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.
Website 

Datchworth Autumn League - mixed team of 2 men and 2 women usually played on a Saturday afternoon September - November.  
Website 

East Herts Winter League - mixed league 2 pairs played at weekends (fixtures arranged between captains).
Website 

Age 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 Ladies 

Hot Rackets - mens and ladies leagues across Hertfordshire played in Summer at weekends - 2 pairs per team. 
Website  

Herts Summer League - mens and ladies league across Hertfordshire played in Summer at weekends - 3 pairs per team. 
Website  

Orchard 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:

  1. Your squad and their contact details (from WTC Club Captains).
  2. Court Master Schedule (from WTC Club Captains) so you can identify any clashes and also potential dates to arrange matches.
  3. ClubSpark LTA login and instructions for booking match courts.
  4. Bubble procedure (for Courts 1 & 2 during winter).
  5. 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.