ELLISWICK LTC – COVID19 UPDATE – 310520
Dear Members
Further good news! The LTA has updated its guidance to allow doubles for players from different households as well as small group coaching (up to 6 including the coach). This means that doubles play may commence as of tomorrow (Monday) morning. We are very pleased to be able to take a step closer to normality, though still subject to specific conditions and still without the social aspect of tennis, which has been so successful at our club.
Before entering club premises, all players and coaches must read and understand the guidance from the LTA in their three sets of guidelines (links below and PDFs attached) as well as the specific guidelines relating to ELTC set out below. Any person not abiding by these guidelines may be asked to leave the premises immediately and may be subject to the Club’s disciplinary process.
LTA Guidelines for Venues: https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-venues—covid-19.pdf
LTA Guidelines for Players: https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-players—covid-19.pdf
LTA Guidelines for Coaches: https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-coaches—covid-19.pdf
ELTC updated guidelines for members:
- Club access– Only players, coaches, and Committee members may attend the club. No spectators are allowed. Guests will now be allowed, though members are asked to bring guests outside of peak (morning) times and required visitor’s fee of £3.00 must be paid.
- Walking on club grounds– Given the increased number of players expected to access the club grounds, we are instituting a simple one-way traffic system to avoid congestion on club grounds. Please continue to access the club via the front footpath, but do not loiter in front of the clubhouse and please exit the grounds via the rear parking lot.
- Clubhouse access– The inner clubhouse will remain closed, with access limited to Committee members in performance of their duties. Refreshments may not be served to or by any member, including members of the Committee.
- Toilets– Toilet facilities will be accessible by members, but we ask that only one person at a time enter the mens or ladies. Toilet facilities should not be used for changing. Signs will be posted to allow members to communicate when a facility is occupied. It is strongly recommended that players bring their own hand sanitiser.
- Play
o Both singles and doubles play are now allowed amongst players from different households.
o No one should come to the Club unless they are playing on a booked court and then only shortly before their session is due to start. Maintain social distance at all times including on court and when going on to and leaving the court.
o Courts may be booked for 1-hour slots (singles) or 1 1/2 hour slots (doubles) and players must vacate the courts and the club grounds at least 5 minutes before the end of their slot. Do not congregate before or after play.
o Players must continue to bring their own tennis balls and mark them, eg with initials. Tennis balls may only be handled by the players on a given court. You should avoid handling tennis balls from another court. It remains best practice to avoid handling opponents’ (and now your partner’s) tennis balls and we would encourage this.
o Please avoid, where possible, touching court equipment. Should the net need adjusting, please do so using protective equipment, eg a paper or cloth towel or glove.
o Please do not close the gates to court 1 and court 4. If the other gates must be used, please close them after use, using protective equipment.
o We have not received Government or LTA advice regarding the use of gloves. Players may consider bringing their own gloves.
- Social tennis– Only organised and managed social tennis is allowed, i.e ladies mornings and Mix-in on Thursday mornings. If you wish to participate in any of those days, please do not hesitate to register your interest by contacting Andree Haxton @ [email protected] who will be organising the fixed four. Do not come to the club unless you have been confirmed to play and only stay during the duration of your court time.
Sadly evening social tennis (eg men’s night, ladies’ night, club night and junior night) is still not feasible. We would encourage those people wishing to continue to enjoy these times to communicate with each other and set up fixed doubles games for the time being. Please note that there will be no courts reserved for any specific social tennis sessions though the Saturday fixed fours (8-10am) may now resume.
- Juniors– Juniors may play but only with at least one adult member on court as well (whether singles or doubles). The adult will be fully responsible for the junior member’s adherence to these guidelines – members will be subject to disciplinary action and non-members will cease to be allowed to book a court should the junior player not adhere. We are at this stage not imposing age restrictions on juniors – parents must judge whether their children are capable of adhering to these strict guidelines.
- Coaching– One-to-one and small group coaching will be allowed. Two courts will normally be reserved, one for each of the coaches, who will release specific time slots on those courts (on the booking system) if not needed for coaching.
Thank you all in advance for adhering to these guidelines such that play may continue in a safe environment at our lovely and popular club. We wish that they weren’t so stringent, but understand why that is so under the circumstances, and hope that the LTA guidance can continue be relaxed in due course. In any case, please use your common sense in order to ensure social distancing at all times.
If, having read this email and the three LTA documents, you have any further questions, please send them to [email protected] and we will do our best to reply to you in a timely fashion.
Best wishes and stay safe
ELTC Committee