NJCAA Rules About Playing In Money Tournaments

Based on the 2010 NJCAA handbook and from a conversation with the person who wrote the rule, here is what you need to remember about playing in tournaments and keeping your amateur status:

1. You cannot make any money from playing in tournaments. If you win a cash prize, you can accept enough to cover your expenses as defined in the ITA/NJCAA Amateur Reimbursement Form. You must return the rest or become ineligible.

2. If you play in the main draw (qualifiers don't count) of a tournament that has a cash prize, that counts as playing in a professional tournament regardless of whether you qualify for any cash prize. If you play in main-draw doubles and singles in the same tournament, that counts as playing in two tournaments.

3. If you have played in 10 or more pro tournaments (see 2 above) you become ineligible to compete in the NJCAA. There is an exception for very young players who have just left high school where they only lose 1 year of eligibility.

4. You must file an ITA/NJCAA Amateur Reimbursement form for each professional tournament (see 2 above) you play in regardless of how you finish.

ITA/NJCAA Amateur Reimbursement Form
http://www.itatennis.com/Assets/ita_assets/pdf/ITA_AMATEUR_FORM_NJCAA.1.20.09.pdf

2010 NJCAA Handbook Excerpt:
Student-athletes shall not have competed on the men’s ATP Professional Tennis Tour or the women’s WTA Professional Tennis Tour or with any other professional tour, circuit or league that provides prize money or salary or any other form of remuneration beyond actual expenses. The ITA expense form is to be used for those amateur student-athletes that have competed in professional tour events or on circuits/tours that provide expense money, not prize money based upon winning, however,
a. Any student-athlete having played in 10 or more professional events after his/her high school class has graduated, shall have one year of eligibility remaining if the ITA expense form is properly executed and approved.
b. Any student-athlete having played in 10 or more professional events two years after high/her high school class has graduated, shall have no eligibility remaining.

NOTE 1: “Professional events” are those main draw events that provide prize money or other forms of remuneration based on winning, whether or not they are sponsored by the ATP/WTA or any other professional tour or circuit.
NOTE 2: An “event” is a main draw singles or a doubles entry in a professional tournament. Entry in a singles and doubles draw in a single professional tournament would count as two (2) events.