George Braithwaite Major League Table Tennis
George Braithwaite Major League Table Tennis
Spring 2023
Purpose
The purpose of the league is to facilitate individual competitiveness and team spirit of players in various clubs thereby creating more interaction and friendship through team-based table tennis competition. By increasing participation in the Olympic sport of table tennis through the vast number of table tennis players in the United States, Pongpace sets the foundation of making table tennis a major sport in the country.
Summary
The legendary “Chief” George Braithwaite had spent decades of his life visualizing and promoting a team league concept in the United States similar to what’s held in Europe; he started this league when he was vice president of the USATT in the 1990’s. With an experienced team of thirty years of proven track records on team-based league competitions, PongSpace is committed to carry out his vision and turn its dream into reality.
The League
The league will:
· Operate at minimal cost by:
§ Utilizing technology instead of manual labor for score keeping.
§ Allowing teams to compete on non-prime club hours.
§ Being self-officiated. (except for the league championship)
· Utilize existing club space.
· Provide opportunities and incentives for teams to practice and learn.
· Provide additional revenue opportunities for clubs.
· Inspire and cultivate healthy habits.
· Promote social interactions among participants–connecting regional neighborhoods.
· Draw logistical support from PongSpace.
· Have a culminating championship event run and organized by PongSpace.
PongSpace is a new venture formed by a bunch of table tennis enthusiasts specifically to promote the sport of table tennis in the United States. For more information on PongSpace, visit PongSpace.com.
Organizational Resources
The Organizational Resources are as follows:
· Competition.PongSpace.com will be used for remote scheduling of matches and recording scores.
· Various club pages on Pongspace.com will be used to reserve tables to facilitate the competition
· PongSpace to be used as Referee and Sports Knowledge Provider
§ Access to discounted equipment
§ Free instructional videos
§ Organizational know how
· Pongspace designated commissioner and regional directors will be used to manage the season.
Regular Season
January 2023 - April 2023
Costs and Fees:
The entry fee for the league will be $200 per team. Each team will have minimum of 3 and maximum 5 players. Each player will receive a PongSpace t-shirt. Each home team is responsible to secure venues for home games during the regular season. Each player is responsible for bringing proper equipment and competition attire for every team meet. One winning team from each group will advance to a championship tournament hosted by PongSpace free of charge. Pongspace can also invite top teams in each division to complete the draw.
League Concepts
· Officials: All regular season matches will be self-officiated. All championship finals will be officiated by USATT or ITTF certified umpires.
· Meet Referee: The captains during the regular season meet will settle all disputes before entering the final results. At the championship tournament, the tournament referee settles all disputes.
· Meet Format: The format is team. Athletes represent a club and play for their team. While athletes do not need to be monthly or annual members of the club they are representing, it is expected they play at the represented club on a regular basis.
· Venues: Regular seasons will be played at local clubs. The venue of the league championship will be announced in January 2023.
· Practice Sessions: Teams are encouraged to spend time practicing and training for table tennis.
· Equipment: All equipment must be ITTF or USATT approved. Table Tennis Racquets, specifically, table tennis racquet coverings must be International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) or USA Table Tennis Approved (USATT).
· Competition Attire. All players are given a t-shirt from PongSpace. We encourage all players to play with t-shirts, shorts and sneakers.
· Scheduling: There will be a regional director assigned to work with each team to schedule the matches. The home team is responsible to book their home court at Pongspace.com. Immediately after booking, the team can send out email invites to teammates and the other team captains directly from Pongspace.com
· Rosters: The captain of the team must submit the list of players at the beginning of the season. Before each meet, the captains need to electronically submit the players of the day.
· Regional Directors: PongSpace will designate three regional directors: one for New England, one for Metro NY/NJ and one for Metro DC. The regional directors will be responsible for communicating and ensuring league rules are enforced, and to settle any disputes during the regular season in case the captains of the teams cannot come to an agreement.
· Divisions:The league will be broken up by 5 to 6 divisions depending on the number of participating teams.
· Groups: Each division will be broken up by groups of 3 to 5 teams based on geographical proximity of the representing home club.
· League Championship - Culminating Event: Top teams from each division will be advanced to the League Championship at the end of the season. PongSpace reserves the right to invite additional teams based on regular season records. Regular season results will determine the seeding during the championship. Stay tuned for further announcements.
· Clothing: Players are expected to play in solid color shirts, shorts and sneakers.
· Gender: All matches are Co-Ed.
League Logistics
· Team Size: Minimum of 3 players and up to 5 players per team. Each individual can only play for one team for each season.
· Meets: Each team meet will play 4 singles and 1 doubles match. The team that wins 3 out of the 5 matches wins the meet. For regular season division meets, 3 to4 players can play. If the team decides to use 4 players, each player will play a singles match and two of the four will play the doubles. Match sequences are 2 singles, 1 doubles, followed by 2 more singles. For the Championship tournament, each team picks 3 players to compete. One player will play 2 singles and the other two players play 1 singles and 1 doubles each.
· Matches: All matches during the regular season and championship tournament will be 3out of 5 games to 11 points.
· Games: All games are best of 11 (deuce scoring when game is tied).
· Scoring: During the regular season, each team meet won will count as 3 points. The losing team will count as 1 point. Top teams from each group will earn automatic invites to the championship tournament.
· Rounds: Each team within the assigned group will play one home meet and one away meet during the regular season. The Championship tournament will be single elimination based on seeding from regular season results.
· Roster and Match Score Sheets: Prior to each match, each team is required to fill out a roster sheet on the App.
· Table Tennis Rules: The league will abide by the USA Table Tennis Rules and Regulations
· Team Match Duration: Each team meet is expected to take 2 hours on one table.
· Forfeitures: A team that fails to provide sufficient players to field a team will lose that match. A team that cancels within a 48-hour window will lose the match 5-0 with that match counted in the results. The only exception will be inclement weather. A team that loses without sufficient players will still earn a point whereas the team that fails to show up will not have a single point.
· Disputes: For the regular season, the regional director will have the final power to resolve any disputes. For the championship, the referee of the tournament will have the final power to resolve any disputes.
· Entering Scores: Both teams will submit player rosters and record scores on Competition.PongSpace.com.
League Championship
The League Championship will be held in April 2023 at a venue to be announced in January 2023.
· Format: Depending on the number of divisions for the season, the league can decide on a round robin format following by single elimination of the top two teams or simply just a round robin format. Matches follow the same rules for the regular season.
· Referee: PongSpace will provide a USATT certified referee to oversee the championship. The referee will enforce USATT rules and regulations of the tournament as well as handle any disputes during the championship.
· Captains Meeting: Prior to the start of the competition, there will be a Captains’ meeting to explain the rules and to answer questions. It will be held over Zoom.
· Insurance and Waiver Forms: Regular season insurance is covered by each club. All participants need to sign a waiver to release liability of PongSpace and participants. PongSpace will cover insurance for the Championship tournament.
COVID Restrictions
We will be following COVID restrictions of each state where the matches are played.
Registration
Teams can register and pay online.
