Almscliffe Tennis & Bowling Club

                                                                      TERMS OF USE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

                                                                                              Guidelines for Playing Tennis

                                                                                                                                 at

                                                                                        ALMSCLIFFE TENNIS & BOWLING CLUB

From Monday 29th March 2021, until further notice:

• Outdoor tennis courts will be able to open from 29 March. This will mean recreational tennis will be able to resume, including singles and doubles social play, 1:1 coaching and formally organised activity for groups, including group coaching.
• The following guidelines should be adhered to:

• BEFORE PLAY
  • Do not leave home to participate in tennis if you, or someone you live with, has symptoms of COVID -19, currently recognised as any of the following:
    • A high temperature 
    • A new, continuous cough
    • A loss of, or change to, their sense of smell or taste
  • Should an individual have demonstrated any such symptoms, they must follow NHS and PHE guidance on self-isolation
  • Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before leaving home to go to the court (or use an alcohol gel if washing hands is not possible)
  • Avoid using public transport
  • Please do not arrive early but as close as possible to your court booking time
  • Arrive changed and ready to play
• NHS COVID-19 APP 
  • If you have a smartphone, please download the NHS COVID-19 app to facilitate test and trace
  • Scan the Venue QR code displayed on the clubhouse doors and court gates to check-in via the NHS Test and Trace app.
• COURT BOOKINGS
  • Courts must be booked online to enable us to keep a record for contact tracing https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/AlmscliffeTennisandBowlingClub  
  • Please use the drop-down menu to list all players (members & guests) on the booking. This is to fulfil our requirement to support NHS Test and Trace with requests for data, by keeping a temporary record of all those on site for 21 days
  • The booking allowance for adult members is 1 booking per day, a booking comprises a maximum of 3 x 30-minute consecutive slots (1.5 hours) to be booked no more than 7 days in advance. Main contacts on Family 2 memberships will be able to make 2 bookings per day
  • Please leave the court promptly at busy periods. If players from the previous session are still on court, make your arrival known and then vacate the walkway to ensure that exit from the court is managed according to social distancing guidelines.
  • In line with Safeguarding advice, Juniors are not able to book courts and unaccompanied juniors are not permitted on court. There should be no more than 1 supervising adult off-court and if there are non-playing siblings off-court, they must be closely supervised by a non-playing adult, who ensures social distancing guidelines are followed
• THE CLUBHOUSE
  • Please use the hand sanitiser ar the the clubhouse door before accessing the building.
  • The clubhouse toilets are open for use
    • Wash your hands before using the toilet and after use
    • Wipe down the hand-basin after use and carefully dispose of the paper towel provided in the bin.
  • First aid kit is located hanging from the pegs to the right of the entrance door in the clubhouse foyer.
  • The main clubhouse room will remain closed to general use with no access to water.
  • The clubhouse kitchen area and equipment is strictly off limits.
• COME PREPARED
  • Bring:
    • Alcohol gel (hand sanitizer) and/or anti-bacterial wipes/glove with you
    • Basic first aid equipment
    • Take all your own equipment (do not share equipment such as racquets, grips, hats and towels)
    • Only take the minimum amount of equipment with you that you need to play
  • Clean and wipe down your equipment, including racquets and water bottles before and after use 
  • Bring a full water bottle, and do not share food or drink with others
  • Bring your own equipment - however, use of communal rackets can be done subject to thorough cleaning measures between use  
  • Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session and do not leave anything on court
• COURT ACCESS
  • Take the necessary hygiene precautions opening and closing the main club gate: use a gloved hand, or wipe the latch with an anti-bacterial wipe and/or use alcohol gel after opening
  • The 3 nearside pedestrian court gates will be locked with a padlock.  The keys are located on the hooks in the clubhouse foyer immediately to the right of the clubhouse door.  You will be provided with the clubhouse door code on your booking confirmation. The code will change from time to time so always check your booking confirmation!
  • Wipe the lock before and after use with an anti-bacterial wipe or use a gloved hand and avoid touching your face with that glove or use alcohol gel before and after touching the lock. Lock the gate with the same procedure at the end of your allotted time and please place the key back on the hook inside the clubhouse door.
  • The far-side pedestrian gates will be locked and remain locked: if you hit a ball out of court to the field, collect at the end of play to avoid unnecessary contact with the gates
  • Do not take animals, children’s toys, tricycles, scooters, footballs etc onto court
• TENNIS ACTIVITY
  • Singles and doubles play can be played with people from different households as long as players remain 2 metres apart as far as possible - meaning that four people from different households can play doubles.
  • Informal Social Play - For informal social play, group size is limited to a maximum of six people by law.  This means that you can play tennis providing people only meet up with no more than 5 other people from different households and observe social distancing guidelines.  People should not go to a tennis venue socially in groups of more than six.      
  • Organised group activity including coached sessions and club sessions is permitted as an exception to the limit of six, in accordance with the risk assessment and delivery plan taking into consideration the relevant LTA and Government guidance.
    • Coached sessions for children are possible for group sizes of no more than 15, plus coach(es), in accordance with the Department for Education’s guidance for providers of out-of-school settings.
    • Larger adult group coaching may now take place in line with the Government’s guidance on organising outdoor sport and physical activity events and for providers of grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities
  • When participating in any tennis activity participants must not mingle in groups of six or more before or after the activity, while maintaining social distancing with those from another household at all times. Attendees must avoid social interaction with anyone outside the group they are with, at all times during their visit, even if they see other people they know.
     
• MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING

Other than where players are from the same household or support bubble:

• • Limit interactions with anyone outside of the group you are attending the venue with (e,g. players on a another court or in a different coaching group
  • Always stay at least two metres away from other players (including during play, when taking breaks and before and after play)
  • Do not make physical contact with other players (such as shaking hands or high five)
  • For doubles, consider agreeing in advance which player will take the shot if a ball travels to the centre of the court
  • Stay on your side of court and avoid changing ends, or agree to change ends at opposite sides of the net
  • For coached sessions, pay careful attention to the instructions of the coach
• HYGIENE
  • Clean your hands with alcohol gel after touching shared surfaces such as gates, locks, fences, benches, etc, and avoid doing so where possible
  • Avoid touching your face and sanitise your hands promptly if you have touched your eyes, nose or mouth
  • If you need to sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue or upper sleeve
• AFTER PLAYING
  • Leave the court as soon as reasonably practical and certainly no later than the end of your playing session. The court area should be empty when the players arrive for the next slot so that any cross-over is avoided.
  • Do not congregate after play and observe the 2-metre social distancing during the changeover of booked slots if other players are nearby
  • Please ensure that you do not leave any belongings behind and remove all rubbish
  • If someone who has played at ATBC develops symptoms of COVID-19, please follow the Government’s ‘test and trace’ guidelines, which can be read on the Gov.uk website. Please also notify those with whom you have played as well as atbcmembers@gmail.com