Youth Tennis
What can children and their parents expect when they become members of a tennis club? At first glance, this may seem like a simple question to answer, but in reality it is quite complex. We therefore want to give children and parents of children who would like to start playing tennis an overview of the opportunities available within the sport.
How to join the tennis club
To become a member of our club, you need to complete a registration form and submit it to the membership administration. Once the application has been accepted, your club membership will be created. At the same time, your membership of the KNLTB (the Dutch tennis association) will be activated and you will be assigned a KNLTB membership number. Each KNLTB member also receives their own MijnKNLTB account, where you can view information including your singles and doubles rating.
Book a court
In addition to your MijnKNLTB account, you will also receive access to the members-only section of our website and the KNLTB ClubApp. This allows you to book a tennis court so that you can play with another member or with a guest.
Youth tennis categories in the Netherlands
Youth tennis in the Netherlands, known as Tenniskids within the KNLTB, uses four colour categories. Each colour corresponds to a different age group, court size and type of ball. The different colours are explained below.
Blue (ages 4 to 6)
Goal: to discover movement and the tennis ball
Court: very small court or mini court, such as a service box
Ball: a large, soft foam ball with low pressure. A balloon can also be used.
Matches: no matches are played yet. The focus is on fun activities tailored to the child.
Red (ages 6 to 8)
Goal: to develop basic skills and play short matches.
Court: a mini court, such as a service box or a court running crosswise across a standard tennis court.
Ball: the red Stage 3 ball
Matches: singles to 7 points on a small court. Matches are played during league matches or tournaments.
Orange (ages 8–10)
Goal: to further develop technique and tactics on a larger court
Court: three-quarter court
Ball: the orange Stage 2 ball, which is 50% lighter than a yellow tennis ball
Matches: games are played, with a deciding point at 40–40. Matches are often timed, but sets to four games may also be played. Matches take place during league matches or tournaments.
Green (ages 10–12)
Goal: the final step towards playing on a full-size tennis court.
Court: standard tennis court
Ball: the green Stage 1 ball, which is 25% lighter than a yellow tennis ball
Matches: Matches are played on a full-size court according to the standard rules of tennis. They take place during competitions or tournaments.
Yellow (ages 13 and up)
After Green, children move on to the Yellow ball. From then on, they play by the standard rules of tennis.
Events
There are many events within tennis in which children can participate. It is important, however, to know what opportunities are available. A distinction is made between internal and external events.
Internal events are organised within the club and are intended for children who are members of the club.
External events involve multiple clubs. Examples include open tournaments, in which players from other clubs can also participate, and tennis competitions in which teams from different clubs play against each other.
Internal events
- One-day tournaments, often with a particular theme, usually held on Sundays. Four to five of these tournaments are held each year.
- Club championships held over several days.
- Internal league.
External Events
The spring and autumn leagues
The spring league runs from early April to around the end of May. Matches are usually played on Sunday mornings. You’ll play some matches at your own club and others at your opponents’ clubs.
Registration for this league takes place in December.
The autumn league runs from early September to mid-October. Matches are usually played on Sunday mornings. You’ll play some matches at your own club and others at your opponents’ clubs.
Registration for this league opens in June.
For this league, children are assigned to red, orange, green or yellow. Each colour has its own league format.
Once registration for both competitions is open, all members will receive an invitation from the Technical Committee with all the information needed to register.
Orange Competition Format
On competition days, teams usually meet at the host club at 8:30 am. Four clubs take part and play against each other. After a brief introduction, matches begin at 9:00 am. The children play short matches, first to seven points (tie-break). Every match won counts towards the team score. At the end, the points for each team are added up to determine the winner.
If a child is unable to take part in a league match day, it won’t have any consequences. So there’s no extra pressure.
Orange league format
On league match days, teams often meet at the host club at 8:30 a.m. Four clubs are represented and play against each other. The children who are present are entered into the KNLTB program. Once all the children present have been registered, the match schedule is set. This includes deciding how many rounds will be played, how many courts are available, how long each match will last, and whether singles, doubles, or both will be played. The computer program then draws up the match schedule. Matches start at 9 a.m. After each round, the program is updated with the name of the child who won each match.
The results are then calculated by comparing which club won the most matches that day. Results are shown as percentages.
If a child is unable to take part in a league match day, it won’t have any consequences. So there’s no extra pressure.
Green and Yellow Competition Format
On league match days, a team of at least four players plays against a team from another tennis club. Six matches are played on the day: four singles matches and two doubles matches. That’s why at least four players are needed.
Every match win earns points for the team. Each player’s match results also count individually towards the playing level system. A player’s rating can therefore change after every match.
By the end of the league, each team in the group will have played every other team once. The team with the most points wins the group.
The difference between green and yellow is that green matches are played in sets to four games, while yellow matches are played in sets to six games.
At least four players are needed on match day. If there are too few players, not all matches can be played, putting the team at a disadvantage. Any match that cannot be played due to a player’s absence is counted as a loss.
Open tournaments
These are tournaments that children can enter and that are also organised by other tennis clubs. The familiar red, orange, green and yellow categories are used here too. You can usually enter these tournaments via the Toernooi.nl website.
Use this website to find suitable tournaments. Apply filters such as location and ball colour to see only relevant tournaments.
Tennis coaching
As a junior, you’ve probably seen professional tennis players on TV or YouTube. They often make it look easy, but tennis is actually a challenging and difficult sport. When you play tennis, you have to keep several rules in mind. For example, the ball can only bounce once, must land inside the lines, and you need to be able to hit it accurately to the other player. That takes practice.
Tennis lessons are important for learning to understand the game and developing the right skills.
If you want to take tennis lessons, it’s important to be placed in the right group. Age and skill level are important factors. This is explained above in the section on the different levels of junior tennis in the Netherlands.
That’s why our club offers a trial lesson first. This allows the coaches to assess the child’s level and decide which group is the best fit.
The children are then placed in a suitable lesson group based on their availability, age and ability. More information about the terms and options for tennis coaching is available via the ‘Training’ link. Club membership and tennis coaching are separate matters. You must be a member of a tennis club to take tennis lessons. However, the coaching fee is charged separately by the coach.
