For many tennis clubs, the spring league is the highlight of the year. The KNLTB runs the official competition, but most of the work and the club life around it falls to the club itself. Below is what to plan for spring 2027, and what you can organise alongside the KNLTB competition to keep everyone involved.
What is the KNLTB spring league?
The spring league is the KNLTB's national team competition. Club teams play in groups against teams from other clubs, seeded by strength and category. There are weekend categories and midweek evening categories, so both Saturday players and weekday players can take part. The KNLTB handles the group draw, the match schedule, the results processing and the national skill level adjustment.
What the KNLTB does not do: the internal life of your club. Registering teams, communicating with members, the players who aren't on a competition team, and warming up for the season all fall to the club.
The timeline towards spring 2027
The exact dates and deadlines are on the KNLTB site, but the rhythm is similar every year:
| Period | What happens |
|---|---|
| Autumn 2026 | KNLTB opens registration for clubs; clubs sound out captains and teams |
| December 2026 | Confirm teams with the KNLTB (mind the club deadline) |
| January-February 2027 | Group draw announced, teams practise, club runs warm-up activities |
| Early April 2027 | Start of the spring league |
| May-June 2027 | Competition runs, wrap-up and any championship play-offs |
Important: the registration deadline with the KNLTB is months before the start. Clubs that only start rounding up teams in January are already behind.
What your club handles itself
Beyond the official competition, the club shapes the experience. Three things you can lock in now:
- Team registration and communication: who the captains are, how many teams, in which categories. Gather this well before the KNLTB deadline.
- Warming up for the season: a practice ladder or a few winter tournaments keep teams sharp and help those on the fence to join after all.
- The players without a competition team: a large share of your members don't play the KNLTB competition. Spring is exactly when you don't want to forget them.
Keep your non-competition players engaged
During the competition season, the attention goes to the teams. But most members aren't on a KNLTB team, and they can quickly feel left out during this period. That's engagement you're leaving on the table.
An internal ladder competition or a series of tournaments alongside the official competition gives that group a rhythm of its own. Players challenge each other, see their progress and have a reason to keep showing up, even without a competition team. That's exactly where club life grows.
Everything on one club page, alongside the KNLTB competition
The KNLTB competition and your internal activities don't have to exist separately. With Slams you put your internal ladder, tournaments and club championship on a public club page, with registrations, standings and automatic ratings. Your members find everything in one place, while the official teams simply play their KNLTB competition.
See how setting up a tennis competition works, or read how to organise the autumn competition alongside your KNLTB team. Play padel too? Then the padel spring league planning is the counterpart to this piece.
