- July 16, 2020
Dear Member
Return to Managed Play/16 July Club update
The LTA have again updated their guidelines for Tennis Venues and Tennis Players.
The Committee ask all members to familiarise themselves with the updated LTA “Guidelines for Tennis Players”, which you can access via the following link https://www.lta.org.uk/globalassets/news/2020/lta-guidance-for-tennis-players—covid-19.pdf
While the updated guidelines for both Venues and Players are indicative of a gradual/slow return to normality, the emphasis is still firmly on maintaining the Club as a safe environment for playing tennis. It is essential the Club continues to ensure Social distancing guidelines are adhered to and our venue follows Covid-19 Secure guidelines. The Committee has reviewed the updated LTA guidelines in the context of the “risk” in our club environment and concluded that we will not yet be changing any of our current operational guidelines.
So, unfortunately there will still not be formal Club mix-ins/use of the clubhouse for anything other than emergencies. The Committee consider the Club simply does not have the controlled and safe conditions within which these can operate.
In reading through the updated guidelines for players, the Committee wish to highlight the continuing importance of adhering to Social distancing, and this applies both to players and spectators (including parents attending while their children are being coached). The Committee are concerned that social distancing guidelines are not always being observed in the area in front of the clubhouse and that too many people are gathering there. The Committee also wish to highlight the continued importance of sanitising your hands frequently, and the value of having your own sanitisers with you to complement what is available at the Club.
A recommendation for Venues which the Club is implementing with immediate effect, is the requirement for all players who come to the Club to sign in each time when they arrive to assist NHS Test and Trace, should it be necessary. No contact details need to be left as Anne Boyce (Membership Secretary) has your details if contact is necessary. A Clipboard will be on the bench outside the Club for you to sign up on for the day in question. All members are asked to adhere to this essential safety measure.
For information, to assist in maintaining a safe environment, the Committee recently organised a professional deep clean of the Clubhouse and has now re-instated the weekly professional clean concentrating at present on the toilet areas.
In spite of this unusual and disrupted season, it is pleasing to report that the various categories of adult, student and Junior U19 membership for 2019-20 are now very similar in number to 2018-2019. Inevitably, junior membership in the youngest age category is presently down, but we expect it to increase as the coaching programme returns to greater normality, hopefully from September.
Kind regards
The Committee