Captain's Handbook / Guide
Welwyn Tennis Club play in a multitude of local leagues and we rely on Captains to run the teams. Here is a guide as to what is involved to be an efficient captain.
Tennis Leagues
Datchworth Summer League - mixed team of 2 men and 1 woman played on a Monday night April - July.
WebsiteDatchworth Autumn League - mixed team of 2 men and 2 women usually played on a Saturday afternoon September - November.
WebsiteEast Herts Winter League - mixed league 2 pairs played at weekends (fixtures arranged between captains).
WebsiteAge Group Herts Winter Leagues - Lots of different teams - Men 35+ 45+ 55+ 65+ and Ladies 40+ 50+ 60+ - 2 pairs per team played at weekends.
Websites: Men and LadiesHot Rackets - mens and ladies leagues across Hertfordshire played in Summer at weekends - 2 pairs per team.
WebsiteHerts Summer League - mens and ladies league across Hertfordshire played in Summer at weekends - 3 pairs per team.
WebsiteOrchard League - Summer leagues for ladies only, matches generally played weekday daytime - 2 pairs per team.
Website
Captain’s Resources
The first thing a Captain needs is the Website and Login for the League team that you captain (from WTC Club Captains). This gives you access to:
- Fixtures for your team - some leagues provide dates, others you agree yourself.
- Opposition Contacts
- Rules of the League
- League Tables
All the leagues run slightly differently so once your are familiar with the league you then need:
- Your squad and their contact details (from WTC Club Captains).
- Court Master Schedule (from WTC Club Captains) so you can identify any clashes and also potential dates to arrange matches.
- ClubSpark LTA login and instructions for booking match courts.
- Bubble procedure (for Courts 1 & 2 during winter).
- WTC Safeguarding Policies particularly regarding Juniors and WhatsApp best practice.
Arranging Matches
- Contact your players to determine their availability.
- Check Master Schedule to see what matches of similar standard are already scheduled.
- If Home match: check Master Schedule and ClubSpark to determine court availability (Junior/Club events may already be scheduled).
- Home matches: Start times Mornings 10am or before - Afternoons from 1.30pm.
- Contact opposing captain with potential dates - most leagues require you to offer 3 options
- Once date is agreed: book courts, let WTC Club Captains know to update Master Schedule
- Contact your squad and choose who will be playing as early as possible since your squad players may have other arrangements or get asked by other teams.
- Match balls - Nick Aves allocates match balls for all teams and leaves them in the changing rooms.
- Be inclusive and share the matches out amongst your players.
- If you need reserves then contact those from squads above and below. Your WTC Club Captains will always be happy to advise.
- Keep in touch with WTC Club Captains - they are a resource to be used
Prior to each match
A week or so before the match:
- confirm all your team, start times, travel arrangements etc. Email and WhatsApp groups are useful for this.
- Double check court booking.
- Confirm with opposition, swap phone numbers of whoever will be responsible on the day to decide if match needs postponing due to bad weather.
- If you are not playing in match, then ask someone who is playing to act as captain on the day. You will need to make sure they have balls and a match card as well as oppositions details.
- Organise who will bring what for light refreshments afterwards.
On the day:
- Contact opposition in good time if there is any doubt over the weather
- Make sure you have balls and a match card
- Allocate players to courts - rules will state order of play
- Check court nets
At end of match:
- Agree match card with opposition captain and sign
- Usually winning team is responsible for inputting result - there can be penalties for not inputting within certain timeframes so check the rules for your league
- Send copy of match card to wtcmatchfees@gmail.com
- Remind your team that they need to make their match fee payment to the match fee account as per Match Fee Guidelines
Websites / Links / Usernames / Passwords
Contact the WTC Club Captains for sign-in access to the league in which you are a captain. All the usernames and passwords are shared amongst several captains so it is vital you do not change the password.