The Ladies' City Tennis League of Charleston had its unofficial start in 1973 when members of several area tennis centers decided to play regularly on Tuesday mornings. By 2000, City League had grown to 48 teams playing in three divisions that were run independently. At a joint captains' meeting for all three divisions on April 3, 2000, the captains voted to form a single league and to change the name from City League to CALTA. They approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee of twelve volunteers who would write a Charter for CALTA and would install a Board of Directors by June 2001. This Charter was adopted at the annual captains' meeting on March 26, 2001 and was updated in 2004, 2007, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2020. At the beginning of the 2024-25 season, the Charter was updated to reflect changes regarding how a captain signs up her team and reports scores via MatchTime, in addition to a new rule regarding third set tiebreak (see rules).
CHARTER
I. NAME
The name of this organization is the Charleston Area Ladies' Tennis Association (CALTA) Inc. CALTA is registered with the IRS as a 501(c)(7) tax-exempt social organization and with the South Carolina Secretary of State's office as a nonprofit corporation. It is also registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State's Division of Public Charities for the purpose of conducting CALTA's Junior Recognition Program. CALTA's fiscal year ends May 31.
II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
CALTA is a doubles league consisting of several divisions. The participating tennis centers may have either hard or soft courts (which must be in good playable condition). An individual participates in CALTA through membership on a team. CALTA has one annual season that spans two calendar years and reflects the Charleston Public School calendar. Weekly match play begins after the start of the school year (immediately following Labor Day) and continues into May with appropriate breaks for holidays and make-up dates. CALTA plays on Tuesday mornings at 9:30AM across all divisions.
III. GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES
The boundary that defines "Charleston Area" is shown by the dotted line on the map. The dotted line represents a radius of approximately thirty miles from the start of I-26 in downtown Charleston (point X). It should be noted that while any new team within this area fulfills the location requirement, a team outside this area is not necessarily excluded from CALTA. The Board will consider all applications on a case-by-case basis.
IV. MISSION
As a nonprofit volunteer-run organization, the mission of CALTA is to:
- promote women's tennis in the Charleston Area
- provide a venue for fair play, good sportsmanship, and competitive doubles tennis at different levels of ability
- identify junior women's tennis needs in the Charleston Area and apply CALTA's available resources in support of them
V. MEMBERSHIP
An individual participates in CALTA through membership on a team and is provided a registration URL for MatchTime by a team captain. A member can be on only one team roster in CALTA and can transfer between teams one time during a season. Each player must be 18 years of age at the start of the season.
Since each tennis center has its own eligibility rules for participation in team play, CALTA does not monitor the membership status of players at a tennis center. It is the responsibility of the CALTA captain to ensure that each of her players satisfies her tennis center's eligibility rules for team play and retains legitimate status throughout the CALTA season.
As a condition of membership on a team in CALTA and in consideration of being accepted as a member of a CALTA team, each individual personally assumes any risk arising from her participation in a CALTA match or event -- and holds harmless CALTA, its officers, directors, representatives, and its members with respect to any injury, disability, death or loss or damage to person or property arising from or connected with participating in a CALTA match or event including travel to or from any CALTA match or event during the time of the individual's membership in CALTA.
VI. LEVELS OF PLAY
The levels of play range from beginner to advanced with Division I the strongest level. A player may play in any division she chooses regardless of her NTRP rating. The Board will review the division levels annually and will take them into consideration in determining the number of divisions, the placement of a new team, and in determining movement of teams between divisions for the following season.
VII. DIVISION STRUCTURE
CALTA is made up of several divisions. The number of divisions and the number of teams in each division will be decided each year by the Board -- taking into consideration the following season's calendar and the number of new teams. The Board will consult with the captains to decide on the movement of teams between divisions and will decide if it is necessary to change the number of divisions. The Board has the authority to move teams up or down to the next division if necessary for the optimum size of a division. The Board will make every effort to accommodate the request of a team to play at a specific competitive level.
VIII. DIVISION COORDINATORS
Before the start of each season the Executive Board will select a coordinator for each division. The coordinator serves as a Board member with a term of one full season and performs the functions listed in the Coordinator Responsibilities document.
IX. REQUIREMENTS FOR A TEAM
Each team must have a minimum of eight players on its roster. There is no maximum.
Participation in CALTA is available to any team from a tennis center in the Charleston Area as defined in Section III -- provided that the tennis center has adequate court availability, seating adjacent to the courts, and restrooms available and open at 9:00AM on playdays. For every two teams in CALTA, a tennis center must have available four courts available for CALTA match play on the weekday morning scheduled for that division.
New team applications must be submitted to the CALTA Board by the tennis center pro or team captain between Feb 1st and May 15th for the following year. The "New Team Application" form for the following season is available on the CALTA website each year.
Each team must designate one team member as captain. Only one member may be listed as captain. The designation of captain can be changed during the season -- but it should be noted that if the position of captain changes during the season, for purposes of team recognition at season-end and in the website, the incumbent at the time of season-end will be noted as captain. The captain may appoint another member as co-captain but she is not required to do so. If a player moves onto a team in the same or another division during the season, the captain of the original team should inform her coordinator to remove the player from her roster.
X. ANNUAL MATCH SCHEDULE
Each division shall play on the weekday morning specified in the current year's Rules.
In May, the Board will appoint one scheduler to do the match schedule for all divisions for the following season. The scheduler may be a member of the Board, a player on any CALTA team, a tennis pro, or any interested objective party in the Charleston Area. Since inception, CALTA scheduling has been done without pay, but if necessary the Board has the authority to pay for the services of a scheduler. The scheduler will review the calendar with the Board during May to determine holidays and make-up dates. The scheduling process should begin as soon as possible after June 1 and be completed no later than July 15th. The completed schedule should be reviewed by the Board by the end of July and be available on the CALTA website one month (30 days) prior to the official start date of any division. The scheduler will make every effort to schedule each team's matches as evenly as possible at home and away over the course of the full season.
If a tennis facility is unable to provide courts on scheduled CALTA dates for any reason (resurfacing, tournament weather delays or other) after the schedules have been published, it is the tennis facility's responsibility to inform their CALTA captains (who will be in charge of finding alternate courts to host the matches) as soon as possible. Either a facility representative or CALTA captain should inform the CALTA Board as soon as the conflict is known.
XI. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors shall consist of:
- an Executive Board of the following elected officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
- all the division coordinators ex officio
- if deemed necessary by the Executive Board, at-large officers who are appointed by the Executive Board
The term for the Executive Board officers shall be two years beginning June 1 and ending May 31 two years later. An Executive Board officer can serve more than one term. If necessary under special circumstances an Executive Board officer can hold more than one position for part or all of a term.
The at-large officers, if any, will each serve a term of up to three years.
The division coordinators will serve on the Board for one year and can be reappointed by the Executive Board for additional terms.
Each member of the Board has one vote.
The Executive Board may appoint committee chairmen to perform specific functions (e.g. scheduling, newsletter, special events, etc.) and can create "assistant" positions to the Executive Board positions if deemed necessary for the efficient execution of the Board's responsibilities.
XII. ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE BOARD OFFICERS
If deemed necessary by the incumbent Board and/or if requested by the membership, the election process is as follows: The President shall appoint a nominating committee of at least five CALTA members consisting of at least one Board member and at least one representative from each division. The nominating committee will prepare a proposed slate of officers for the Executive Board. The division coordinators will send the proposed slate to the team captains. Each captain will be asked to indicate whether or not she accepts the slate as proposed. A nonresponse will be considered to be an affirmative vote. A two-thirds affirmative vote of all CALTA captains will be required for the proposed slate to be approved. The election process should be complete by May 1 so that -- if there is a change in the officers -- the outgoing and incoming Boards can meet jointly in the month of May before the new Board takes office on June 1.
Should an elected office be vacated, the remaining Executive Board members can decide how to fill the position until the next election.
XIII. DUTIES OF BOARD
As a group governing body, the joint responsibilities of the Board officers include:
- appoint a scheduler in May, review the following season's calendar with the scheduler, and review the completed match schedule (article X)
- receive and review applications for new teams and decide on division placement of new teams (articles V and VII)
- decide on movement of teams at the end of the season (article VII)
- decide on the number of divisions and the number of teams within each division (article VII)
- select the coordinator for each division (article VIII)
- create and update the Coordinators' Responsibilities document, the Captains' Responsibilities document, and the Grievance Form
- set amount of next season's annual dues (article XIV)
- annually review and update the Rules document and other documents as necessary
- serve as the Rules & Grievance Committee (see article XVI), manage resolution of grievances, and maintain grievance records
- serve as point persons for questions on MatchTime
In addition to these group responsibilities, the specific duties of each Executive Board position include:
- President:
- call meetings, preside at all meetings, and ensure that all decisions made at a Board meeting or at a general captains' meeting are carried out
- be responsible for external correspondence
- share signature authority with Treasurer for bank account(s) and reconcile financial report with bank statements
- communicate with new tennis centers and pros in the Charleston Area
- ensure that all records and documents are maintained on a timely basis and archived
- be responsible for filing the appropriate federal and state tax exemption forms within 4 months of fiscal year close (Sept 30th)
- Federal 990N
- State Annual Application for Registration Exemption
- Vice President:
- assist the President as necessary and in her absence perform all the duties of her office
- assist secretary with maintenance and distribution of documents
- a Vice President shall serve as Chairman of CALTA's Junior Recognition Program and will manage all the functions required for the program
- Secretary:
- keep minutes of all Board meetings and any general meetings and distribute to Board members
- collect and file minutes of any division meetings
- Treasurer:
- maintain bank records, check monthly statements, and keep signature card at bank up to date
- on monthly basis provide President with a copy of the current CALTA bank statement and report on any activity in the bank account
- reconcile monthly bank statement in Quickbooks
- ensure that Stripe payments accurately reflect MatchTime roster totals and communicate with team captain if there are UNPAID players on their roster
- update Financial Report each year
XIV. ANNUAL DUES
The amount of CALTA dues will be determined each year by the Board during June and will be specified in the Rules for the following season. Each player will pay dues through MatchTime. Dues are nonrefundable and nontransferable between members. If a player transfers between teams (allowed once during a season) her dues will be transferred to her new team. Dues paid by new members after the start of the season are not pro-rated. Uses of the funds from dues include: charitable activities, website maintenance, postage, copying, supplies, division awards, captains’ gifts, member gifts, and an annual captain meeting.
A team's games will be forfeited until its dues are received by the Treasurer (except for unusual circumstances to be reviewed by the Board). The dues will be deposited via Stripe into one central CALTA bank account. The Treasurer and President will have signature authority over the account. CALTA's annual Financial Report will be posted on the website and will indicate how a member's annual dues are allocated.
XV. MEETINGS
Board Meetings: The Board will meet at the end of the season to decide on the following season's division structure and amount of dues and to select the coordinators. The President will call at least four additional meetings during the year as deemed necessary to review the Rules, CALTA documents, any grievance matters, etc. To hold a vote in a meeting of the Board of Directors, at least five voting members must be present.
Captains' Meetings: The Board and coordinators will decide each year if it is necessary to convene a general meeting of all captains to discuss issues such as Rules changes, amendments to this Charter, or the election of one or more Executive Board members. All captains should be notified at least ten days in advance of such meeting.
Voting: To hold a vote in any meeting, a quorum of two-thirds must be present. On any matter to be decided at a Board meeting or a captains' meeting, a two-thirds affirmative vote of those present shall decide the outcome. A decision made by a full captains' meeting shall override a decision made by the Board.
XVI. RULES & GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE
The full CALTA Board functions as the Rules & Grievance Committee. The Committee is responsible for enforcing CALTA regulations, standards of conduct, fair play, and good sportsmanship if necessary. The Committee is not allowed to change the rules for individual grievance issues -- only enforce them. At the beginning of each year the Board reviews the rules and changes can be made at that time.
Grievances: A grievance may be filed by any player. Instructions for filing a grievance are in the Rules Section XIII on the home page of the CALTA website. Click here to go directly to the Grievance Filing.
XVII. DIVISION AWARDS
The number of teams in each division that are recognized with awards will be determined by the size of the division -- and will be announced by the Board at the start of each season. In case of a tie, all teams in that position are recognized.
The Board will determine the types of awards and the amount of funds (from annual dues) available for awards.
If the player holding the position of team captain has changed during the season, for purposes of recognition and on the website, the incumbent at season-end will be noted as captain.
XVIII. JUNIOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM
In support of CALTA's mission to "identify junior women's tennis needs in the Charleston Area and apply CALTA's available resources in support of them," CALTA's Junior Recognition Program (JRP) established in 2001 provides funds for junior girls in the Charleston Area. The program's timetable for the current year and the awards from the previous year are announced annually in the CALTA website. An amount determined annually by the Board during the budget process will be allocated to the program from member dues. If additional funds are donated from other sources, 100% of the proceeds from those sources will be allocated to the JRP. All expenses of administering the JRP will be charged to CALTA's Administrative Expenses account and will not be deducted from any funds donated.
XIX. AMENDMENTS TO CHARTER
This Charter may be amended only by a two-thirds affirmative vote of all voting members of the CALTA Board. Any player in CALTA can submit to the Board (either directly or through her captain or division coordinator) a proposed amendment to the Charter.
XX. RULES
The CALTA Rules document available on the CALTA website governs procedures for weekly match play, communication between captains, and the organizational and scheduling issues that may change annually.
The Board will review the Rules document annually and has the authority to amend sections dealing with division structure, dues, scheduling, and weekly match play as provided in this Charter. Any player can submit to the Board a proposed change to the Rules. Any Rules that the Board has revised will be pointed out to captains at the beginning of each season. The Rules document will be updated annually to reflect current division structure, amount of annual dues, etc. In August, the current year's Rules will be made available to the coordinators and captains. It is the responsibility of each captain to ensure that each of her players is familiar with the CALTA Rules.
XXI. NONPROFIT STATUS
In the event of the dissolution of the corporation, the assets remaining after payment of any liabilities will be distributed within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.