The directions of the Victorian State Government as relevant to tennis are that sport and exercise activities can resume, subject to a number of conditions and safety precautions being met .....
What does this mean for tennis at our club ...
- Gatherings of no more than 10
- Singles or doubles
- Small group coaching. Consider that the parent/guardian of younger children may want to have line of sight of activity, in line with the Victorian Childsafe Standards.
- In larger venues where you may want to have multiple small groups please use common sense to ensure groups of players are spaced out across the venue.
- Clubhouses/rooms to remain closed.
- Toilets can be made available as long as hygiene protocols can be followed
- If your toilets are in the clubhouse/rooms you can open the clubhouse but only for the purpose of using the toilets. No gatherings in the clubhouse.
- Social distancing must be practiced at all times
Return to Tennis Guidelines
To keep the tennis and the wider community safe, we must all take responsibility to minimise the effects and spread of COVID-19
Before you play\
Please stay at home if you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days or have even mild flu-like symptoms. If you are in a high risk health category, please consider whether you should be administering or playing tennis at any time during this period, please do not take unnecessary risks.
Attending tennis activities
- Only people core to playing or coaching should be at the venue. This includes at least one parent/guardian of younger children who must be present for the
duration of the tennis activity, to comply with relevant Child Safety guidelines. All of these people must be able to observe social distancing at all times (see section below)
- Everyone, regardless of their role, must arrive and leave as close as possible to when they need to at the venue
Social distancing
- Keep 1.5 metres away from other people and no more than 1 person per 4m² while
attending / taking part in a tennis activity.
- Remember no handshakes or High Fives, try tapping racquets instead.
Behaviours to protect against infection, you should:
- Wash/sterilise your hands before and after you play
- Avoid touching your face while playing.
- Not share water bottles and bring your own bottle, already full.
- Bring your own hand sanitiser
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with your elbow
- Be aware of what surfaces you touch and ensure you clean them after play.
Tennis activities
- Outdoor tennis activity that can be conducted in small groups of no more than 10 while social distancing.
=-Stagger programs and booking times to create a buffer between sessions for people to enter and leave the venue.
- Full training on court, singles or doubles
- There should be no off-court gatherings. Get in, play and get out.
- If possible, leave gates ajar during opening hours so players do not need to use handles or keypads to enter.
- Consider restricting balls to a particular group, court or day of the week. One idea is to label them with a permanent marker
Coaching
- Ensure coaching activity can be conducted in small groups (not more than 10 people including parents of juniors and coaches in total) and with adequate spacing (not more than 1 person per 4m2).
- Do not let the student handle any coaching equipment - coach to pick up balls and feed drills. Visit bounce.tennis.com.au for further resources.
Environment & Venue
- Providing a clean environment in which to play tennis is critical at this time.
- Display signage about handwashing and hygiene techniques atstrategic points like gate entry and on the side of all courts.
- Clean all communal tennis equipment ie. nets, court bagger, gate handles etc.
- Clubhouses/rooms are to remain closed, except for use of toilets.
- Have cleaning protocols in place for equipment and facilities.
- No socialising or group meals.
- Closure of café, canteen and bar facilities. Unless professionally operated in which case activities are to be restricted to take away service only – no cash payments.
