t be finding any other tennis league like The League: our League is by the players, for the players – together, we’re the heart, soul, and spirit of local tennis.
We’re THE Tennis League of the Valley (formerly A Tribe Called Tennis), a free network that connects ALL local tennis players in the Mid-Hudson Valley. Regardless of age, level, income, locale, or club membership, our community is a hub for ensuring everyone can play competitive tennis matches if and when they want to. And, if you don’t want to play, you can still read the emails.
Let’s be honest. Much of what you’ve just read is specious hand-waving nonsense: The League is 90% about sending out long emails and frequent texts, 10% about actually playing tennis. But that 10%? Worth it.
MEET THE COMMISSIONER
Tennis League of the Valley was founded by local player, Bill Blake. In 2015, after having taken almost 20 years away from the game, Bill moved to the area and started playing in Saugerties with some 3.0-level guys. Started from the bottom, now we’re here: 2x Ulster Open singles and doubles champ, Woodstock Open singles finalist and doubles champ, and Ace of the TLOV Season III champion Cantine Athletic tennis team.
The League is a passion-driven, community-outreach, if-you-build-it-they-will-come project. Or: it’s an experiment in how much you can get away with if you call yourself “The Commissioner.”
-
1 - Bill (tall), Barry (small), Courts at Bard College
2 - Bill (big smile), Billie (tiny smile), Woodstock Tennis CLub
