THE CLUB IS NOW CLOSED

Outdoor tennis courts are required to close as part of England's national lockdown

Please stay at home and stay safe

COVID-19: GUIDANCE FOR PLAYERS
(Updated guidance in effect from 31 December 2020)

BEFORE & AFTER PLAY

WHO CAN PLAY 

• Before leaving home to play tennis, all participants should undergo a self-assessment symptom check for any COVID-19 symptoms using the information on the NHS website
• If you are symptomatic or living in a household with someone else who has a possible or confirmed COVID-19 infection you should remain at home and not go out to play tennis, following NHS and PHE guidance on self-isolation
• If you are required to self-isolate for any other reason then you should also not exercise outside your own home or garden and should not exercise with others. This includes if you have been asked to isolate by NHS Test and Trace because you are a close contact of a known COVID-19 case, or if you have returned from a travel destination not included on the Government’s travel corridor list. In all of these instances, you should not leave your home to play tennis
• If you live with someone who is a contact of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 and as a result has been asked to self-isolate, but they themselves do not have symptoms, then you and other people living with them do not need to self-isolate and can continue to take part in tennis activity. However, you should take extra care to follow the guidance on social distancing, handwashing and respiratory hygiene. Further information is available on the Government website
• ​People with health conditions that put them at increased risk should consider the risks of participating in group activities.
• If you are in a clinically vulnerable group (e.g. over 70) you can play tennis but should be especially careful and diligent about social distancing and hand hygiene
• If you are classified as clinically extremely vulnerable, you can consider playing tennis, always maintaining social distancing and with robust hand and respiratory hygiene – the specific guidance varies by tier with further guidance is available here

BEFORE LEAVING HOME & AFTER YOU RETURN

• 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)
• Arrive at the venue changed and ready to play, and shower at home – even when the changing facilities are opened use of these should be avoided where possible
• If you have special needs, you may wish to speak to the venue or activity organiser in advance to ensure your needs are accommodated and appropriate facilities are open​​

COURT BOOKINGS

• Courts must be booked in advance online via the tennis club website
• To support NHS Test and Trace, the club will collect names of all players when booking so that we have appropriate temporary records in place to assist this service
• We will display a QR code that can be scanned to collect these details if not provided during booking

 
EQUIPMENT

• Take hand sanitizer with you
• Use your own equipment where possible. Equipment such as rackets can be shared, but where this happens ensure thorough cleaning before and after use. Players should not share items such as towels
• Only take the minimum amount of equipment with you that you need
• 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 tennis balls
• Ensure you take all your belongings with you at the end of the session and do not leave anything on court

 
TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE COURT

• You can help control COVID-19 and travel safely by walking and cycling, if you can, or driving - safer travel guidance is provided on the Government website
• Avoid travelling with someone from outside your household or support bubble unless you can practise social distancing
• Players should not travel into or out of tier 4 areas to play tennis
  
• Arrive as close as possible to when you need to be there
• Use alcohol gel after touching any court gates, fences, benches, etc, and avoid doing so where possible
• Allow others to leave before you enter the court – if you need to wait then do so away from the courts and clear of the gates
• Ensure you leave the court before the end of your allotted time so that it is empty for the next players
• Avoid congregating on or around the court after playing to allow access for others

 
USING VENUE FACILITIES

• Take particular care when using onsite toilet facilities and clean hands thoroughly after use
• Minimise use of changing rooms where possible, other than for participants with disabilities or special needs. Any participants using them must adhere to gathering limits while indoors, maintain social distancing wherever possible, and minimise the time they spend in the changing area

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DURING PLAY

TENNIS ACTIVITY 

• Singles play only permitted where players are not from the same household/bubble
  
• ​Where all players are from the same household/bubble then doubles can be played

 
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING
Other than where players are from the same household or part of a support bubble, follow Government advice on staying alert and safe, and:

• Stay at least two metres away from other players at all times (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)
• Avoid chasing the ball down to another court if other players are using it
• For doubles, consider agreeing in advance which player will take the shot if a ball travels to the centre of the court
• Players are advised to limit their interactions with anyone outside of the group they are attending the venue with (e.g. players on another court or in a different coaching group) 
• For coached sessions, pay careful attention to the instructions of the coach
• Where you cannot maintain a two metre distance then further precautions should be put in place as part of ‘one metre plus mitigations’ guidance (see the Government’s advice on ‘Staying safe outside your home’ for more details)

 
HYGIENE

• Hand hygiene is imperative - hand sanitise at intervals if you have to touch communal surfaces
• If you need to sneeze or cough, do so into a tissue or upper sleeve
• Avoid touching your face

EQUIPMENT & FACILITIES

• If players wish to, they can choose to use their own marked tennis balls
• 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 play and immediately after finishing (use alcohol gel if required)
• Players should still avoid using their hands to pick up tennis balls from other courts where possible - use your racquet/foot to return them as those players may have decided to use their own marked tennis balls
• Avoid using other equipment such as courtside benches or net handles where possible

SUPERVISION & SPECTATING

• Where attendance of a parent/guardian (non-participant) is required, or a carer for a disabled player, it is permitted and is not counted as part of the maximum group size, but should be off court and limited to one per player where possible
• Supporters, parents, and other spectators should remain socially distanced whilst attending events. Spectator groups must be restricted to discrete six person gathering limits and spread out
• It is important that spectators adhere to these limits; in addition to being legal requirements punishable by fines, those violating the measures are endangering public safety and undermining the case for safe sport to be allowed to take place
• ​If spectators do not follow these legal requirements, the club or provider can ask them to leave or not to attend again. Where there are serious or consistent issues with spectators, the sport’s national governing body may consider sanctions including suspending the relevant sport provider from running any leagues, matches, training sessions or other events or activities until this has been addressed
• There is an additional risk of infection where people are shouting or singing in close proximity to others (particularly indoors and when face-to face). Spectators should minimise shouting or raising their voices