Lifetime Tennis : Club Rules and Policies
Lifetime Tennis is an LTA registered venue which involves responsibility for meeting and maintaining certain minimum standards
The standards are being introduced to ensure that all LTA Registered Venues have safeguarding and diversity and inclusion embedded into their practices and provide a safe and inclusive environment for children and adults. The LTA has developed these based on experience, to protect clubs and users from avoidable situations. The minimum standards are as follows:
- Safeguarding Policy and Procedures (including a Whistleblowing Policy);
- Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Procedures;
- Welfare Officer;
- Criminal Record Checks;
- Risk Assessment.
- Coaching Safeguarding standards
Lifetime Tennis Safeguarding Policy Statement
Lifetime Tennis acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk. The club is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and LTA requirements. A copy of the club’s full safeguarding policy is available Safeguarding policy 2019-20.
The club’s safeguarding policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children and adults at risk are paramount in all circumstances. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all children:
- have a positive and enjoyable experience of tennis at Lifetime Tennis in a safe and inclusive environment
- are protected from abuse whilst participating in tennis.
Lifetime Tennis acknowledges that some children, including disabled children and young people or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.
As part of our safeguarding policy Lifetime Tennis will:
- promote and prioritise the safety and well-being of children and adults at risk
- ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and adults at risk
- encourage and maintain a culture where people feel able to raise a genuine safeguarding concern and are confident that it will be taken seriously
- ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern
- ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored
- prevent the employment/deployment of unsuitable individuals
- ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation
The Club Welfare Officer is Viktoriya Perez and she can be contacted by phone on 07894466989
The club’s policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in Lifetime Tennis. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed and may result in dismissal/exclusion from the club.
Whistleblowing
Anyone who does not feel comfortable raising a concern with the Club Welfare Officer should contact the LTA Safeguarding Team directly on 020 8487 7000, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. Further details about whistleblowing can be found in the club’s safeguarding policy.
Monitoring
The club’s safeguarding policy will be reviewed every two years, or sooner in the following circumstances:
- changes in legislation and/or government guidance
- as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board or LTA
- as a result of any other significant change or event.
Please view our Safeguarding policy 2019-20
Updated 1 October 2019
Diversity and Inclusion Policy Statement
This Diversity and Inclusion Policy, Standards, Code of Conduct and Reporting Procedure are applicable to Lifetime Tennis and is based on similar policies of:
- The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)
- Tennis Scotland
- Tennis Wales
- The Tennis Foundation.
As a club we contribute actively to enable more people to play tennis more often, in a manner that it is safe, inclusive, and fair. This applies regardless of a person’s age, disability, gender reassignment status, sex, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, race or sexual orientation, socio-economic status or any other background.
We recognise that many concerns and/or disclosures may have both safeguarding and diversity and inclusion elements to them. This policy reflects this through its reporting procedures, which replicate the safeguarding concern reporting procedures.
This Policy strives to minimise risk and support our venue, programmes, events and individuals to deliver and experience a positive tennis experience for everyone. The Reporting Procedures in page 2 outlines how to respond to safeguarding or discrimination concerns/disclosures.
Please see the full policy here – Lifetime Tennis Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Workforce/Volunteer Safe Recruitment Plan
All Coaches at the club must be LTA accredited. This ensures that the necessary checks have been carried out. This check is not required for under 18 coaching assistants working under the supervision of an LTA accredited coach.
A current record of the LTA accreditation will be held by the Welfare Officer, and this will be reviewed annually by the Management Team.
Any other adult assisting the coaching team, will need to consent to having a criminal records check being carried out by the LTA Safe and Inclusive Tennis Team.
Any volunteer or employee who will have weekly contact with children, without parents/guardians being present will need to consent to having a criminal records check being carried out by the LTA Safe and Inclusive Tennis Team.
Volunteer Recruitment and Retention
Advertisement for volunteers
Lifetime Tennis uses appropriate means to advertise for volunteers, taking into account the principles of its equal opportunities and diversity policy.
Potential volunteers will meet with a member of the Management Committee to assess their suitability for the role. A criminal records check with the Criminal Records Bureau will be made (if the role involves working with children in any capacity) and references will be taken up.
Induction of volunteers
An induction will be prepared and delivered by a member of the Management Committee. This will include:
- A list of all other Management Committee members, with role and responsibilities
- A copy of the following policies:
- Child protection
- Code of practice for working with children
- Equality and diversity
- Volunteer recruitment and retention
- Health and safety
- Complaints and feedback
- Any other relevant documentation for the specific role
The organisation has a valid insurance policy which is available to members of the Club on request.
Resolving problems
The relationship between Lifetime Tennis and its volunteer workers is entirely voluntary and does not imply any contract. However, it is important that Lifetime Tennis is able to maintain its agreed standards of service to members, and it is equally important that volunteers should enjoy making their contribution.
If the work of a volunteer does not meet the organisation’s standards, these steps will be taken:
- An initial meeting with a member of the Tennis Manager to explain their concerns.
- If this does not resolve the concern, then a meeting with the Director will be convened.
- If your work still does not meet with the standards, then the Management Team may choose to stop using their services.
If the volunteer is dissatisfied with any aspect of their work they should:
- Give an initial explanation of their dissatisfaction to the appropriate member of the Management Team.
- If that does not resolve the concern, then a meeting should be convened with the Tennis Manager.
- If that does not resolve the issue, then a formal meeting of the Management Team should follow. If, after this, the Club is still unable to resolve the grievance, then it may decide that it would be inappropriate for the volunteer to continue.
At all times, you will be free to state your case and a friend can accompany you.
This volunteer policy is freely accessible to all and will be reviewed on a yearly basis.
Privacy Policy
For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and UK data protection laws, the controller is Lifetime Tennis UK Ltd (the “Venue”) of Lifetime Tennis, Lambeth Academy, SW4 9ET.
About this document
This privacy policy sets out the way we process your personal data and we’ve created this privacy policy to make sure you are aware of how we use your data as a member of our tennis venue.
How we collect your information
We may collect your personal data in a few limited ways, namely:
- Directly from you, when you fill in an application for membership or coaching course, when you make enquiries on our website, when you provide information via the Venue’s club management software or booking system, or when you interact with us during your time as a member in various other ways (for example, where you enter a competition, renew your membership, sign up for a course or lessons);
- From someone else who has applied for membership on your behalf (for example a family member or your tennis coach who has provided us with your contact details for that purpose);
- From the LTA (for example, where the LTA passes on your details to us in connection with a complaint or query you have raised about our Venue).
The types of information we collect
We may collect the following types of personal data about you:
- Contact and communications information, including your contact details (including email address(es), telephone numbers and postal address(es) and records of communications and interactions we have had with you);
- Financial information, including Direct Debit details;
- Certain other information which you volunteer when making use of your membership benefits (for example, when making court bookings, tennis course registrations or any other of our Venue facilities).
We may also collect data about your health or medical conditions, where you have volunteered this, for example so that we can cater for you when you attend a Venue social event or a course/camp.
How we use personal data
Personal data provided to us will be used for the purposes set out at the time of collection and, where relevant, in accordance with any preferences you express.
More generally, we will use your personal data for the following purposes:
- Administration of your Venue membership, or course subscription including:
- informing you about facilities and service opening hours;
- taking payment of membership and course fees;
- sending renewals reminders for current members or course participants
- Fulfilment of orders for goods and services, including court bookings;
- Administration of the Wimbledon ballot;
where this is necessary for the performance of a contract (including any written terms and conditions relating to your membership) with you;
- Research and statistical analysis about who is playing tennis in our Venue;
- Communication about our Venue activities that we think may be of interest to you;
- Storing your details on the software platform we use for our online Venue member management database / court booking system. Please note that your own use of the software or system is subject to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy published on that site;
where this is necessary for our legitimate interests (for example in increasing use of our Venue’s facilities and participation in the game generally);
- Promoting our Venue and promoting goods and services of third parties (for example, equipment suppliers, operators of coaching courses, and organisers of tennis events) where we think this will be of interest to you;
where this is necessary for our legitimate interests (or the legitimate interests of a third party), and/or where we have your consent, as applicable.
Your marketing preferences
We will always respect your wishes in respect of what type of communications you want to receive from us and how you want to receive them. There are some communications, however, that we need to send you regardless of your marketing preferences in order for us to fulfil our contractual obligations to you as a member of our Venue. Examples of these essential service communications are:
- Records of transactions, such as payment receipts or Direct Debit confirmations (as applicable).
- Membership related mailings such as your membership renewal reminder, course renewal reminders, notices of formal meetings and information about venue closures and holiday opening hours.
You are in control of how we communicate with you. You can update your choices and/or your contact details by contacting us at:
Telephone: 02081917494
Email: admin@lifetimetennis.co.uk
Post: 35 Bendemeer Road, London, SW15 1JX
Sharing your information with others
We do not sell or share your personal data for other organisations to use other than as set out below.
Personal data collected and processed by us may be shared with the following third parties, where necessary:
- Our employees and volunteers, for the purposes of administering your club membership, course subsrciptions and giving you access to the membership benefits to which you are entitled.
- Our contractors and suppliers, including coaches, any provider of membership management services.
How long your information is kept
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for each purpose we use it. For most membership data, this means we retain it for so long as you have a valid Venue membership and for a period of six years after your last interaction with us (for accounting, tax reporting and record-keeping purposes).
Your rights
Under certain circumstances, by law you have the right to:
- Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
- Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
- Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
- Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes.
- Request the restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal data about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it. You can also withdraw your consent, where this is the basis for our processing your data (without affecting the lawfulness of our previous processing based on consent).
- Request the transfer of your personal data to another party.
Please note that the above rights are not absolute, and we may be entitled to refuse requests where exceptions apply.
Contact and complaints
If you have any queries about this privacy policy or how we process your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your legal rights, you may contact Director, James Webber:
- by email: info@lifetimetennis.co.uk ;
- by telephone: 02081917494;
- or by post:35 Bendemeer Road, London, SW15 1JX
If you are not satisfied with how we are processing your personal data, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner. You can find out more about your rights under applicable data protection laws from the Information Commissioner’s Office website: www.ico.org.uk.
We would love to have you come and join our sessions but please only sign up if you agree to the below conditions.
Poor Weather Policy: Like all outdoor activities we are sometimes affected by bad weather conditions. For this reason all our courses are priced with the expectation that we may get unlucky and miss one session per term. For example: In the case of a 6 weeks adult term you are essentially paying for 5 classes. However if we are fortunate and there are no cancellations due to rain then participants get the 6th week as a free bonus.
What happens when there are cancellations:
On the 1st occurrence of a cancellation – no refund is given
On the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th occurrence of a cancelation within a 6 week term a refund to the value of each class cancelled will be given
Lessons will continue in light rain showers and will only be canceled in the event of heavy/constant rain making the courts unplayable.
In the event of bad weather a final decision is only made 15 minutes before the start of a session. If a lesson is cancelled players will be notified by text message to the number provided when registering for the course. There are times when lessons go ahead even when it has just rained 30 minutes before the start of a session. Occasionally there are times when lessons are unfortunately cancelled 15 minutes into the start of a session due to a downpour. Our policy is to always try our best to play but ultimately we don’t control the weather.
If lessons go ahead then no refunds are issued.
Code of Practice for members
RULES OF THE CLUB
(a) Club members must treat all players (junior /adult members and non members) with respect at all times while playing at the club
(b) The Club is open to all and should be a welcoming environment for all – bad language, the throwing of rackets and destruction of property will not be tolerated at the club.
(c) Club members must always act in an appropriate manner during social occasions to ensure all participants feel comfortable throughout all social events
(d) All courts should be left clean and nets left to full net height when leaving the court
(e) Members should report any complaints to member of staff so that all issues are rectified as soon as possible
(f) Appropriate sports clothing and equipment should be used at all times
(g) No dogs or bicycles are allowed on the tennis courts at any time
(h) Members and non members should try to maintain good etiquette while playing, however as this is a public club a general understanding of some players limited knowledge of tennis etiquette must be remembered.
(i) Courts can only be booked 24 hours in advance by non members for pay an Play usage
(j) Bookings Members may book a court 7 days in advance for pay and play usage
(k) Junior members of the club are to be treated with equal respect as adult members and are entitled to the same benefits
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE CLUB
1) (a) The Club provides the following services:
· Extensive group and private coaching services by licensed and insured coaches
· Rackets for sale and a stringing service
· A tennis Ladder for members to participate in
· An extensive junior program with coaching, competition and social activities on offer
MEMBER FEEDBACK
(a) The Club undertakes annual survey in December of each year to collect feedback and suggestions from its members
(b) A summary of this feedback is presented to the members along with any changes or new implementations that may occur in the following year.