What will Tennis look like at Abbeydale when Lockdown eases ?
What will tennis at Abbeydale be like after Lockdown as been eased ?
This is a question we've been asked a lot ! and that we’ve considered a great deal ourselves.
While at the time of writing, The UK Government hasn’t yet given any indication as to when Lockdown will end or what our Lockdown exit strategy will look like, we know it will be eased in some shape or form fairly soon and when it does, we want to be ready and want the members input !
When we know the specifics of the end of lockdown, there will be consultations between The Government and our Governing Body, The Lawn Tennis Assiciation ( LTA ) and we will of course closely follow advice from both, but already there are perhaps some clues from other Countries and their National Tennis Associations, ( who are a few weeks ahead of us ) on how they are dealing with sport and tennis in particular after restrictions were eased in their Countries and we wanted to share with you what we’d found and how it was shaping our view of the future for Abbeydale.
In America after President Trump announced that The USA was “Opening Up America Again” their tennis governing body, The USTA issued some guidelines to Clubs, Coaches and players and while it’s great news that tennis is considered, as safe as a sport can get, due to natural social distancing of a 78 foot court, no contact ( well hopefully !! ) and a maximum of 4 players per court, there will undoubtably be a slow and cautious return to playing tennis, with group coaching being the most difficult area to manage.
We will all have to comply with Social Distancing for some time to come, which will present Clubs and coaches with challenges, but ones we believe we can meet through good planning and organisation, plus co-operation from members.
Both America and France have said Outdoor tennis only for now and Clubhouses to remain closed, and while France have being stronger on this in stating that this is case until September 20, American is reviewing this every few weeks.
Below is a flavour of what The USTA and FFT have suggested;-
Advice for Clubs:-
• Limit activities to members games, one-on-one coaching, small groups and private lessons.
• Shorten bookings / lessons and stagger booking times to create a buffer between sessions.
• Online bookings are recommended, and have participants make payments online. Avoid handling cash.
• Postpone any social gatherings. Do not provide any congregation areas at the court or facility. Clubhouses to stay shut until further notice while courts open.
• Keep your team / Staff to a minimum on site
• Staff must wear masks or “like in kind” and gloves when checking in players. Staff should wash hands and/or gloves often and after touching items.
• Outdoor play only - Initially but this is under review
• Alternate courts should be reserved for play if there is no barrier,
• Capturing accurate information on reservation play sheets when people are making reservations is a must, in case the authorities need to contact trace who has been onsite.
• Players should come to the facility no more than 10 minutes before the time expected to play.
• All common area chairs and tables should be stacked, roped off or removed from the area to prevent congregating and touching.
• All court gates and stair rails should be wrapped with caution tape to discourage touching, or else should be wiped down every hour.
• All gates should be roped off or left open to prevent touching. If the facility has a wide open side entrance to the courts, its use is recommended.
• Limit the use of indoor spaces by keeping all Changing room and shower areas closed.
ENCOURAGE SOCIAL DISTANCING
• People should stay at least 2 metres apart to maintain social distancing.
• Use every second court where practical.
• Players should stay on their side of court and avoid changing ends.
• Implement ways to minimise contact between participants and any staff.
• Recommend that only one parent/guardian accompany younger children to the facility when possible.
COACHING
• Group coaching should take place only where full social distancing is possible. Group coaching should be limited to small groups. An exception would be where all participants are family members or are otherwise in one home.
• Coaching professionals should be assigned specific courts—and possibly specific days and times.
• Position the players at well-spaced stations.
• Live ball drills and game-based play is recommended over using baskets.
• Limit the use of coaching equipment such as target cones.
• Don’t let the players handle any coaching equipment. The coach should pick up the balls.
• Encourage players to use their racquet/foot to push balls back and/or hit them to their opponent to avoid using hands and touching the balls.
TENNIS BALLS / EQUIPMENT
• Practice caution with the tennis balls and avoid letting the participants touch them. Although there is no specific evidence that tennis balls can spread COVID-19, we know that contamination by respiratory droplets from an infected person can potentially survive on hard surfaces up to three days.
• Try to restrict balls to a particular group, court or day of the week. One idea is to label them with a permanent marker.
• Replace all balls if someone suspected to have COVID-19 comes in contact with them.
• Consider spraying tennis balls briefly with a disinfectant spray (e.g., Lysol or Clorox) at the conclusion of play. Using new balls on a very regular basis is highly encouraged.
• Tennis equipment should be touched only by the pro/coach and should be cleaned frequently. Use alcohol-based disinfectant to clean all tennis gear, including racquets, towels, target cones, ball machines, etc.
• Teaching pros should have their own marked hoppers and teaching charts to avoid sharing with other pros.
• Using a ball machine is a great option for giving lessons, as it avoids having people touch the balls. Using ball tubes and basket pickups to pick up loose balls after a ball machine rotation also limits contact.
• Avoid using unnecessary equipment such as throw-down lines.
While we are hoping for the Green light from The UK Government to resume tennis in the very near future, it certainly won’t be straight back to exactly how we used to play our sport, and the most likely restrictions look to be centred round the following.
A. Outdoor tennis only ( initially )
B. Small groups of 4 for play and coaching
C. Only essential staff on site at any one time
D. Social Distancing being maintained at all times ( Signage paramount )
E. Possibly only Court 5, 6 and 8 bookable to maintain space
F. Staggered booking times to allow time for bookings to arrive / depart safely
G. Clubhouse and changing rooms closed ( until we are told otherwise )
H. Possible restrictions to Club Programme bookings per week - to allow every member who wants to play gets an opportunity ( due to possible number restrictions I
Although the above suggested points are restricting, on a POSITIVE note, it’s 80% better to be back !! and playing tennis in the sun and having games and lessons, even with some restriction, and as the weeks go by, hopefully these restrictions will be lifted one by one and we can return to our “old normal”
All the above are just The Club’s “educated guesses” but if you as a member have a suggestions / tips on how Abbeydale could look at Opening up ( when The Government allows it of course” we would love be to hear your ideas on how we can be accessible again BUT also safe for you all.
Hopefully we'll see you all soon !!
The Abbeydale Team