MLTC COVID-19 Update – Courts Available for Play; Clubhouse Closed.

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Courts are available for play.

The MLTC Clubhouse is closed but players can access the club’s washrooms.

Member, Player and Staff Basics:

  • If you are unwell or have reason to believe you may be infected with COVID 19 virus, please do NOT attend MLTC before seeking and following medical advice.
  • If you have been travelling recently, especially overseas you must follow Government self-isolation guidelines.
  • Please – no shaking hands or contact with others while at MLTC while this crisis continues
  • Please use our washrooms, soap dispensers and the hand sanitiser on the reception counter to ensure safe hand hygiene.
  • Please do not loiter inside the clubhouse.  There are loads of outside open spaces so please use them.

Coaching and Midweek Competitions

  • All Coaching is ON.  Please check with the Manly Tennis Centre if you have any questions.

Members Social Tennis

  • Members’ social tennis will continue, keeping in mind the above Basics guidance.

The management of MLTC is currently, and will continue, to follow all directives from Federal, State and Local Governments in relation to COVID-19. We will update immediately when/if there is any change.

As at 12.30 pm March 23, current government restrictions mean MLTC can stay open with the measures we have in place.

Craig Withell
President
23March 2020

COVID-19 Update – Coaching, Court Hire & Competitions

Virus forces Wimbledon cancellation for 1st time since WWII

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For the first time in its nearly century-and-a-half history, Wimbledon was canceled for a reason other than war, scrapped in 2020 on Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.

With Britain under a nationwide lockdown, the All England Club announced its decision to call off its storied two-week grass-court tennis tournament, something that hadn’t happened to the sport’s oldest Grand Slam event in 75 years.

“It has weighed heavily on our minds that the staging of The Championships has only been interrupted previously by World Wars,” club chairman Ian Hewitt said, “but, following thorough and extensive consideration of all scenarios, we believe that it is a measure of this global crisis that it is ultimately the right decision to cancel this year’s Championships, and instead concentrate on how we can use the breadth of Wimbledon’s resources to help those in our local communities and beyond.”

Courts Closed Until Further Notice

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COVID-19 UPDATE: All play at MLTC ceased from Midnight 27 March until further notice.

All play at MLTC ceases from Midnight 27 March until further notice.

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Dear Members

Given the ongoing and worsening situation with the COVID 19 virus, The Club has received the following advice from Tennis NSW

Tennis NSW strongly recommends that all tennis activities cease from midnight Friday 27 March 2020 across the state of NSW.

  • All tennis clubs, venues, academies and centres cease operations until further notice.
  • All tennis programmes and coaching be cancelled, including one-on-one coaching, until further notice.
  • All club, association and social play be cancelled until further notice.
  • All public court hire bookings cease until further notice.

As a result all play at the Club will cease from midnight 27 March tonight until further notice.

Click here for the full Tennis NSW announcement.

All the best
Craig Withell
President MLTC

Tennis NSW statement to temporarily cease all tennis activity across NSW

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27 March 2020

To the Tennis NSW family

Tennis NSW strongly recommends that all tennis activities cease from midnight Friday 27 March 2020 across the state of NSW.

With the continued escalation of the COVID-19 crisis and in consultation with the tennis community and the NSW Government, the Board of Tennis NSW resolved today to recommend that all tennis activity cease from midnight Friday 27th March 2020. The recommendation is that:

  • All tennis clubs, venues, academies and centres cease operations until further notice
  • All tennis programmes and coaching be cancelled, including one-on-one coaching, until further notice
  • All club, association and social play be cancelled until further notice
  • All public court hire bookings cease until further notice

President of Tennis NSW, Kim Warwick said “The Board of Tennis NSW met this morning to consider the continued escalation of the COVID-19 crisis across Australia but most significantly across NSW. Our capital city, Sydney, is now at the epicentre of this pandemic in Australia and the Board feels that it is essential to put the wider community first and foremost in our decision making. The Premier has advised us today not to go outside unless we absolutely have to, that was at the forefront of our decision.

This was not an easy decision to make. We understand and feel the pain of our tennis operators and coaching community, a number of whom sit on our Board, however, we feel that it is a time to put lives before livelihoods. As a sport, we could not continue to guarantee the safety of all participants nor of our coaches or volunteers. Therefore, for the time being, we strongly recommend that all tennis activity cease in NSW.”

Tennis NSW staff are working remotely to limit contact but are all still available to support you through this challenge.

Please note:

The Board intends to review this position formally on the 27th of April yet will continue to meet regularly to explore all appropriate options for resuming tennis when Government and/or health authorities deem it safe to do so. This pandemic and these exceptional circumstances will pass and we want to work with our partners to ensure tennis is back bigger and better than ever.

This is a challenging time for everyone, please stay home and stay safe.

Kind regards

Kim Warwick                                                         Lawrence Robertson
President, Tennis NSW                                         CEO, Tennis NSW 

MLTC – Play during the COVID 19 virus update 26 March 2020

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Dear Members

Given the ongoing and worsening situation with the COVID 19 virus, and following advice from Tennis NSW and the directions from The NSW Government, the MLTC Committee has decided:

  1. To close the Clubhouse completely. Players will only be allowed to use the outside Toilet. No other access will be allowed.
  2. The MTC will continue to offer limited coaching and court hire only.
  3. The Pro shop will remain open
  4. Organised Social tennis at the Club – midweek and Saturday will be temporarily suspended.
  5. MLTC member courts will be available for play. Members will have to organise their own sets between themselves if they still want to play.
  6. All players will be requested to keep their visit to the Club confined to their playing time on court. It is not acceptable for players to sit next to each other on court seating while watching others play. Social gatherings are not permitted.
  7. Members will have to supply their own balls during this time.
  8. Members should not invite visitors to play until this crisis abates.

This is a difficult time for everyone. Members need to be mindful of the current environment and not be complacent. I think it is only a matter of time before stricter restrictions on our movement come into place and we may have to close the Club. Until then the MLTC is following closely advice from TNSW which in turn is in close contact with the Health authorities.

Can I again urge all Members to be mindful of the Hygiene guidelines and player numbers.

Good hygiene and distancing yourself from other people is still the best defence. Players should wash their hands before and after play.

All the best
Craig Withell
President MLTC

Daily Quarantine Challenge/Quiz/Fun Activity

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Hey Everyone, I hope everyone is moving along OK!

To give ourselves something to do and hopefully help keep a smile on everyone’s faces we will be doing our best to post once a day with either a challenge, a quiz, a joke, or just something fun that we would like to share with all of you.

Please give any feedback and don’t hesitate to join in. We would love to hear from all of you! Stay safe and stay happy!

All videos will be posted on our new instagram account:

Daily Quarantine Challenge/Quiz/Fun Activity

Please follow along and join the fun!
Sincerely,
Richard and the Team!

An Update From Tennis NSW

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Further to the Prime Minister’s announcement last night, we wanted to inform you that our guidelines as at Monday 23 March remain in place and unchanged at this point in time. You can find them here. 

Tennis Australia and Tennis NSW sought further clarity in relation to the PM’s announcement last night and as such we have received advice direct from the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) who liaised with both Local Governments and the Office of Sport to conclude that tennis operations CAN CONTINUE under the current guidelines provided by Tennis Australia and Tennis NSW. SEOC have also briefed all LGA’s across NSW stating clearly that there is no requirement to close outdoor public recreation facilities e.g. tennis courts. 

The Prime Minister’s statement last night also referenced the fact that we are not only facing a health crisis but an economic crisis and that anyone still in work is considered an essential worker. Our current guidelines therefore provide opportunities for our coaching workforce to continue to earn revenue albeit recognising the significant limitations now placed on them.

To that extent, we would encourage all Club & Association Committees to meet with their coach to discuss how the Club and Association can assist in providing lease relief, reduced court hire fees and other ways to provide support to our Coach workforce who rely on our sport for their livelihood.  I remain confident that many of our Clubs and Associations will still exist in some shape or form following this crisis but our coaching workforce may not – we all have our role to play to ensure that we have the people in place to help our sport rebuild once we are through this and I would encourage you to have these conversations with your Coaching partners sooner rather than later. The team at Tennis NSW are on hand to assist any Coaches or Clubs to have these challenging conversations.

The future of our sport is now in our hands, we must band together as a tennis family to adhere to the guidelines that have been put in place to ensure we can keep our courts open for the wellbeing of the community and our sport. While following the Government guidelines we will look to continue to make decisions in the best interest of the health of our tennis community. We are in continued dialogue with Government on the financial impact this crisis is having on our sport and providing a range of options for Government to consider in regards to financial relief and support for our tennis family.

As we move in to this next phase of operating, we still need to remember to be extra vigilant and keep the safety of ourselves and those around us at the forefront of how we operate. 

As always, please reach out to your local Tennis NSW representatives or please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected]

Stay safe and take care,

Lawrence Robertson
Chief Executive Officer
Tennis NSW

[email protected] COVID-19 Court Hire, Coaching & Competitions

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In the current COVID-19 environment, we want to assure you that your health and well-being is our utmost priority.

Accordingly, we are reporting that Tennis NSW yesterday published a revised set of guidelines for Tennis Centres based on the latest government directives in managing the crisis.  Tennis NSW has suspended all sanctioned play until April 30.

Tennis NSW recommendation is to limit community tennis activities to casual court hire, one-on-one coaching and small groups.  So, effective immediately:

Competitions:

• Tuesday and Friday Ladies competitions are cancelled until further notice.

• Night competitions are also cancelled until further notice.

Coaching:   

• Junior group coaching is cancelled until further notice.

• One-on-one private, semi private and small group coaching for adults and juniors (max 4 players) WILL continue.

• Our Tennis Whisperer clinics are cancelled until further notice.

On-line Reservations:   

• To help eliminate one less stressor during this time, you can continue to book court hire and coaching lessons online.  And of course, we would prefer you to pay by tap and go, so that  you avoid handling cash.

Facilities:

• The Pro Shop remains open to meet all your equipment, stringing and ball needs.

• While the Manly Lawn Tennis Club has closed the clubhouse, you can still access the washrooms.  We also have an external toilet adjacent to Court 1.

• PLEASE follow all recommended government advice in managing and limiting your personal exposure during your visits.

We will continue to monitor and follow all directives from Federal, State and Local Governments, Tennis Australia and Tennis NSW in relation to COVID-19.

Our policies and procedures will be updated as required to ensure the health and well-being of club members, players, guests and staff in these difficult times.

Sincerely,
Scott Blackburn
Director
Manly Tennis Centre
24March 2020

A COVID-19 Update From Tennis NSW

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The Federal Government announced last night that further restrictions would be placed on the community to combat the spread of COVID-19, including the closing of a number of venues that attract large social gatherings including pubs, clubs, restaurants and indoor sports facilities. This situation is constantly changing and we want you to know that Tennis NSW is here to assist our members in helping you to continue delivering tennis in your local community in the most responsible way. 

There are still ways that we can play tennis with some important restrictions to ensure we are operating in a way that adheres to the expert health advice. Important updates in the new guidelines include:

  • Indoor tennis facilities and associated gyms must now close
  • Court hire, individual or small group coaching can continue (max. 4 people)
  • Any gyms or sit down cafeterias associated with any tennis venue must now close
  • Coach operated venues are being asked to consider changes in their day-to-day operations

The immediate future of our sport is in our own hands, and we all have a part to play. Failure to comply with Government guidelines in regards to social gatherings and social distancing will result in even more stringent regulations, which could potentially lead to a full lockdown of our sport. Let’s work together to demonstrate a level of social responsibility, so we can keep tennis open and provide an appropriate outlet for the people in our communities when they need it most.

Please click here to access the updated Community Tennis Guidelines for Continued Play.

Please remember that if at any time you have any questions in regards to COVID-19 in regards to tennis, please contact [email protected]

Thank you and stay safe
Lawrence Robertson
Chief Executive Officer
Tennis NSW