Articles
Articles for the people who run racket clubs
How clubs do the jobs nobody trained them for: the box league, the subs, the court rota and the AGM. Written for the volunteer who runs them, and filed by the job.
Competitions
Tracking player stats and records at your club
Most clubs keep their results. Far fewer keep a record for each player, and that is where the stories are. Here is what to track, the rules that keep the numbers fair, and how to use them without anybody playing for their stats. · 7 min read CompetitionsHow to level up your tennis box league
Your box league runs. The question now is whether it grows or drifts. Here are nine upgrades that make it better to play in, bring new members to the club, and take most of the admin off the organiser. · 10 min read Courts and coachingPickleball at a tennis club: sharing the courts
More and more tennis clubs are asked whether pickleball can use their courts. Done well, it fills quiet hours and brings in new members. Done badly, it starts the longest argument the committee has ever had. Here is how to share the courts, from the trial to the agreement. · 6 min read Courts and coachingHow to run a mexicano night
A mexicano is the americano's competitive cousin. Partners still change every round, but after the first one each round is dealt off the table, so the games get closer as the night goes on. Here is how it works, with a worked example, and how to run one without a spreadsheet at the side of the court. · 5 min read The committeeWhat to present at your club's AGM
An AGM is the one evening most members hear how the club is doing. A few numbers, each beside last year's, tell them more than a long report read aloud. Here is what each officer should bring, how to run the room and the votes, and three documents to copy. · 11 min read The committeeHanding over a committee job: a checklist
A committee job lives in one person's inbox, phone and memory until the day they stand down. Here is what to write down before the AGM, what to move in the handover meeting, and a pack to copy for each job. · 6 min read The committeeClub committee roles: what each job involves
Most people turn down a committee job because nobody can tell them what it involves. Here is each job at a racket club, what it takes and when it is busiest. There is a one-page description to copy when you ask someone to stand. · 7 min read Membership and moneyHow to get more members for your club
More members starts with keeping the ones you have, then being easy to find, then giving every newcomer a reason to come back the following week. An open day helps, but only as part of that. · 3 min read Courts and coachingWho plays next: rotation systems for club nights
Every club night runs on one question, asked a hundred times an evening, which is who plays next. Here are the rotation systems clubs use, what each suits, the rules that stop the arguments, and a notice to put by the courts. · 7 min read CompetitionsHow to seed and draw your club championships
The club championships are the one competition every member notices, and the draw is where most arguments about them start. Here is how to choose the seeds fairly and how many a draw takes. Then how to make the draw so nobody can question it, and what to settle before the first ball. · 4 min read CompetitionsTennis round robin formats for 4 to 16 players
A round robin is the simplest way to give everybody the same number of games. Here is how many rounds and courts your numbers need, with schedules to print for the common cases. Then how long the evening takes, and the tie-break rules to agree first. · 7 min read Courts and coachingHow to run an americano at your padel club
An americano is the easiest social evening a padel club can run. Everyone comes on their own, partners change every round, and the table settles who won. Here is how many players you need, how many points to play, a schedule to print, and what to tell the players before the first ball. · 7 min read CompetitionsHow to run a squash box league
A box league keeps squash members playing every week, at their own level, between team matches. Here is how to set one up, score it by games, and keep it going round after round. · 3 min read CompetitionsBox league spreadsheet template for your club
Most box leagues start on a spreadsheet, and a good one can run a league for years. Here is what a box league spreadsheet needs and how to lay it out so the table works itself out. Then the mistakes that break one, and the signs it is time to move on. · 6 min read CompetitionsHow to make a tournament draw with byes
An odd number of entries is the normal state of a club championship. Here is how to work out the draw size and the byes, place the seeds, and finish with a draw nobody can argue with. · 4 min read Membership and moneyMembership categories and fees for racket clubs
The price list decides who joins. A club with only "adult" and "junior" loses the student home for the holidays, the family of four and the retired couple who only play in the mornings. · 4 min read CompetitionsLadder or box league: which suits your club
Both get members playing each other through the season. They suit different players, and the choice usually comes down to whether your members want a fixture list or want to pick their own matches. · 3 min read CompetitionsLadder rules for a tennis club: how to run one
A ladder lives or dies by a page of rules. Too few and every challenge becomes a negotiation. Too many and nobody plays. Here are the ones a club tennis ladder needs, with a set to copy. · 4 min read Membership and moneyHow to collect club subs on time, every year
Most late subs are not refusals. They are members who forgot, or who were never told clearly when the money was due. A few decisions made once fix most of it. · 4 min read Courts and coachingCourt booking policy template for racket clubs
Most booking arguments come from a rule nobody wrote down. A policy that answers the seven usual questions in plain words settles them before anybody has to. There is a template to copy at the end. · 4 min readWhat's new
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