About the Club
This page provides headline information on:
- The Aims and Governance of the Club
- Club facilities
- Subscriptions
- Access to Courts
- Club Drop-in sessions
- Visitors
- Club Communications
- Coaching
Rogate Tennis Club was founded in 1981 and is affiliated to the Lawn Tennis Association. The principal objects of the Club are "to provide tennis, social and other activities for its members and generally to encourage and facilitate the playing of tennis". More information on the aims of the club and details of its governance arrangements can be found in the Club Constitution.
We have two excellent hard courts in the South-east corner of the Rogate Recreation Ground. [See map on Contact page]. Parking is generally available in front of the Village Hall on North Street or behind the Hall along the edge of the recreation ground. The courts were completely resurfaced in 2022. There is a small hut by the entrance which is our "clubhouse". This contains the net winder, brooms (with tape on the handle to indicate the correct net height) and some chairs if people want to sit out to watch or while they wait to play. There will often be some fairly well used balls in the hut.
The club year runs from 1st April to 31st March. Headline rates for 2023-24 are Adult: £45 Family (2 adults plus up to three juniors) £85. Student/Junior/Unemployed £15 Social:£10. Reduced part-year subscriptions available from September. For details and to apply, please go to the Join Tab.
The access code for the combination lock on the hut and court gate is notified to members each year on payment of their subscription. Please remember to lock the courts and the hut if you are the last user.
As we are a small club there is generally a court available except when courts arereserved for Club drop-in sessons on Sunday and Tuesday mornings between 10.00 and 12.00 and coaching sessions (principally Thursday afternoons in term time). We have, however, introduced an optional booking system which members can use by logging in to our website if they want to be sure of getting a court at a particular time. To register and use the system please go to the Court Schedule tab on our website. Even if you choose not to register, you will still be able to use the schedule to see when each court has been reserved, whether by individual members, for coaching or for other club purposes, such as matches and maintenance. We will also normally let members know about any significant closures by newsletter or e-mail.
Sunday mornings. Our Sunday morning sessions take place between 10.10 and 12.00 every week and are open to all members over 16. Just turn up. Newcomers are always welcome. It's all very relaxed. The preferred format is doubles, mainly to ensure that as many people as possible can play, but if there are fewer than 8 players one court may be used for a game of singles or "American" doubles. Balls are normally provided. If there are more than 8 people wanting to play, all matches are short sets (tie-breaks at 5 all) to give everyone a chance to get on court. Early risers may be found on court a few minutes earlier and if nobody is around on the dot of 10.00 it is worth hanging around for ten minutes unless the weather looks awful.
Tuesday mornings. The arrangements are broadly as for Sunday but numbers can vary a lot, so we run a weekly round-robin so people can get some idea of how many are likely to be coming. If you are interested in playing please let the Secretary know and you will be added to the distribution.
For matches against other clubs, players of visiting teams are automatically granted temporary membership. Any Member may invite a non-member to play as their guest, subject to the payment of a guest fee, but nobody may play as a guest on more than eight occasions in any year. (Encourage them to join, it is not expensive.) Guests must be accompanied by the Member who invited them who is responsible for arranging payment of the guest fee. The fee is currently £3 per guest, per session. Collection is a matter of trust. Fees should be given to a Committee member when convenient – a reminder to pay any fees owed is also issued with the annual membership renewal form. Members may also reserve the court for three hours private play with non-members by arrangement with the Committee and payment of £20.
The Club increasingly uses electronic methods of communication as these are generally, quicker, more convenient and cheaper. Members who do not have access to e-mail should ensure that this is made clear on their renewal form so that essential communications can be sent by mail. Members agree that e-mail and telephone contacts may be shared with other members (for Club purposes only – e.g. arranging matches) unless they indicate otherwise on their application/renewal form.
Richard Hopp provides junior coaching on Club courts on Fridays after school in term time. There is a discount for Rogate members. More detail and bookings through his website: http://www.hoppcoaching.co.uk