Rules
Wicklow Tennis Club is a private members club and the club facilities are reserved for the use of paid up members and their guests (provided such guests are invited in accordance with the rules for guest players). The committee may allow exceptions to the above for official matches or tournaments, club competitions or any other events which are organised or sanctioned by the match committee. All members should read and observe the rules of the club as outlined in this booklet.
Parents and seniors should show example to juniors. Members are responsible for ensuring that their guests comply with the rules. Make safety a priority. Read the rules on safety and adhere strictly to them, especially where children are involved. Do not damage or deface club property. The club belongs to all members and we should all take responsibility for its upkeep and appearance.
Show respect and consideration for all other members. Juniors should respect the rights of seniors and seniors should equally respect the rights of juniors - (They will be running the club in a few years from now.)
Whites Rule
Playing members (of all age groups and at all times of the year), including guests, must wear approved tennis clothing. Each item of clothing, including shoes, socks, shirts, shorts, tee shirts, hats, caps, dresses and skirts must be predominantly WHITE.Skin tight ski / running wear is not permitted as an alternative to a tracksuit bottoms.
Clarification:
Tracksuit bottoms of less than full-length are regarded as shorts and must be predominantly white.
Predominantly white means that the garment/footwear is white apart from some decorative colour.
Non-white jumpers/cardigans, slipovers, or any rugby, soccer or gaelic jerseys may not be worn under any circumstances. Coloured sweatshirts / hooded tops may be worn but once removed there must be a white polo / tee shirt underneath. Long sleeve coloured tops are not permitted under white polo / tee shirts
Tracksuits are permitted during knock-up or in inclement weather, over whites, provided they are full length.
All members are responsible for enforcing WHITES rules. Committee Members or Junior Supervisors have the right to ask members to leave the court if they are not complying with the whites rule so please do not be offended if you are approached.
Junior Playing Times
1. Juniors and Seniors have equal rights to courts until 6.00 p.m.
2. Unless accompanied by his/her parent, a Junior is not allowed in the club after 6.00 p.m.
3. If accompanied by his/her parent, a Junior may play until 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8.00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. (Any other adult will not suffice)
4. The Committee may allow exceptions to these rules for coaching and official matches and competitions.
5. The top six seeds at under-16 level may be granted exemptions, by the Committee, from the above rules.
6. For reasons of child safety, the Committee strongly recommends that children under the age of 8 should not be left in the club without adult supervision.
Court Booking
1. All members have equal rights to use the courts on any day or evening, excepting any occasions when the courts are reserved by Committee for competitions or other events or activities. PLEASE SEE SEPARATE RULES FOR JUNIORS
2. A booking sheet will be available in the clubhouse and should be used as follows:
- All players must sign in on arrival. They must then sign themselves onto court when going out to play. The names of all players, the court number and time onto court must be entered.
- Players must vacate courts after one hour if others are waiting. If there is nobody waiting they may sign on, for a further hour.
- Waiting players, provided they have signed in will have preference over those coming off.
- Players must be in clubhouse before they are signed in. It is not permissible for others to sign in players who are about to arrive or who are already playing.
- Players are not allowed to swap courts or partnerships during the period of the play for which they have signed.
3. These rules are intended to ensure that all players have equal playing rights. The Committee will be monitoring the situation and will deal with any offences.
4. Please be courteous and mindful of the rights of other members.
Use of Lights
1. Lights cost €2 per half-hour and may be paid for by using coins (€2 only) or by purchasing credit on membership/ access cards (available from Sinead Nolan).
2. Players may insert credit or coins to the value of €4 in order to cover a maximum of one hour when first going on court. (See 5(b) below also).
3. A warning buzzer will sound approx. 4 minutes before the credit is due to expire. If nobody is waiting a further credit not exceeding 30 minutes may be purchased. This process may be repeated as long as nobody is waiting to use the court.
4. Any players waiting for courts should insert coins/ credit immediately when the buzzer sounds and before the lights go out (if lights go out they will need about 10 minutes to warm up again). The waiting players should then inform the players on court when their time has expired on the meter and they should vacate that court immediately (and not “after the end of the game”)
5. (a) Players who have commenced playing without lights are not permitted to insert coins/ credit while others are waiting or when they see others arriving.
(b) Similarly if players initially choose to insert coins or credit for only 30 minutes they may not insert further coins/ credit when others are waiting/ arriving.
Rules for Guest Players
1. A guest player must reside not less than 10 kilometres from the club.
2. A guest player must be accompanied by a senior club member when playing. Junior members are not allowed to bring in guests to play.
3. A guest player
may not use the club playing facilities more than six times in any one
year.
4. A member may not introduce guest players play more than once per month.
5. Guest players are subject to all club rules.
6. Club members have priority over guest players when courts are full.
7. A visitors fee of €5 for each guest is payable in Gelletlies Jewellers, Main St., Wicklow prior to playing. A receipt will be issued as proof of payment.
8. The Visitors Book in the clubhouse must be signed prior to play by member and guest.
Court Etiquette and Courtesy
a) Have consideration for fellow members. Do not go across or behind courts which are occupied by other players. (e.g. when going from carpark to clubhouse or vice versa, members should not go across any courts which are occupied but should go via pedestrian entrance) If not driving, use the pedestrian entrance.
b) Return balls to other courts but not while a rally is in progress.
c) Do not retrieve balls from courts where others are playing. Wait and ask for them to be returned.
d) Avoid excessive noise when playing or watching.
e) Close gates when you enter or leave courts.
f) When driving into or from car park at night, please avoid shining car lights onto courts where play is in progress and cause as little disruption as possible.
Access Cards
The club provides access cards to members on the following conditions:
- Juniors under age 10 are not permitted to hold cards.
- Juniors age 10 to 16 are issued with ‘Junior’ cards which permit entry through the pedestrian gates but not to the clubhouse.
- Seniors, students and members who are included in family membership but who would otherwise qualify as seniors or students, are issued with ‘Senior’ cards. ‘Senior’ cards provide access to all areas except the office.
Please note:
a) Juniors are not permitted in the clubhouse without adult supervision. This restriction is in place to comply with Child Safety and Protection regulations and also because of insurance requirements.
b) Seniors who open the clubhouse to junior members are responsible for providing supervision while these juniors are using the clubhouse. They should not open the clubhouse to juniors unless they are prepared to accept this responsibility.
c) Seniors who do open the clubhouse are responsible for its closure. When leaving, they should either lock up, or make sure that another senior is prepared to accept this responsibility. They should not just assume that somebody else will do it. Under no circumstances should juniors be entrusted with the responsibility for locking up.
Warning: Parents and others who hold SENIOR cards should not, under any circumstances, allow these to be used by junior members. If your SENIOR card is found in the possession of a junior member it will be impounded and may not be returned to you. Members should be aware that all access card usage is recorded and logged.
Juniors in the Clubhouse
Juniors are not permitted in the clubhouse without supervision by a senior member.
Any senior who opens the clubhouse to juniors is responsible for providing this supervision. If you are not prepared to provide proper supervision please keep the clubhouse door closed.
Please note that a senior who is playing on court leaving juniors unattended in the clubhouse, is not providing an acceptable level of supervision.
Seedings Rules
A) Make contact with the person whom you are challenging and make sure that she or he is aware of the challenge.
B) List your challenge on the sheet provided on the noticeboard.
C) The challenger must supply two new tennis balls [Tretorn X unless otherwise agreed with the person being challenged]
D) The person being challenged must accept the challenge within 7 days. If not she or he will forfeit her or his place to the challenger.
E) The winner of the challenge match should enter the score on the challenge sheet.
F) The seedings board can be amended only by the match committee.
G) A challenger who wins a challenge match will move into the position of the person she or he has beaten. All persons between will move down one position.
H) Players who are involved in a challenge may not make or accept another challenge.
Club Championships Rules
General Championship Rules
1) Matches will be best of three sets. Tie-break in all sets.
2) Each player/partnership must supply one new Dunlop ball and failure to do so may result in walkover. (Balls will be sold in clubhouse during Championships)
3) Players must be ready to go on court at allotted times and matches must commence after five-minute knock-up.
4) Players are responsible for checking times of matches. If in doubt, call and check schedule.
5) Due to large entry, matches will be scheduled for weekends.
6) Match schedules may be changed only by match committee.
7) Whites rule must be observed (as well as all other club rules)
8) Match committees decision is final on all matters.
1. Events with fewer than eight entries will not take place.
2. All matches will be played between Tuesday 3rd August and Friday 27th August 2010. Matches may be scheduled for week-ends and players must be available to play between these dates. Prizegiving will take place on Saturday 28th August.
3. Play will be scheduled for 6.45pm and 8.30pm. The date, time and court number for each match will be determined by the organising committee. The draw will be updated and available on our website www.wicklowtennisclub.com and walkovers will be awarded if a competitor fails to show at the appointed date and time.
4. Players participating in the over 35 mixed doubles must have reached the age of 35 prior to 1st July 2010.
5. The top six juniors are eligible for entry provided they have reached the age of 14 on or before 31/12/2009
6. A Section
Singles
(a) The top ten players on club ranking lists will have automatic entry to the ‘A’ Section
(b) Any other players deemed by Tournament Committee to be too strong for ‘B’ Section will be entered into the ‘A’ Section.
(c) Players who reach semi-finals in ‘B’ Section will have the option to enter ‘A’ Section.
Doubles
(d) As there are no doubles rankings, the Tournament Committee will decide which pairings should play in ‘A’ Section.
(e) The finalists in ‘B’ Section will also have the option to play in ‘A’.
7. B Section
(a) ‘B’ Section will be played to semi-finals of singles and finals of doubles in the first week in order to allow for 6 ( c ) and 6 (e) above and 8 (a) below.
(b) All players entering the ‘B’ Section may be required to play every night in the first week of the competition.
8. C Section
(a) All losers of the first round matches in ‘B’ Section will be allowed entry to ‘C’ Section (any Players who give a walkover will not qualify)
(b) Tournament Committee may allow direct entry to ‘C’ Section for beginners or players in the lower grades.
9. Semi-finals and finals of all three Sections, (except as in 7(a) above), will be played in the final week of the championships.
10. The Tournament Committee is resolved that all matches will be played as scheduled. Exceptions/postponements will be granted only as a last resort and the player(s) involved may have to play twice on the following night.
11. The tournament committee will try to facilitate competitor’s unavailability to play on certain nights but will not allow rescheduling of matches to interrupt the smooth running of the tournament. The tournament committee will insist on walkovers being given if matches cannot be played on time.
12. Competitors can advise on a maximum of three nights of unavailability during the tournament for which the tournament committee will try to facilitate. The tournament committee will try to facilitate the postponement of one match per person in the entire tournament. Your request for postponement must be given in advance of scheduled match day.
13. Tournament Committee decisions will be final in all matters.
Junior Supervision Rules
JUNIORS
Safety
- No climbing onto clubhouse, walls or fencing to retrieve balls.
- No cycling, skateboarding or roller-skating within club grounds.
- No dangerous play, “horseplay” or games which are an injury risk.
- Any bullying/intimidation will not be tolerated.
Courtesy
- Do not walk onto or across courts where others are playing.
- If your ball goes onto another court wait for a break in play before requesting it back.
- If a ball comes onto your court return it, but not while play is in progress on that court.
- Do not make too much noise or cause distractions for other players.
- Be a fair spectator. Do not applaud another’s mistakes.
General
- Observe the whites rule.
- Don’t be a litter lout. There are plenty of litter bins around.
- Don’t damage nets or other club property.
- Chewing gum is not allowed. (Have a look around the courts if you wonder why).
- Soft drinks should not be taken on court.
- Juniors are not allowed bring their friends in to play, as they are not covered by insurance.
- Juniors are not permitted in the clubhouse without supervision.
PARENTS
- The club provides supervision only, for which there is no extra charge.
- It is not a crèche or childminding facility.
- Children under the age of 7 are to be accompanied by an adult, and are not to be left alone at the club.
- All supervisors are over 18 years and will have agreed and signed a code of conduct before commencement.
- Hours of supervision are 10.00 am to 6.00 pm and children under 10 should not be dropped at the club before 10.00 am.
- All juniors must leave the club before 6.00 pm (except where special exceptions have been made by the committee). Please make sure that your children are familiar with, and obey the club rules. The white rules will be enforced.
- Vehicles will not be allowed into the club grounds between the hours of 10.00 am and 6.00 pm (apart from club coaches and delivery vehicles). You should be aware of this when dropping off or collecting children. Parents should not park across neighbours' gateways blocking their access, or on yellow lines or obstruct pedestrian crossing in front of club. This creates an obvious danger for all children leaving the club.
- Please co-operate with supervisors and do not cause unnecessary difficulties for them. If you or your child does have a problem however please let us know. The safety and enjoyment of all juniors is very important to us.
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