Contents
A court booking policy is not there to stop members playing. It is there so that the member who booked a court at seven gets it at seven, without having a word with somebody in the car park.
What a court booking policy has to answer
Most clubs’ policies cover the first two questions and skip the rest. The arguments come from the ones that were skipped.
- How far ahead can members book? A week is common. Further ahead, and the keenest members take every peak evening slot.
- How many bookings can one member hold? Usually one or two future bookings at a time, and one at peak times.
- What happens if nobody turns up? Most clubs release a court after ten or fifteen minutes.
- How much notice does a cancellation need? Enough for somebody else to use the court.
- Which courts are held for coaching, teams and club nights? And on which days and times.
- Who can bring a guest, and how often?
- Can juniors book on their own? And from what age.
Peak and off-peak rules
Weekday evenings and weekend mornings are where nearly every booking dispute happens. Rules that are fair at two in the afternoon can be unfair at seven in the evening, so many clubs tighten them for peak times only.
| Peak times | Off-peak | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Weekdays 6pm to 9pm, weekends 9am to 1pm | Every other hour |
| Book ahead | Up to seven days | Up to fourteen days |
| Bookings held at once | One | Two |
| Longest booking | One hour | Two hours |
Change the hours to match when your courts are actually full. A peak window that covers the whole week is just a stricter policy.
What happens when nobody turns up
A no-show is a court somebody else could have used. Most clubs do two things. A court not claimed ten minutes after the start is free for anyone. And a member who keeps booking and not coming hears about it, in steps:
| No-shows in a season | What happens |
|---|---|
| The first | Nothing |
| The second | A friendly message from the club |
| The third | No peak bookings for two weeks |
Most members need the second step once, and never reach the third.
The member who booked a court at seven should get it at seven, without a word in the car park.
Courts held for coaching, teams and club nights
Write down which courts are held, and when, for coaching, team matches and club nights, and publish it before the season starts. Members accept courts being held when they knew in advance. They do not accept finding them blocked on the evening.
Review these blocks once a season with your head coach and your team captains. A block that made sense last year may now be sitting empty.
A court booking policy template
Change the numbers and the courts to suit your club, and keep the wording plain.
Booking. Members may book up to [seven] days ahead, and hold up to [two] future bookings at a time.
Peak times. Between [6pm and 9pm on weekdays] and [9am and 1pm at weekends], members may hold [one] booking at a time, for up to [one hour].
Turning up. A court not claimed within [ten] minutes of the start may be used by any member.
Cancelling. Cancel at least [four] hours before, so somebody else can use the court. A member who books and does not come three times in a season loses peak bookings for [two] weeks.
Held courts. Courts [1 and 2] are held for coaching on [weekday afternoons], and courts [3 and 4] for club night on [Wednesdays from 7pm].
Guests. A member may bring a guest up to [six] times a year, and books the court as usual.
Juniors. Juniors aged [12] and over may book in their own name. Younger juniors play with an adult member on court, except in junior coaching.
Put it where members book
A policy in the club handbook is read once, by the committee. Put it next to where members actually book, keep it to one screen on a phone, and link to it when somebody asks.
Filed under Courts and coaching · Every sport