[New 17/12/2020]  If you develop COVID-19 symptoms (high temperature, new continuous cough or loss of change of smell or taste), please get a test and stay at home. You must self-isolate for 10 days if you are a contact of a positive COVID-19 case (or you are returning from higher risk countries which are not on the travel corridor list).

[Updated 2/6/2020]  Both singles play and doubles play are permitted with people from outside of your household, as long as you remain 2 metres apart as far as possible - meaning that four people from different households can play doubles.

[Updated  29/11/2020] Organised club sessions are permitted, provided that all the arrangements are COVID-19 secure. The Club Committee has completed a risk assessment for this purpose and it is available here: Covid-19 Risk Assessment.  Social distancing of two metres must be observed at all times between members of different households. No socialising before or after a session.

Access to the Courts (outside of club session times)

[Updated  29/11/2020]  We have introduced a booking system to offset the potential for overcrowding. Courts MUST be booked in advance using the online system available via the Booking page. Booking slots are available in 30 minute slots, subject to 1.5 hours maximum for singles and 2 hours for doubles.

• If two unsupervised juniors are using a court, one of them must be at least 16 years old. 
• Please remember to cancel any bookings you cannot make or do not need. 
• If you're intending to play singles, please restrict the booking to 1.5 hours (the exception is Reading Tennis League matches - these slots have a different colour so that they can be easily identified). For doubles, please confine to 2 hours. 
• The booking software allows you to list all  the participants in respect of each booking. We encourage you to use this functionality. You need to click on 'Advanced options' when you are presented with the booking dialogue. The information about participants is not visible on the booking sheet, but is available to the club admin, should it be needed for Track and Trace purposes.
• Please ensure the courts and the clubhouse are securely locked if you are the last to leave.

Social Distancing

• Social distancing of two metres shall be observed at all times between members of different households.
• Please exit the club around the rear of the clubhouse (as signposted).
• [Updated  20/7/2020]  All members, coaches, parents and other visitors should avoid congregating in groups of more than six people.

Hygiene (and access to the clubhouse)

[Updated  29/11/2020] 

Essential access to the clubhouse (e.g. for urgent temporary shelter or access to the floodlight switches or use of the toilets) is limited to one person at a time.

Please practise good hygiene at all times to prevent the virus spreading:

• The interior gates have been secured in an open position. The nets have been adjusted to the correct height and the handles have been removed.
• The outside tap is available for water and hand washing. Please ensure that you wash your hands before arriving at the club. On leaving the club please wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitiser.
• Use alcohol gel after touching any court gates, fences, nets, handrail, benches etc, and avoid doing so where possible.
• Please try to avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• If you use the clubhouse, can we please request that you wipe down touched surfaces before you go outside (kitchen roll and cleaning spray are provided).

Taps, gates, door handles and handrails are sanitised on a daily basis. The toilets and surfaces in the clubhouse are disinfected daily (a cleaning log is maintained in each of the loos).

Face coverings

• [Updated 29/11/2020] Face coverings should be worn at all times throughout the club's premises everywhere except the court area (children under the age of 11, and people with certain medical conditions are exempt).

Coaching

• Recommended max 12 adults per court
• Max group size for children of 15
• No socialising before or after activity
• Spectating to be minimised (Rule of 6 applies)
• Parent/guardian supervision permitted (one per player)

Tennis balls

• [Updated 4/7/2020] Players do not now need to use their own marked tennis balls - however, if you choose to use shared balls then extra care must be taken to ensure you do not touch your face during play, and you should clean your hands before and immediately after finishing. If any player is in any way uncomfortable about handling shared tennis balls during doubles play, it will, of course, be an option for you to use just your own marked tennis balls during your own service games (and you are encouraged to ask the other players on the court to respect this and to avoid handling your marked balls). In that scenario, you should collect your marked balls at the end of your service game and put them away until you serve again.
• The club can provide new tennis balls at £5 for a tube of 4 by arrangement with John Paradine (via the club email address).

Visitors

[Updated 5/6/2020] Members may invite guests to play at the club, subject to our normal visitor rules (i.e. one guest per member per visit, a maximum of 3 visits, etc) and the following temporary provisos:

• you must ensure your guest follows the current COVID-19 club guidelines
• you must email the club with your guest's name and date & time of play (i.e. the details normally recorded in the Visitors Book which is not accessible just now)
• you must collect the £4 guest fee and either pay it to the club by bank transfer or hand it to a committee member as soon as convenient.

Please work with us to ensure that we can resume playing tennis as safely and responsibly as possible.

During these difficult and stressful times, we need to be united in our efforts to ensure everyone's health and wellbeing.  So we're all having to adhere to unusually strict rules... but please bear in mind that it's also really important to be patient and kind to one another. Thank you so much for your understanding.

For further information, please check out the LTA Guidance for Tennis Players