Wellington Tennis Club

WELLINGTON TENNIS CLUB

Rules and Court Etiquette

CLUB HOUSE RULES

1. Please keep the club house tidy and clear up after yourselves.
2. Turn off the lights.
3. Ensure the Club house is locked and the numbers scrambled.
4. Do not share the code with non- members.

 COURTS RULES

1 Every Member shall be responsible for ensuring that the courts are free of all debris before and after play.

2 Litter must be placed in the bin in the clubhouse.

3 Gates must be locked on completion of play. Scramble numbers after locking up.

4 Code numbers of court locks must only be known to Club Members.

5 The conditions of the Lease for the Courts should be known to the Committee and conditions observed.

6 During winter months, when covers are on, they must be replaced after play and weighted down with sandbags. 

 DRESS

Tennis footwear or flat soled trainers must be worn.

 BALLS

Balls shall be supplied for the use of Members at Club evenings and for matches. They remain the property of the Club. All effort should be made to retrieve lost balls.

 MATCHES

• Matches have priority over social tennis.
• A list of match fixtures shall be displayed on the Club notice board and are also booked out online.

TEAMS

1 The West Somerset League teams to be selected by their respective Captains.

2 Captains are responsible for collecting match fees.

3 Captains are responsible for confirming and rearranging matches

 VISITORS

1 Visitors may be allowed to use the courts providing they are accompanied by a fully paid-up Member of the Club.

2 Responsibility for payment of their fee to the Club rests with the Member.

3 There will be a maximum limit of three visits per season.

  CONSTITUTION

1 Members must have regard to the Club’s Constitution at all times. [A copy can be found on our website and on the Club notice-board in the Pavilion.]

Court Etiquette
We are all keen to enjoy our sport so we have just a simple Ground Rule to make the playing experience more enjoyable for all and that is “Keep it clean”.   The “it” being:

• the courts
• your language
• your play

Leave the courts free of litter, collect in tennis balls for other players to use and don’t let the frustrations of the game make you an unpleasant person to play with.

The following is an extract from British Tennis website on court etiquette which reflects our approach:

Please do not walk behind players whilst a game, a rally or coaching is in progress, this is to avoid distracting other members and most importantly to avoid any potential accidents on court.

If you are trying to cross a court please wait until you are invited and it is safe to do so.

If a stray ball comes onto your court don’t knock it back immediately, wait until the owners are ready and then hit it to the server’s end.

During play and particularly between games, keep the amount and volume of conversation down to a minimum necessary to play and enjoy your own games. Too much chatter can be disturbing to those playing nearby and, in between games, can hold up play for people waiting.

Line calls can be a problem and we recommend the use of what the Americans call the ‘honour system’.

Only call the lines on your side of the net.

Call clearly and firmly what you see and what you honestly believe to be correct.

If you are not absolutely certain or didn’t see the ball clearly, the ball was IN and must be given in the opponents favour.

If occasionally you have serious doubts as to your opponent’s eye-sight, ask politely if they are certain as to the accuracy of their call. If they say that they are, get on with the next point.

If you feel your opponents regularly have difficulties making correct calls, start looking for different opponents!

If in social friendly matches there is some doubt over a line call, offer to play the point again rather than cause undue aggravation and time wasting.

Do not criticise your partner or opponent, be positive and offer encouragement instead.

Overall, use your best judgement and we all want to be competitive but don’t let your emotions get on top of you.

Thanks for reading and enjoy playing at our club.

Respect and Behaviour

All Club members and Club officials must show tolerance, courtesy, good manners, fairness, honesty and integrity in their dealings with Club members, officials, Club members’ guests, playing and social visitors.

Equality

The Club is opposed to discrimination in any form. All Club members have a responsibility to make everyone feel welcome and to ensure that membership of the club is a positive experience.

Safety and Responsibility

All Club members will act responsibly and look to protect and ensure the safety of everyone at the Club at all times and particularly to consider the well-being and care of junior players and visitors.

Fair Play

All Club members will respect the rules of the sport of tennis and address disputes with dignity and appropriate language.

Club Reputation

All Club members should endeavour to protect and further the Club’s good reputation at all times. When representing the Club, all players and officials will observe the principles in this Code of Conduct.

Resolving Differences

All club members will endeavour to resolve differences in the following order:

1. Between the parties involved.
2. By reference to the appropriate Club Secretary, Junior Tennis Coordinator or the Club Child Welfare Officer who will determine the course of action to be followed.
3. By reference to the appropriate Section or Club Committee.
4. Where reference is made to a Section Committee and the difference remains unresolved further reference may be made to the Club’s General Committee
5. The Section or Junior Committees shall have the power to censure any of their section members or suspend any of their section or junior members’ playing or membership rights and may suspend such rights for up to four weeks. Suspension beyond four weeks or recommendations as to expulsion must be approved by the Club General Committee.
6. Removal of a Club or Section Officer or Committee Member shall require an EGM of the Club or Section as appropriate.
7. All disciplinary action pursuant to this code shall be subject to a right of appeal to an Appeals Committee. This Appeals Committee shall comprise of three individuals appointed by the General Committee. The majority verdict of the Appeals Committee shall be final and binding.

Updated September 2022

Next update: September 2024