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New Members' Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to St Albans Lawn Tennis Club.  We hope you will enjoy your tennis and that you will become a part of the friendly community we have strived to develop.  We have put together this list of answers to key questions you may have which will hopefully enable you to feel at home as quickly as possible:

When can I play?

As a member you can generally play at any time on any of the courts – if you are wearing your Membership tag.  There are obviously a few exceptions :

1.   If the courts are being used for a match – a list of pre-arranged matches will be available on one of the notice boards and on our website.  Normally this would entail at least three courts being out of action but, due to the fact we have a number of different teams, it could on occasions cover six, or even nine carpet courts.  During the summer months matches are normally on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6.30 onwards and on Sundays after 12 noon.

2.   On Sunday mornings you may arrange to play doubles with other members, or be invited to play with them.

3.   The Club Coach has priority of use on (hard) court 3 for coaching, although if space permits a carpet court may be used.  On (hard) court 4, juniors and coaching take priority over seniors.

4.   If there are members waiting to play you should come off after one tiebreak set and wait your turn for another court to become available.

5.   Apart from league and tournament matches, singles are not allowed if all courts are full and there are members waiting to play.

Except for team matches, you must provide your own balls, so always carry a can of good quality balls, preferably marked to distinguish them from those on other courts.

Is there a good time to play socially?

Social tennis is played on Saturday afternoons (2.00 to 5.00 pm) and Wednesday evenings (after 6.00 pm).  Just come down and join in.  Everyone mixes and plays one tiebreak set before coming off and mixing in again.  Normally, on Wednesdays the bar is.

For those of you aspiring to play for one of the teams, come down on a Tuesday evening in April for a good standard of play.  Don’t feel inadequate or modest – we have teams in both the Herts and Watford Leagues covering most divisions.  We aim to provide team tennis to those members who want it – if you don’t come down and make yourself known we cannot select you.

During the winter months we arrange internal club competitions for both singles (September to April on Monday evenings) and mixed doubles (October to March on Tuesday evenings).  If you wish to enter either of these, add your name to the lists displayed in the foyer in the weeks before the start, or contact the organisers.

Can I bring a guest?

Whilst we encourage members to bring along prospective new members to have a taste of what the Club has to offer, the following ‘rules’ apply, regarding bringing visitors to the Club.

  • Visitors must be accompanied by a Club member.
  • Any one person can visit the Club on a maximum of 3 visits in a year (April to March).
  • A visitors fee is charged      Adults £5 per visit
                                               Juniors £3 per visit
  • The Club member is responsible to ensure that the details are completed in the visitors book, and the relevant fee is placed in the black box provided, BEFORE entering the courts and commencing play.  Both the visitors book and the locked money-box (which is emptied daily) are in the Clubhouse lobby.

When can Juniors play?

As with seniors, juniors can generally play at any time, except that seniors take precedence during social tennis and matches.

Friday 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm is Junior Club Night.  All juniors who play at ‘green’ level and above are welcome to attend.  There are organised, structured games, with players being ‘rotated’ to have a variety of fun competition during the session.  There is also a tuck shop and the table tennis table is usually set up in the Clubhouse.

During the course of the year, a number of fun tournaments are arranged and there are a number of teams in County organised competitions, e.g. Red/­Orange/­Green inter club events, Under 12 Summer League, Under 15 Winter Singles League,  to mention a few.

What about operating the floodlights?

All the floodlights are operated from inside the front door using the “on” and “off” switches. To conserve electricity, only switch on lights for the court you intend to use and, if no one else intends to use it after you, please remember to switch off.  If you are the last person to leave, please make sure all lights are switched off.

Where can I park?

There is limited space in the club car park, so please take care when parking – please don’t block the disabled ramp.  If the car park is full you will have to park on the road.  Please do NOT park in the bays opposite the houses (in Jodies Court), which are for residents only.

How can I access 'My Membership'

On joining the Club you will automatically be sent a unique 'username' and 'password'.  These are required in order to access the members only, secure area, of the website - 'My Membership'.  Here you can keep your own details up to date, change your password, view your invoice and search for other members to view their basic contact details.

If you forget your password you can request another from the 'system'.  If you forget your 'username' you will need to send an email to - - requesting a reminder.

Who can I contact with further questions?

A list of committee members and their contact numbers can be found on the notice board at the front of the clubhouse.  They will be pleased to answer any questions you have. You can also contact us by email or telephone.  

ENJOY YOUR TENNIS

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