Members

Handbook
Issue 5

LTA Clubmark Accredited

 Welcome
This Handbook contains important information for members of Wrecclesham
Tennis Club. Please read it and retain it for future reference.

We have always been known as a friendly club, welcoming players of all

abilities.

Wrecclesham Tennis Club has 4 hard courts, 3 of which are floodlit, plus a
clubhouse. We lease our land from Waverley Borough Council.

The Club is run by a committee of volunteers who are elected at the AGM.
Many other club members help in a variety of ways to keep the club activities
going. The committee is made up of Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer,
Membership Secretary, Junior Co-ordinator, Fixture Secretary, Ladies Captain,
Mens Captain, Tournament Organiser, Publicity Co-ordinator as well as
additional committee members who take on extra tasks such as running the 5
American Tournaments, social events and any other required tasks.
Maintenance is currently looked after by a sub group who report to the
committee. Please see the noticeboard or web site for current committee. The
main contacts are:
chairman@wreccleshamtennis.org.uk
secretary@wreccleshamtennis.org.uk
membership@wreccleshamtennis.org.uk
juniors@wreccleshamtennis.org.uk

We keep members informed through the notice boards in the Clubhouse,

newsletters, e mails and the web site.

We achieved LTA Clubmark accreditation in June 2010, valid until 2014. LTA
Clubmark recognises that Wrecclesham Tennis Club has achieved high
standards in Club Management and Tennis Programmes.

Wrecclesham Tennis Club Ltd,

The Recreation Ground,
Riverdale,
Wrecclesham,
Farnham GU10 4PJ.
Web site: www.wreccleshamtennis.org.uk

As the Club has no telephone it is advised that you have a mobile phone with
you when at the Tennis Club in case of emergencies.

We are a Company limited by Guarantee and not having share capital. We are
registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club and are affiliated to the Lawn
Tennis Association (LTA).
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 Membership Categories
Adult: Over 25 on 1 April in full time employment
Student: /Intermediate: Over 16 in full time education or employment, or
under 16 but at a playing standard to be in adult teams
and/or play at adult club sessions.
University student: Over 18 in full time education, living and studying away
from home.
Junior: Under 16 on 1 April.
One Parent Family: One Adult member who is Parent or Guardian with any
number of Junior members. There is an additional charge
per Student member included in a Family membership.
Two Parent Family: Two Adult members who are Parents or Guardians with
any number of Junior members. There is an additional
charge per Student member included in a Family
membership.
Senior Citizen: Those eligible for State Retirement Pension on 1 April.
Non playing member: Anyone who wishes to belong to the Club as a social
member but not play tennis.

Subscriptions: Due on 1 April and should be sent to the Membership

Secretary.

Court Availability and Booking

Courts are not available for general play at the following times:
Club Play Sessions : see page 4
Junior coaching: see website and diary
League matches: generally 2 courts are used. In exceptional
circumstances, such as rearranged matches, all 4 courts may be
used. see fixture list on web site.
For any other club or community events: see website and diary

Courts 2, 3 and 4 may be booked for general play up to 6 days in advance.

Court 1 is not available for booking. The Bookings Diary is in the clubhouse.

Tournaments, matches and committee approved coaching programmes may

be booked any time in advance. Tournament matches should not be booked
during club sessions, except the last week before Finals Day, when Court 4
may be booked from 8pm. See diary for booking and web site for fixtures.

Visitors
If you bring a non-member to play social tennis then you must pay a visitor
fee. £1 per hour for Juniors/Students and £2 per hour for Adults. See Visitor
Book for payment instructions. See rule 7 for further information.

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 Floodlights
We have planning permission to use the floodlights up to 10pm every day.
There is an automatic cut out switch but this can fail at times.

Please keep an eye on the time and switch off at 10pm. We could lose our
planning permission if we do not do this.

Club Sessions
Adults and Students: All year round. Tennis balls and floodlights provided.
Wednesday, 6.30pm to 10pm. A committee member is on duty.
Sunday, 2.30pm to 5pm.

Juniors: Priority on Saturday, 9am to 1pm. In winter 2 courts may be needed

for matches. Junior coaching also takes place on most Saturday
mornings.
Supervised playing sessions may be arranged—see current Junior
Newsletter and web site.

Tournaments
Adults and Students:
Annual Club Championship: From July with Finals Day in mid September.
Winter Mixed Handicap Tournament: November to April
Five American tournaments: New Years Day, May, June, July and September.
Charity Tournaments: August

Juniors:
Club Tournament: July
Terry Davies Cup: October
Other competitions are organised by the coaches.

Dates are in newsletters and on the web site.

Team Tennis
Adult and Junior Teams are entered in the Aldershot and District Leagues in
summer and winter. Matches are played in the evenings in the summer and
mainly at week ends in the winter.

There is a wide range of playing standard giving most members an opportunity

for match play.

The fixture list is on the web site and in the clubhouse.

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 Coaching
The Pin Point Tennis Team, led by Head Coach Gemma Wiltshire, organises
adult and junior coaching and assists with club events. Private coaching,both
group and individual, is available. All enquiries contact Gemma on 07832
340509 or look at www.pinpointtennisteam.co.uk for more information.

Brian Greig provides some individual and group coaching for beginner adults
or those returning to tennis. He is a member of Tenniscoachuk with an
Elementary Coach Award. He can be contacted on 01252 793762.

Social
We hold an Annual Dinner and Dance in November.
We have other social events such as quizzes, skittles and barbeques.

Care of the Clubhouse and Courts

It is the responsibility of each member to take care of the Club’s facilities and
to take appropriate action if others are not doing so. A committee member
should be informed of any concerns.

Adult members can check if juniors are members by checking they have a
current membership card. If they do not have their membership card they can
be asked to leave or pay a visitor fee if they are with a member. At minimum it
is worth checking the Junior membership list in the clubhouse.

Junior members are not allowed in the clubhouse without a Adult member
present .

For your own safety and that of the clubhouse and courts, please lock the
outer gates when you are playing.

British Tennis Membership

We ask all our members to join British Tennis so they can keep in touch with
what’s happening in the world of Tennis. It raises the Club’s profile with Surrey
LTA and increases the number of Wimbledon tickets allocated to the Club.
Only British Tennis members aged over 9 on 1 April will be eligible for the
Wimbledon ticket draw. British Tennis membership is currently free to Club
members. See our web site for the link.

See the Surrey LTA web site for competitions and ratings. See our web site for
a link.

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 Rules
Note:
The following rules are to be read in conjunction with the Memorandum and
Articles of Association available on the web site, in the Policies and Procedure
file in the Clubhouse and the Club Handbook.

General:
1. Subscriptions: The Subscription year shall run from 1 April to 31 March.
Subscriptions shall be determined by the management
committee and shall be due on 1 April.
2. Keys: Keys to the courts and to the clubhouse will be available
to all members aged over 18. Members under 18 will be
provided with court keys only. All keys must be returned
to the Membership Secretary when a member leaves the
Club.
3. Security: Club members are responsible for the security of the
Club’s facilities. To prevent unauthorised access, the
gates to the courts should in general be locked, even
while members are playing tennis. For Club matches,
tournaments and social events the gates may remain
unlocked, but participating members remain responsible
for security.
4. Clubhouse: Information governing the use of the clubhouse and
courts will be posted on the Club notice board and around
the site. Members must abide by any notices concerning
the use of facilities and equipment. The clubhouse must
be vacated by 10.30pm.
5. Behaviour: Members should abide by the Wrecclesham Tennis Club
Codes of Conduct for members and Parents and
Guardians as they appear in the most recent Club
handbook. Members should abide by the Lawn Tennis
Association Tennis Court Etiquette displayed on the Club
noticeboard. Members should give due respect and
consideration to other members, opposing players and
visitors to the Club. They should not behave in any
manner that would bring the club into disrepute. The
various facilities of the Club - such as courts, clubhouse,
equipment - are for the enjoyment of all members, and

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 these should therefore be treated with care at all times.
Inappropriate behaviour could result in a member being
excluded from the Club or forfeiting their right to access
the clubhouse. All members should always be considerate
to local residents and users of the recreation ground.
6. Lawn Tennis The Club will take and retain a membership of the Surrey
Association: County Lawn Tennis Association (SCLTA) and by doing so
become and remain registered as an Associate of the
Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The members will comply
with and uphold the Rules and Regulations of the SCLTA
as amended from time to time and the LTA Rules and the
LTA Disciplinary Code and the rules and regulations of any
body to which the LTA is registered or affiliated.
The members will be subject to the LTA Rules and the LTA
Disciplinary Code and the LTA’s wider jurisdiction, to
make rules, regulations, bye-laws and standing orders
concerning the operation of the Club including without
limitation regulations concerning disciplinary procedures
that may be taken against the members.
All members will be encouraged to apply for British Tennis
Membership.
7. Visitors: A member may introduce no more than three playing
visitors to the Club on any one occasion. An individual may
be a visitor at most six times in a year. All visitors’ names
shall be entered in the visitors’ book in the clubhouse,
and the appropriate fee paid to a Committee member as
soon as possible. The fees for visitors shall be as
determined by the management committee.
8. Car Parking: Whenever possible, cars should be parked in the
recreation ground car park and not along the road.
Parking on the bend is extremely dangerous. The Highway
Code states that you should not park on a bend.

Play:
9. General: Play shall be in accordance with the laws of the game of
lawn tennis as laid down by the Lawn Tennis Association.

10. Clothing: Recognised sports clothing should be worn at all times.

No jeans are to be worn on court. Tennis shoes only must
be worn which will not mark or damage the courts or lead

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 to accidents.
11. Court Booking: A set of rules for the booking of courts will be posted on
the Club noticeboard.
A diary shall be provided in the clubhouse for the booking
of courts with instructions as appropriate from the
committee.
No court may be booked by a member for a time when a
league match is to take place on the court, the dates and
times of which shall be posted in the clubhouse. No court
may be booked during organised Club Sessions.
Court 1 cannot be booked and is for general play
unless required for a league match.

Court 4 may be booked by adults to play with their

children. 45 minute slots can be booked, as this is often
long enough for very young players.
Subject to the above, a court may be booked by a member
involved in a club tournament or an official competition
recognised by the Committee, any time prior to the
proposed day of play.
Subject to the above a member may only book a court up
to 6 days prior to the proposed day of play.
12. Club Sessions: The order of play shall be decided by a rota of the
available players, taking due consideration of playing
strength. In general doubles will be played.
Singles may be played only when the number of players
present is such that a set of singles will not prevent other
members using the courts.
When people are waiting to play or arrive while you are
playing a game, then, doubles play shall be limited to 8
games. 4 games will be played at each end with each
person having one serve. Deuce will be sudden death—
whoever wins the first point wins the game.
13. Junior Play: Juniors shall have their membership cards with them at
all times as proof of membership. You could be asked to
leave if you cannot produce it.

Saturday morning is designated a Junior playing time,

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 unless courts are needed for League matches. Otherwise
Adult members may not occupy a court until after 1.00 pm
if Juniors are waiting to play.
Juniors shall not occupy a court on a week day after
6.30pm, or after 1.00pm on Saturday and all day
Sunday unless:
- they are with an adult member
- there are no adult members waiting to play
*Juniors can finish the game they are playing if they have to
give up the court.
14. League Play: The Club shall be affiliated to the Aldershot and District
LTA and shall abide by its rules, which shall be displayed
in the Pavilion.
Participation in League matches shall be determined by
the Committee.
Teams shall be selected by a Selection Committee
appointed by the Committee.
A match fee set by the management committee shall be
payable by each player in a League match.

Codes of Practice
Wrecclesham Tennis Club is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting
the well-being of all its members. The club believes that it is important that
members, coaches and families associated with the club should, at all times,
show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others.
Members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns
they may have about any aspect of the club with the Club Secretary (Contact
details on clubhouse noticeboard and web site). See page 12 for Complaint
Procedure.

Code of Conduct
To be read with the Rules of the Club
To maintain the friendly and informal atmosphere please follow this code of
conduct.
1. All members must play within the rules and respect officials and their
decisions.
2. All members must respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants
regardless of age, gender, ability, race, cultural background, religious
beliefs or sexual identity.

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3. There should be no foul language or abuse of rackets, tennis balls or court
equipment.
4. Be considerate when needing to cross a court. If you need to go behind or
beside a court please wait until there is a suitable break in play.
5. Be considerate when returning balls to your opponent.
6. Be considerate about the volume of chatter during play as this can distract
and disturb neighbouring courts.
7. Line calls: Please use the honour system as in the Etiquette factsheet.
Main points are, call only the lines on your side of the net and if there is
any doubt the ball is in.
8. Encourage your partner and remain calm and relaxed.
9. Remember you are representing the club when you are playing a match
and conduct yourself accordingly.
10. Leave the clubhouse and the courts litter free, clean and tidy. Please
wash up mugs and glasses and put them away
11. Treat the equipment in the clubhouse as if you would be paying for the
replacement.
12. In addition, Junior members are not allowed to smoke, consume alcohol
or drugs of any kind on the club premises or whilst representing the club.

Code of Practice for Parents and Guardians

1. Encourage your child to learn the rules of tennis and play within them.
2. Discourage unfair play and arguing with officials.
3. Help your child to recognise good performance, not just results.
4. Never force your child to take part in sport.
5. Set a good example by recognising fair play and applauding the good
performances of all.
6. Never punish or belittle a child for losing or making mistakes.
7. Publicly accept judgements made by officials.
8. Support your child’s involvement and help them to enjoy their sport.
- Use correct and proper language at all times.
- Allow your child to play in the Mini Tennis colour stage that is
appropriate to them. This will ensure they enjoy playing the game,
develop their skills and gain confidence.

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 - Purchase balls and rackets that match the stage your child is in.
- Be patient. Steady progression is unusual in children; peaks and
plateaus are common.
- Your first question following any match should be: “Did you enjoy it?”
not “Did you win?”
9. At no stage should you communicate with your child or interfere with the on
-court helpers and referees during a match – just enjoy the game and let
officials take care of the rules!

Safety and Well-Being

Wrecclesham Tennis Club aims to create an enjoyable and safe environment
for all children, young people and adults deemed at risk.
Diane Pettitt is the club’s designated welfare officer managing any issues
raised:
Diane’s contact numbers are:Tel: 01252 687945: Mobile: 07708 131584
You can talk to her about any concerns or worries you may have.
Further information or help is available from LTA Child Protection
Tel: 0208 487 7008/7116 Mobile (24 hr): 07971 141024
E-mail: safeguarding@lta.org.uk
www.LTA.org.uk/safety and well-being
Further information about our safeguarding policies for children can be found
on the web site and in the file in the Clubhouse and on the noticeboard.

Equality and Diversity

WTC has adopted the LTA policy on Equality and Diversity. See web site or file
in clubhouse for further information.

Incidents or Accidents
The welfare of the injured person is paramount. If you are a Junior member,
please contact a responsible adult as soon as possible.
If you need to call an ambulance, the full address of the club is on page 2 of
the handbook, the First Aid box and the external Junior noticeboard.
Check if there is a first aider on site. There is a list of first aiders on the First
Aid box on the wall by the clubhouse door and the external Junior noticeboard.
When the person is safe, complete an incident/accident report form which is
in the file in the clubhouse and give it to the Club Secretary or other
committee member. See file in clubhouse for full guidelines.

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 Hardship Fund
This is a small fund to give assistance to existing members who are
experiencing sudden and unexpected financial difficulty. It may be for help
with the subscription or essential sports equipment. It will be managed by
three committee members and all personal information will be kept
confidential to those three. Any enquiries in confidence to
chairman@wreccleshamtennis.org.uk

Concerns, Complaints and Comments

In the event that any member or visitor feels that he or she has experienced
discrimination or harassment in any way or that the club policies, rules or
code of conduct have been broken please follow the procedure below. If you
are a Junior member please speak to your parent or guardian or another
responsible adult who can help you.

The Complainant should report the matter in writing to the Club Secretary .
Please include:
- details of what occurred
- details of when and where the occurrence took place
- any witness details and copies of any witness statements
- names of any others who have been treated in a similar way (provided
that those people consent to their names being disclosed)
- details of any former complaints made about the incident, including
the date and to whom such complaint was made
- and an indication as to the desired outcome.

Contact details are on the web site or clubhouse noticeboard.

We welcome any comments or suggestions you wish to make to improve the

activities of the club. Please contact the Club Secretary or any other
Committee Member. A feedback form is available on the noticeboards and the
web site.

Help us build and maintain a strong Club for your community and
for you to enjoy your tennis.

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