Access to the club

Adult, student and junior members have equal access to the club, though there are significant limits on guests for all – see below. Parent members are limited to play only with their children.

Apart from our coaches and clubhouse cleaner, the club has no paid staff and is run entirely by volunteers, and the club site on the Methodist North Bank Estate is unsupervised. 

Access to the site is via the iron security gate beside the Clubhouse which may be retained open during the day but must be locked shut by the last person leaving. Clubhouse keys are available to members at cost (contact facilities@muswellhilltennis.com); you will need to access the Clubhouse if you need to use floodlights. 

We have very limited parking at the Club: please park only when playing, and only if displaying a valid parking permit in the windscreen. Please also park thoughtfully to maximise the use of our space. Do not park in the spaces of the Methodist Home if doing so would leave three or fewer spaces. Cars must not be left on the Methodist Estate overnight.

Playing tennis

First you must book a court on-line in advance: you can’t just turn up and play. Bookings can be made:

• for one booking a day (per member or group of members) for a maximum of 1.5 hours
• up to 7 days in advance, starting from 8:00am (8:30am for ball machine) and ending by 9:30pm for adults, or by 6:30pm for junior and parent members
• please do not leave 30-minute gaps at busy times
• Court 4 is shared with other users on the Methodist estate
• tennis shoes must be worn
• please cancel any court not required

Go to http://booking.muswellhilltennis.com to book. There is help and advice on registering for and using the booking system on the >Booking>Booking tips page above.

Adult and junior members (but not parent members) may bring one guest at a time to the Club at peak times.  However adult members may bring up to 3 guests before 4pm on weekdays. You must register the name of the guest and intended date of play in advance by email to guest@muswellhilltennis.com and pay the guest fee (£5 for an adult; £3 for a junior) by bank transfer to the club account immediately after play. Bank account details are on the information sheet you received with your membership receipt

No one individual may be brought as a guest more than 10 times in a membership year, irrespective of who brings them.

Coaching

Full details of one-to-one coaching, group coaching courses and holiday camps can be found above at >Coaching>Adults and >Coaching>Juniors. Only coaches approved and registered with the Club are permitted to coach in return for payment on our courts.

Members' responsibilities

We need all Club members to contribute to the security and smooth running of the Club:

• when leaving your court, please collect any balls and other items, and importantly, close the court gates to ensure the local wildlife do not cause damage 
• if the double security gates to the estate are open (to aid access to court 1) after 4:30pm, or have been opened during weekend play, they must be locked by the last person leaving; the padlock key is kept in the telephone cupboard in the Clubhouse
• we appreciate full bags from the bins being taken away by any willing hands 
• we must leave the grounds without undue noise
• if you are last to leave the site, please ensure court floodlights are off, as well as lights and heaters in the Clubhouse, and lock Clubhouse and security gates

Supervision and safeguarding

Apart from formal coaching sessions or holiday camps, there are no staff on the premises to safeguard, supervise or assist children, and at times there may not be any adults present at all. Parents must accept complete responsibility for their juniors and guests when using the facilities of the Club and the North Bank estate, and either arrange for their play to be supervised or knowingly allow them to play unsupervised.

Safeguarding is the responsibility of all members: if you see, hear or experience anything at the club that makes you feel uncomfortable, particularly regarding juniors or vulnerable adults, please report it to our welfare officers at safeguarding@muswellhilltennis.com or by phoning either Kate Engineer or Kathleen Tuck. See more information at >Safeguarding above.

Facilities

The Clubhouse has limited changing facilities and a small kitchen; members can make tea or coffee but please put used cups etc in the dishwasher.

Phone calls to local landlines may be made on the Club phone, but not other calls.

Tennis balls are supplied by the Club for Club Sessions. Please do not leave balls on courts or estate grounds.

To use floodlights, you will need a contactless debit or credit card or ApplePay.  The lights cost £3 for 30 minutes. You may also need keys to the Clubhouse to access the contactless payment reader.

The club has a ball machine which adult members can use on payment of an annual household fee and after attending an induction session. Full details can be found at >Booking>Ball machine above.

Social play

Club Sessions currently take place from 2:30pm to 5:30pm on Saturdays and Sundays, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm on Wednesdays and from 10:30am to 12:30pm on Thursday mornings. Members must be of ‘Club Standard’: new members in particular must be assessed and approved by the Coach before attending. The Coach is the final arbiter of a player’s standard. 

The order of play is:

• first arrivals, first on court
• new arrivals behind members who are waiting
• sets consist of a maximum of 12 games with no tie break; a single point deuce is played with receiver's choice. Change ends every 4 games
• at times, a Club officer can introduce a 7-game or first-to-four limit to speed up play.

Fixed, self-selected, pre-arranged sets or singles are not permitted during Club Session, and members are required to mix-in in sequence, unless a Club officer rebalances those waiting.

Additional Club Sessions may be held on Bank Holidays.  In Club Tournament season, some disruption may occur to Club Session.

Competitive play

We field men’s and ladies’ teams in a number of divisions in the Middlesex Summer League and men’s, ladies’ and mixed teams in the Middlesex Winter Floodlit leagues. In addition, there are two Veterans' teams (aged 45 and over for men, 40 and over for women) and junior teams. See >Competitions above.

We also run a Club Tournament in the summer and a Club Singles Ladder: details can be found under >Competitions 

Communications and contacts

We ask at least one person in each household to agree to receiving news emails from the club, as this is the only effective way that we can keep members informed. 

We also have a WhatsApp group to help find others keen to play: to join the group, please send an email with your mobile number to whatsapp@muswellhilltennis.com.

LTA membership

To book our courts, you need to have LTA Advantage membership and use their LTA login. The Advantage Play+ category is free to Club members: you can join at https://www.lta.org.uk/advantage/ When signing up, please ensure you select Muswell Hill Methodist as one of your Tennis Venues.

As an Advantage member, you can enter the Club Ballot for Wimbledon tickets; you have to opt-in to the ballot in your LTA account by mid-January to be included. 

Club standards, terms and conditions

Our policies for Safeguarding, Diversity and Inclusivity, Online Safety, Photography & Filming, as well as Use of Changing Rooms, Privacy and Safe Recruitment are available at >Membership>Club policies.

Conduct & disputes

The Management Committee is responsible for setting all policies and rules concerning the operation of the Club including without limitation regulations concerning disciplinary procedures that may be taken against the Members. The Committee has the power to investigate disputes and ultimately to expel a Member if in its opinion it would not be in the interests of the Club for the person to remain a Member.

Accidents & first aid

The club defibrillator is located in a wall-mounted box in the kitchen area, on top of which is a first-aid kit and cold compresses for muscle injuries. Further first-aid supplies can be found in the drawer marked First Aid to the left of the sink in the kitchen area.

It is a condition of our insurance that all accidents that occur on Club premises must be recorded in the Accident Book which is kept in the First Aid drawer. All accidents or incidents involving juniors must also be recorded using the junior incident form: a two-part copy of the form can be found on a clipboard in the First Aid drawer; one copy must be given to the parent/guardian of the junior, and the other lodged in the Accident Book.