The following terms and conditions govern your use of our website. By using our website, you accept these terms and conditions in full.  At Tennis in Merton, we are committed to the safety and well-being of customers, players and spectators at our tennis venues. If you have any comments or concerns about the venues where we operate, our coaching staff or any other aspect of our service, please let us know on
+44 204 572 2155 or by emailing bookings@tennisinmerton.co.uk

Tennis in Merton delivers tennis management services on behalf of local authorities, clubs, schools and leisure centres in order to encourage tennis participation. These services include but are not limited to court bookings, coaching programmes and cafe/kiosk management.

Our policies and procedures are published online and reviewed annually. We make every effort to ensure that the details on our websites and printed materials are correct and up-to-date but cannot be held liable if information is incorrect or out-of-date.

1. General

• Tennis courts are for the enjoyment of all players. Players are respectfully requested to treat all members of the public using the facilities, as well as those in the wider park surroundings, with due consideration and courtesy.
• Tennis courts are for tennis use only, unless other activities are specifically approved by Tennis in Merton. Bikes, scooters, footwear with spikes or studs and dogs (with the exception of guide dogs) are all strictly prohibited on tennis courts. There are bike racks on the side of Court 5 if you are cycling to the courts.
• No food or alcohol on court.
• Appropriate attire should be worn on court and shirts must be worn at all times. Players are required to wear non-marking footwear when on court.
• Poor behaviour: Any member deemed to be behaving in an abusive, racist or sexist, homophobic way will be asked to leave the venue.
• No photography / filming. You cannot take pictures of Children Under 18 minus your own. Any photography/filming on the tennis courts needs to be approved by Tennis in Merton commercial use.
• The tennis courts are a no smoking zone.
• Personal items should not be left on the premises overnight. Lost property, balls or equipment should be handed back to the owner (if known) or to the tennis reception, where appropriate. Please respect your own and others possessions. Tennis in Merton accepts no responsibility for items lost, stolen or damaged on the premises.
• People not playing tennis should respect players on court by not making excessive noise or causing distractions.
• Please respect and safeguard the tennis court and ancillary facilities which are made available for use by all members of the community. Damage caused to Tennis in Merton venues is chargeable to the offender(s).
• Players should declare any existing medical conditions to the Tennis in Merton office and/or coaches, and understand that they play at their own risk. To the extent permitted by law, we will not accept responsibility for any injuries incurred during play at Tennis in Merton venues in any weather/ground conditions.
• Unless agreed otherwise, only coaches who have a signed agreement with Tennis in Merton accreditation may charge for coaching services. Use of baskets of tennis balls is restricted to these coaches only, players may bring upto 8 balls to play with.

2. Court bookings

• Across the Borough of Merton, Tennis in Merton operates ClubSpark, a third party online tennis court booking system on behalf of the local authority.
• Court bookings are available on the hour. A pay before you play policy is enforced, except where courts are offered free of charge. Using courts prior to paying for them may require players to leave the court. One court booking is deemed completed after 30 minutes of play.
• Booking must be made in the name of an adult over 18.
• Name of the player booked must be present on court.
• Pricing is set by local authorities in order to encourage tennis participation. Concession rates may apply for juniors aged 16 or under, and eligible adults (aged 65 or over, or on specific welfare benefits). For any concessionary memberships, documentation should be sent to bookings@tennisinmerton.co.uk to be approved.
• There are free play opportunities for Under 18s supervised by a parent in Wimbledon Park Monday-Fridays 3-5pm.
• Some courts at selected times are reserved by Tennis in Merton for coaching programmes. Only coaches approved by Tennis in Merton can operate on the courts, and book courts in advance for individual coaching lessons. Use of tennis baskets/hoppers are not permitted and players are only permitted to use 8 balls for play. 
• Players are requested to arrive in time for the start of their sessions and to vacate the court immediately if another person has booked the following time slot.
• For block or repeat bookings on behalf of organisations, please email bookings@tennisinmerton.co.uk, with dates, times and the requirements of your booking. Block bookings are subject to availability and will require an agreement with block booking terms and conditions.
• Court bookings should be made online in advance, if you're experiencing issues, please contact Tennis in Merton via telephone or in person at the kiosk. Court bookings will be available 7 days in advance and will be open at 10pm for booking.
• When asked, players should show their booking reference (provided to you online when submitting your booking, in a confirmation email)
• For safety reasons, no more than 4 players should play on any one court without the supervision of a coach.
• Court usage in poor weather conditions is at the individuals' personal risk.

3. Group coaching bookings

• Booking for one or more coaching sessions should be made online in advance. This allows the coach to know how many players are due to attend, facilitating lesson planning, please add your name to the waiting list, if a space becomes available.
• Coaching sessions must be booked in the name of the player and are non-transferable to anyone else.
• Places on our coaching programmes are subject to availability and sold on a first come, first served basis. With the exception of priority booking for those booked onto the current programme.
• Players booking and attending coaching sessions are assumed to be fully fit. If this is not the case, the player or their guardian must inform Tennis in Merton in advance of any medical condition or disability which may be relevant to the coaching session. We must also be notified of any change or deterioration of any such medical condition or disability. We will keep this information confidential and handle such issues with discretion. We will always try to include any such individuals within our coaching programmes wherever possible, but we reserve the right to refuse the booking if we are unable to accommodate the needs of the individual or it is deemed to have a detrimental effect on other players.
• Tennis in Merton coaching staff reserve the right to refuse entry onto a coaching programme or advise a more appropriate session if any participant is found not to be of the appropriate age/ability for the group.

4. Wet weather policy

• You should bring protection from showers as our general policy is that coaching/court bookings will go ahead unless persistent heavy rain makes the courts unplayable. Any injury incurred while taking part in activities on damp or wet courts is your responsibility.
• If the weather forecast prior to the session is poor, any decision to cancel will be made by Tennis in Merton as late as is reasonably possible. Whenever possible, and if you have provided us with the correct information, the coach will try to send you an email once a decision to cancel has been made.
• If a session runs over half of the designated time and is interrupted due to weather conditions, the session is deemed to have taken place and no credit will be issued.
• If a session is interrupted due to bad weather conditions before half of the session is completed, Credit will be applied to players' Clubspark accounts by the office team within 24 hours of the session taking place.
• Requests to amend a court booking within 24 hours is deemed a cancellation.

Cancellation policy

5. Court Cancellations

Tennis in Merton reserves the right to refuse, cancel or change any booking or event at any time prior to its commencement and to refuse admission to the courts. Where possible an email will be sent to the member notifying them of this.

• Tennis in Merton reserves the right to pre-book the courts requirel – including the purpose of coaching, events, or maintenance.
• In the case of Tennis in Merton canceling a person’s booking, it shall issue a refund or credit you the full price.
• Any requests to amend a court booking within 24 hours is deemed a cancellation.
• Tennis in Merton shall not be responsible for any extra costs incurred as a result of a canceled or rescheduled booking.
• There is no entitlement to a refund where the Tennis in Merton is forced to cancel part or all of an event beyond our reasonable control. However, refunds may be given at Tennis in Merton's discretion.
• Tennis in Merton cannot accept a request for cancellation in retrospect, with the exception of court bookings affected by adverse weather. In this case a request for a credit must be made to the Tennis in Merton office by email (bookings@tennisinmerton.co.uk) no later than 24 hours after the time of the booking.
• Block bookings cannot be cancelled, transferred or refunded.

6. Court booking credits (Current Tennis in Merton Clubspark page paragraph)

• Where credits are issued to a booker, it will be made available for up to 28 days after the booking that is being credited. Credits not used in the period of time will expire and are no longer valid.
• Customers requesting credits must provide details of the reason the court could not be used with the court date / time, location, and court number. 
• Refunds and credits are given at the discretion of Tennis in Merton.

• In order to receive an automatic full refund, courts must be cancelled 24 hours before the booking begins. 

7. Coaching cancellations: 

• If you are absent from a coaching session for a reason other than Tennis in Merton cancelling it, you are choosing to forfeit the time unless you have a medical note. After receiving the medical note, credit will be issued from the next session date. No retrospective claims can be credited
• For all group coaching blocks and camps, cancellation must be made at least 7 days before the start of the course, where you will receive a full credit for the course. Requests to amend a session moving to the following week or move courses from one day to another a deemed a cancellation.
• For all socials, drills, events it is a 48 hour cancellation policy. You will receive full credit for this.
• If Tennis in Merton has to cancel a coaching session or programme you have booked because it is under-subscribed or a coach becomes unavailable, we will suggest alternative arrangements and/or offer you a full credit against future court bookings or coaching sessions. If neither of those is suitable, we will offer a full refund.
• When purchasing a course of tennis coaching you are committing to the entire course, individual sessions missed will not be credited. 

8. Junior coaching

The below group coaching terms and conditions apply to junior coaching sessions specifically:

• All children booked onto junior tennis courses are fully supervised.
• All children booked onto junior tennis sessions should bring appropriate weather protection, drink and snacks on court at the beginning of the session. They are not permitted to leave the court without permission from the coach.
• Tennis in Merton will have additional tennis equipment for those players that do not have their own.
• No phones are allowed on the court for all junior camps, for any players that are due to walk home alone and need a phone for safety reasons they must be kept in the bag at all times and there will be a short time designated by the coach to check anything urgent under their supervision, however the importance of focusing on learning and socialising is of paramount importance.
• Permission for children to be released and go home after a session must be given in writing by the parent/guardian emailing bookings@tennisinmeerton.co.uk. If written permission is not received and contact cannot be made with a parent/guardian, we will keep the child until they are picked up or contact is made. We reserve the right to charge for this supervision at the rate of £30 for every 30 minutes.

9. Holiday camps

For all half day camps please bring two snacks and adequate water to last the camp (Be mindful if it is a hot day to bring two bottles or an extra large bottle.) For full day camps please bring the above plus lunch.

Please provide your child with a waterproof jacket and potential change of clothes for the younger camps. Note that we are a nut-free camp, so please be aware of this when packing lunches and snacks. Parents/nannies, please chop grapes and cherry tomatoes rather than leave whole as they can be a choking hazard. All toilet trips are supervised by the Tennis in Merton coaching team and they are DBS checked to do so.

We take bullying seriously. Tennis in Merton has the right to remove players causing disruption to ensure that all students can learn in a supportive, caring and safe environment without fear of being bullied.
 

10. 1-1 and 2-1 coaching

• Individual coaching sessions should be arranged directly with the coach, who must have a signed agreement with Tennis in Merton in accordance with local authority guidelines.
• Coaches are responsible for attending any session they have arranged.
• Payment should be made directly to the coach who is responsible for court hire fees.
• Cancellation: Individual coaching sessions cancelled less than 48 hours before are liable to pay the coach in full; this is at the discretion of the coach.

Last Updated: 18 February 2025 (To be updated annually)