We're committed to making Hartlepool Tennis safe and enjoyable for all players.

We're especially keen to assure all visitors to the club that tennis is a great choice during the current climate. By its nature tennis is a no-contact sport and safe distances can be maintained at all times, however, we have put in place a series of rules to ensure the safety of all players. Not only do we provide hand sanitiser but we also have contactless booking (view our booking page) where you can reserve a court online. You are then issued a private PIN which limits access to the courts to only those who have booked. If you have any concerns or questions please message us. 

Now the serious bit...

CLUB ‘PLAY SAFE’ RULES

Please stay safe, consider the impact of your activity on others and follow these rules carefully. Please remember that all activity at the club is done at your own risk. 

The negative bit…

To ensure the safety of members and visitors, regular checks will be made. Even if some people believe the risks associated with Covid-19 are exaggerated, please be clear that the directors of the club take this crisis extremely seriously. These are rules and not merely guidelines. If it is felt certain individuals are not following these rules we will have no choice but to cancel their membership immediately. Fees will not be returned. If it is felt there is a collective disregard for these rules we will have no choice but to close our doors in the interests of safety. The following rules are written in a concise and straightforward way. This is done for clarity and to impress upon all players how important they are.

The positive bit…

These rules are in place to ensure your safety, the safety of others and to guarantee an enjoyable session for all. Have a great time visiting the club! 

 

SECTION 1: BEFORE & AFTER PLAY

STAY UP TO DATE

• Government information around social distancing must be followed.
• Strictly observe these club rules which are based on those developed by the LTA. Regardless of further easing by the government, the club will only lift further restrictions once it is happy that national and local rates of infection have improved. These rules will be reviewed by the club's directors every two weeks.

 

WHO CAN PLAY

• If you are symptomatic or living in a household with someone else who has a possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection you should remain at home and not go out to play tennis, following NHS and PHE guidance on self-isolation.
• If you are required to self-isolate for any other reason then you should also not exercise outside your own home or garden and should not exercise with others. This includes if you have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace because you are a close contact of a known COVID-19 case, or if you have returned from a travel destination not included on the Government’s travel corridor list. In all of these instances, you should not leave your home to play tennis.
• If you are in a clinically vulnerable group (e.g. over 70) you can play tennis but should be especially careful and diligent about social distancing and hand hygiene.
• If you are classified as clinically extremely vulnerable, from 6 July you can consider playing tennis, always maintaining social distancing and with robust hand and respiratory hygiene.
• The clubhouse toilets are open to members only. Please clean toilets after use. Do not use the clubhouse for any other purpose. This means no changing, no use of the kitchen, no use of the bins and no use of any equipment. You must stay within the taped corridors. 

 

BEFORE LEAVING HOME AND AFTER YOU RETURN

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before leaving home to go to the court (use an alcohol gel if washing hands is not possible).
• Arrive at the venue changed and ready to play, and shower at home. Changing facilities are closed.
• If you have special needs, you may wish to speak to the venue in advance to ensure your needs are accommodated and appropriate facilities are open.

 

COURT BOOKINGS

• Do not simply turn up at the courts. Your PIN will not work without having first booked online. Your PIN will only work from the time your session begins.
• You must book sessions through the ‘website’ or ‘booker app’ first (details on the 'bookings' page of our website). This will enable us to track usage.
• Please use the Clubspark or LTA account you use for bookings. If you are unsure of which account or email you use please contact Paul Asensio (hartlepooltennisclub@gmail.com).
• Guests should pay online and directly into the club account. No guests should be invited to the club without payment.

 

EQUIPMENT

• Take hand sanitiser with you. 
• Take all your own equipment (do not share equipment such as raquets, grips, hats and towels). 
• Only take the minimum amount of equipment with you that you need to play. 
• Clean and wipe down your equipment, including racquets and water bottles before and after use.
• Bring a full water bottle, and do not share food or drink with others. 
• Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session and do not leave anything on court.
• We have a new outside storage box which includes a first aid kit. The box is locked with a coded padlock. If you require access please contact Paul Asensio – 07403269307.

 

TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE VENUE

• You can help control COVID-19 and travel safely by walking and cycling, if you can. Where this is not possible, use drive or use public transport - safer travel guidance is provided on the Government website.
• Arrive as close as possible to when you need to be there.
• Use alcohol gel after touching any court gates, fences, benches, etc, and avoid doing so where possible
• Allow others to leave before you enter the court. If you need to wait then do so away from the courts and clear of the gates.
• Do not cross others on the path between the clubhouse and front gate. Allow others to use the path before using it yourself.
• Do not congregate after playing. No extra-curricular or social activity should take place.

 

USING VENUE FACILITIES

• Be aware that onsite toilet facilities are only open to members. Members are advised to take particular care when using them and clean hands thoroughly after use

 

SECTION 2: DURING PLAY

COURT LIMITS

• Both singles play and doubles play is permitted with people from outside of your household, as long as you remain 2 metres apart as far as possible – meaning that four people from different households can play doubles.
• Restrictions on group numbers vary depending on if the activity is informal social play or organised group activity.

 

INFORMAL SOCIAL PLAY

• For informal social play, from Monday 14 September, group size is limited to a maximum of six people by law. This means you can play tennis providing you only meet up with no more than 5 other people from different households and observe social distancing guidelines.
• People should not go to a tennis venue socially in groups of more than six

 

ORGANISED ACTIVITY

• Organised activity for larger groups, including coached sessions, club nights and competitions is permitted by the Government as an exception to the limit of six, and so can continue, provided that venues, coaching providers and event organisers follow LTA COVID-19 secure guidelines.
• All sessions featured in the club's Arrangements for Play are classed as "organised activity".
• For adult coaching activity, this is in line with Government guidance on organising outdoor sport and physical activity events and for providers of grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities.
• For children, organised coach sessions should be limited to groups of no more than 15 children (plus coach(es), in line with guidance from the Department of Education on out of school settings.
• The LTA recommends no more than 12 players on one full-size tennis court and surrounding areas at any one time, in order to ensure social distancing can be maintained at all times. Most tennis sessions will have far less than this number per court, but a scenario where this may apply is red stage tennis for children.

 

COMPETITIONS

• LTA approved competitions (Grade 2 to 6), team competitions and recreational competition can be played as long as they adhere to the LTA’s Return to Competition guidance, in line with the Government’s guidance on organising outdoor sport and physical activity participation events. Please note competitions may be limited in draw size depending on a range of factors including the COVID-19 secure capacity of the venue.

 

MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING

• Stay at least two metres away from others they do not live with or are in a support bubble (including during play as far as possible, when taking breaks and before and after play).
• Do not make physical contact with other players (such as shaking hands or high five).
• Avoid chasing the ball down to another court if other players are using it.
• For doubles, consider agreeing in advance which player will take the shot if a ball travels to the centre of the court.
• Players are advised to limit their interactions with anyone outside of the group they are attending the venue with (e.g. players on another court or in a different coaching group).
• For coached sessions, pay careful attention to the instructions of the coach.
• Where you cannot maintain a two metre distance then further precautions should be put in place as part of ‘one metre plus mitigations’ guidance (see the Government’s advice on ‘Staying safe outside your home’ for more details).

 

EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES

• You can use your own clearly marked tennis balls. Mark balls twice at 180 degrees.
• If players wish to, they can choose to use their own marked tennis balls.
• If you choose to use shared balls then extra care must be taken to ensure you do not touch your face during play, and you should clean your hands before play and immediately after finishing (use alcohol gel if required).
• Players should still avoid using their hands to pick up tennis balls from other courts where possible - use your racquet/foot to return them as those players may have decided to use their own marked tennis balls.
• Do not use the picnic bench or memorial bench. Do not sit on walls. 
• Net winders have been set at the correct height. Do not attempt to change the heights of nets.

 

HYGIENE

• If you need to sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue or upper sleeve. 
• Avoid touching your face.
• Dispose of tissues, wipes, gloves, masks and towels safely in your own bags. There are no bins at the venue and the creation of one will result in a ban from the club.
• Hand hygiene is imperative - hand sanitise at intervals if you have to touch communal surfaces.

 

SOCIAL SESSIONS

• There should be no court hopping. Do not chage groups from your group of four.

 

SECTION 3: GENERAL COURT BOOKING T&Cs

BOOKING TIMES

• Courts are generally available for booking from 8am to 10pm, 7 days a week, all year round.
• Coaching/social/match and special event sessions take precedence.
• The time of the last court booking on non-floodlit courts (3, 4 & 5) varies throughout the year according to daylight times. The last floodlit court (1 & 2) booking is 9pm to 10pm throughout the year.

 

MEMBERS AND PAY-AND-PLAY VISITORS

• Bookings need to be made via the club website. (https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/HartlepoolLawnTennisClub/Bookings) or the ClubSpark Booker app available free on both IOS and Android.
• Members can book courts up to 14 days in advance online.
• If a court booking is made at the members’ rate then all players on court must all be members otherwise the booking must be made at the Pay-and-Play visitors’ rate.
• Pay-and-play visitors can book courts up to 7 days in advance online.
• Each booking has a maximum of 3 court hours per day.
• Members/visitors may not book more than one separate court for the same hour.
• Players may only use the booked court, no other courts are to be used.
• Attendance later than 15 minutes after the hour may result in the booking being passed to another player.
• Court bookings should be made in the name of a member/visitor who will be on the court.
• Players may be asked to leave the court if the named member/visitor who made the booking is not present.
• Courts fees once booked cannot be refunded.
• If a court is unplayable due to weather conditions (fog, snow etc), the club should be informed by email within 24 hours. A court can then be re-booked at a future time convenient to the member/visitor within 28 days of the original booking. This should be organised with a director and NOT done online.
• Requests to cancel courts that have been booked should be made by email no less than 48 hours before the court original booking time. Credit will then be given for an equivalent booking within the following 28 days. Court cancellations within 48 hours of a booking will not be allowed. The new session should be organised with a director and NOT done online.
• Courts must be vacated before the hour (regardless of match score) if the subsequent hour has been pre-booked.
• The full hourly fee applies to any play that continues for longer than 5 minutes after the booked hour assuming that the court is still free.
• Winter Floodlight members can only book courts 1 & 2 displayed at the winter floodlight rates
• All players must wear appropriate sports kit and non-ridged sports shoes

 

Hartlepool Tennis Club accepts no responsibility for the loss, theft or damage to personal possessions during a court booking.

Hartlepool Tennis Club reserves the right to alter the terms and conditions without notice.

Hartlepool Tennis Club reserves the right to move/re-schedule/cancel bookings as necessary.

 

Players play on court at their own risk.

 

Thank you for your cooperation. 

Paul Asensio

Chair of Directors

For and on behalf of the Directors of Hartlepool Lawn Tennis Club Ltd