Dear Tennis Player: Congratulations on joining the Kotam Premium League!

It is a privilege to play in this tennis league where many players have volunteered their time, money and efforts to build this league into what it is today.

Before proceeding, please read the following:

League Rules and Details

1. Introduction
KOTAM is an acronym for the Korean Tennis Association of Malaysia.
The Kotam Premium League is a tennis league founded by a group of Korean expat and Malaysian local tennis players in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2016. The league continues to be run today by co-organizers/administrators made up of local and international experienced tennis players.

2. Flexible Match Timing and Location
- Kotam league tennis matches are flexible in timing, location and frequency.
- League players choose to play a match at an agreed upon time and location with their opponent.
- Players may schedule and play as many matches as they wish throughout a league season at their convenience.
- A player may play against the same opponent 2 times, doubles team 4 times within the same league season.

3. League Season or length
- A League Season typically runs about 4 to 6 months long
- There may be 2 or 3 League Seasons throughout a year
- All league match results are reported and recorded throughout a League Season
- At the end of each League Season, the top players in the league standings proceed to play in a knockout or playoff round (Round of 64, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, Semi-finals, Final) and a league champion, runner-up, 3rd placing, 4th placing are determined
- A player may be promoted or demoted or adjusted to a different League Group during or at the end of each season.

4. League Groups
Currently there are 5 Singles & 3 Doubles League Groups in Kotam:
- Singles E Group (For Expert players, NTRP rating 4.8 and above)
- Singles A Group (For Intermediate to Advanced players, NTRP rating 4.0 to 4.8)
- Singles B Group (For Intermediate and below, NTRP rating below 4.0)
- Singles C Group (For Beginners learning to play tennis less than 1 year)
- Singles V Group (For Veterans age 50 and above)
- Mens Doubles Group[MD] (For men of all ages except Ex/Current State/Natioanal Players below age 35)
- Mixed Doubles Group[XD]

- New league players should consult the League Captain or Administrators if they are unsure of which League Group they should join.
- The League Captain or Administrator may remove and place a player into a different League Group based on a player’s experience and skill level.

5. Match Play Format
- All Singles & Doubles League Group qualifying & playoff matches consist of 2 sets (regular tie-break each set at 6-6), while a 3rd set super tie-break is played (First to reach 10 points, win by +2) if the first two sets are tied at 1:1.
- A match can result in a Win or Lose

Based on feedback from participants that they were unable to complete a match due to many deuces, we have implemented the Flexible Deuce Format to ensure completion of all matches within the limited 2 hours court time:

However both players must agree which format for each set of games:
1. ITF format (By Default): Standard +2 (Two consecutive points to win the game)
2. 3-Point Deuce: When the first deuce was completed, it's a 3rd decider point. The receiver chooses which side to take the serve on the 3rd decider point. This also applies in doubles with the receiving pair deciding who receives the serve. For Mixed Doubles, serving to the same gender
3. Sudden Death: If the score reaches deuce, it's a sudden death. The receiver chooses which side to take the serve. This also applies in doubles with the receiving pair deciding who receives the serve. For Mixed Doubles, serving to the same gender

However, all playoff matches must be played with the ITF Standard +2 (Two consecutive points to win the game) format

6. League Scoring
The following point-scoring system is used for every league match played to tabulate player standings throughout each league season:

In every regular group match:
- Win = 5 points scored for the winner
- Super tie-break loss= 3 points scored for the loser
- Loss = 0 points scored
- At least 3 games earned/set in a match lost = 1 point scored for losing player

A player may choose to play an opponent from a different League Group lower or higher than his/her group.
- For example, an A player may play a match against a B or C player (A/B/C/E match).
- In such a match, the point scoring system is halved for a win against a lower group player (A/B match: Win = 2.5 pts, Draw = 1.5 pts, etc.) and doubled for a win against a higher group player. (A/E match: Win = 10 pts, Draw = 6 Pts, etc.)

- B and C groups are treated as the same group points level
- V group players can only play among themselves and not with A/B/C/E players due to their age group preference

7. Match Reporting
After the conclusion of a league match, a player is required to report the match result, match score and date of play without delay using the Kotam online match reporting at KotamLeague.com system and also in various Kotam Whatsapp Groups preferably with photo of all players but not mandatory.

Code of Conduct

All players who participate in the Kotam Premium League are required to read and abide by the following Code of Conduct and league guidelines:

1. Respect your opponent and your opponent’s time. Practice good match scheduling etiquette.
- Be respectful of your opponent’s time when scheduling matches
- Be on time for your matches
- Do not cancel a scheduled match without a valid reason (Eg. Pulling out of a match using injury as an excuse but then playing someone else the very next day, Telling your opponent the court is booked when it was not actually booked, then cancelling the match at the last minute, etc..)
- Be flexible when choosing the tennis court or facility location for league matches (We are lucky to be invited to play at various tennis court locations through this league.)

2. Practice good sportsmanship and tennis etiquette. Avoid the following:
- Bad line calls
- Throwing tantrums
- Foul language/swearing
- Racquet abuse
- Ball abuse
- Repeatedly calling the wrong score or delaying match play to frustrate your opponent
- Showing disrespect towards your opponent (Eg. Deliberately hitting a ball at your opponent, Retiring from a match without a valid reason, etc..)

3. Participation and protection of minors (ie. Players below the age of 18)
Young players in their teens and below 18 years old who wish to participate in this tennis league shall require a parent or guardian's accompaniment.
- The parent or guardian shall participate and be a monitor and his/her contact information will be provided to the league coordinator.
- The parent or guardian may act as a proxy and/or oversee the schedule of matches for the participating player who is a minor.
- Any kind of physical abuse or violence by a parent towards a child in this league shall result in immediate expulsion.

4. Participation and protection of players of all ages, genders, races and nationalities.
We believe that the Kotam Tennis League should be a sports league where all players respect one another and enjoy playing tennis matches with others regardless of their age, gender, race or national origin. We are proud of our diverse community of tennis players made up of various ages, genders, races and national origins.
- Any kind of disrespect shown towards other players based on their age or gender will not be tolerated.
- Any kind of insults, provocations or disrespect shown towards other players based on their race or national origin will not be tolerated.
- Any sending or sharing of offensive and insulting material in chats or chat groups to other league players will not be tolerated. (Eg. Political material, unsolicited political opinions, offensive jokes, provocative comments or statements about other players, distasteful or sexist pictures or videos)
- Any insults or demeaning jokes towards other players, or any comments in general which can be deemed defamatory and incur libel will also not be tolerated.
- Any kind of physical abuse or violence by a player towards another player shall result in immediate expulsion from this league.

5. Zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment of other league players.
- Sexual harassment can be defined as any kind of unwelcomed sexual advance or unwelcomed sexually determined behavior that is offensive or humiliating.
- This includes any verbal or physical behavior which is offensive and can take the form of inappropriate touching, sexually colored remarks or jokes, or sexual demands.
- We reserve the right to remove any sexual harassment perpetrators from our league at ANYTIME.

6. Players who do not abide by the above guidelines will be REMOVED from our Kotam Tennis League or not invited back to participate.

7. Repeated complaints around bad sportsmanship, conduct and match etiquette.
Our tennis community has grown over the years and it is made up of many experienced players, coaches and league administrators.
- If we repeatedly receive complaints on a particular player's bad sportsmanship, conduct, bad match etiquette or behavior (including late or non-payment of the league fee), we reserve the right to remove this player from our league at ANYTIME.
- Such complaints about a particular player or repeat offender would not be a surprise within our community at that point of time.

8. Complaints and Appeal process
- League players are advised to raise any complaints directly to the League Captain or committee.
- Similarly, any appeals for reinstatement should be made directly to the League Captain or committee.

9. There shall be NO REFUNDS or obligations to refund the league fee to any persons who have been removed from our league for any of the reasons above.

We hope that these guidelines will serve as a Code of Conduct to which all players will adhere to as they participate in this league.

Please indicate your consent to abide by these league guidelines and Code of Conduct by checking “I Agree” below before registering and proceeding into the Kotam match reporting system.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

KotamLeague.com