Further to the direction sent to WA Clubs on Thursday 26 March, regarding the shutdown of Tennis Clubs and Coaching Operations, the State Government’s Preventative Restriction of Activities Directions has recently been updated (v2). Under the previous version, the definition of an affected activity included “a gathering of two or more people, who do not ordinarily reside at the same premise for the purpose of participating in a sporting activity together”. This definition has since been removed from the Directions.
Whilst this change now allows for play at a club, we do strongly encourage clubs to consider all of the existing State and Federal laws in place, before making any changes to the existing arrangements. Of particular note, is the Federal laws in regards to the strict two-person limit on public gatherings, and the recommendation that people over the age of 60, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people over the age of 50, are to stay at home and avoid contact with others.
It is at the discretion of each club as to whether they change their current operating circumstances and allow access to their facilities. Should clubs wish to open their courts up to coaching operations and court hire they must ensure all social distancing and hygiene guidelines are adhered to and accept all associated risks. The updated Community Guidelines for Continued Play must be adhered to, particularly in regards to court spacing and restricted access to toilets and club facilities.
*It is also important to note, that if your local council has shut down your tennis club in the last few weeks, this shutdown still applies, despite the Directions being updated.
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Direction to Clubs – 26 March 2020
Under the WA Government’s Preventative Restriction of Activities Direction a person must refrain from undertaking or engaging in an affected activity. An affected activity includes a gathering of two or more people, who do not ordinarily reside at the same premises, for the purposes of participating in a sporting activity.
As a result of these new measures, Tennis West is advising that all Tennis Clubs, Club Activities and Coaching Activities must cease operations immediately:
- All tennis clubs and centres are to close until further notice
- All tennis programmes and coaching be cancelled, including one-on-one coaching
- All club, association and social play be cancelled until further notice
- All public court hire bookings to cease
Please note that under the Public Health Act 2016 (WA), it is an offence for a person to fail, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any of these directions, punishable by a fine of up to $20,000 for individuals, and $100,000 for bodies corporate.
Attached is a poster you can display at your facility.
We know our community loves our sport and that many people are looking for ways to remain fit and active whilst adhering to very strict social distancing guidelines. We are also acutely aware that this directive will impact the livelihood of our valued tennis coaches. However, this is a government mandate, and needs to be strictly adhered to by our tennis community.
Tennis West staff are working remotely to limit contact but are all still available to support you through this challenge.
We are exploring all appropriate options for resuming tennis in a safe way when health officials deem it safe. 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.
Michael Roberts
CEO, Tennis West
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