At Grefsen & Furuset Tennisklubb, players from clubs all over Oslo meet on one open ClubMatch league, and some have gone from opponents to teammates. Open to members and non-members alike, it has grown into one of the largest ClubMatch tennis leagues in Norway.
"We all come from different clubs and would never have met if the league had not been open to everyone. The variety of opponents at your own level is the best match practice there is. During league matches you get to know people in a different way. You see if they respect agreements, if communication and chemistry is good, if they are fair players and are graceful in both winning and defeat. And this is how our veteran ladies team came together." Alexandra Stojkovic, captain of the Monolitten veteran ladies team
One league, open to everyone
Grefsen & Furuset, two clubs that cooperate, made one choice that set everything in motion: they opened their ClubMatch league to everyone, not just their own members. That turned it into a genuinely city-wide league, drawing players from clubs right across Oslo. The result speaks for itself: 194 players on the league, and well over 1,400 matches in the past year.
Why open matters
Because the league is open, players meet a far wider range of opponents and levels than they would inside one small club. That variety is exactly the match practice players need to keep improving and to prepare for tournaments, and it means everyone, whatever their level, keeps finding suitable and competitive matches instead of running into the same few opponents round after round.
A team born on the league
For Alexandra Stojkovic and her teammates, the open league did something more than sharpen their tennis: it brought them together. They had never played at the same club, yet season after season on the league they became a veteran ladies team that now represents Monolitten IL and is climbing toward a higher division.
Why it works for other clubs
Grefsen & Furuset show what an open league can do: it draws players from across the area, keeps members engaged, and even helps new teams and friendships form across club lines. Members who grow through broader match experience are members who stay, and that can show later in national tournaments.