The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has specifically advised that tennis is one of the best examples of social distancing in practice and should be encouraged, provided that players adhere to strict social distancing and hygiene practices

For this reason, the club is continuing to allow members to access the outdoor tennis courts.

We were pleased to see the courts were still busy this morning and we expect that this will continue to be the case. However, we need to establish good practices when using the club’s facilities. Our guidance detailed below is based largely on the LTA guidance which can be found at https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/tennis-news/news-and-opinion/general-news/2020/march/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-venues/

We take your health & safety very seriously and if some members fail to comply with our guidance, we will have no choice but to close the outdoor courts. Please read our guidance carefully and be considerate to other members so that we can keep the outdoor courts available.

Guidance when using the outdoor tennis courts at BLT&SRC

• You should only play when travel to and from the courts can be done in a way compliant with social distancing, with players not travelling together unless they are part of a group residing in the same place.
• All activity should be in line with the Government's advised social distancing measures at all times (defined by Public Health England as spending no more than 15 minutes within a 2-metre distance of someone), including when arriving to and departing from a court.
• Because the clubhouse is closed and so there are no hand washing facilities, make sure you wash your hands before coming to the club.
• Bring your own hand sanitiser, wipes or equivalent and as a minimum you should use before and after playing.
• Avoid touching your face.
• Allow those finishing on the court to leave prior to your entering.
• Use your own tennis balls only.
• Please mark your tennis balls to avoid confusion.
• Please try to avoid balls straying onto other courts.
• Where possible avoid contact with other balls by lifting with your foot and racket or scooping balls from the floor with your racket.
• No sharing of rackets.
• Players are advised not to change ends during play.
• Ensure no physical contact between players.
• All U16s playing at the club should be supervised by a responsible adult.
• We will assess court usage over the few days/weeks. We would therefore request that members refrain from bringing "non-family" guests at this time.
• Enjoy your time in the fresh air with friends but limit the social interactions taking place around the club and always keep the 2-metre distance when using the patio, paths and open area when arriving and leaving the club.

Private 1-2-1 coaching will still currently be available, for the time being. Speak to your coach directly to plan this.

The latest information can be found on these websites.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people/guidance-on-social-distancing-for-everyone-in-the-uk-and-protecting-older-people-and-vulnerable-adults

https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/tennis-news/news-and-opinion/general-news/2020/march/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-venues/

Thank you for your support and understanding at this most challenging of times.

Club Council