We hugely appreciate the time and effort team managers put in to make interclub enjoyable for our junior teams. We hope team managers also find it rewarding and fun. Here is some information to help team managers with team management.

Your team

Team contact details. The Junior Convenor will e-mail team managers with the contact details of team members and other team managers around the same time the draw is published.

Team size. Most teams have five regular players in them. Only four play on a match day (contest) though. The extra player is to make it easier for team managers to field a full set of four players for each contest when someone is away or ill.

Team schedule. It is a good idea to prepare a schedule before the first contest based on everyone’s availability. Each team member should play a similar number of games during the competition.

Reserve Players. Occasionally you may not have enough regular players to make a set of four players for a contest. This is when you can call on reserves. The team contact details e-mailed by the Junior Convenor will also include juniors who are able to play as reserves, as well as contact details of other team managers. You can use any junior club member, including spare players from other teams at the same or lower grade. Girls from same or lower grade can also play in boys teams, and vice versa, though boys are usually very reluctant to play in girls teams. Feel free to contact other team managers for spare players.

Playing order. On each match day, team members should be played in order of ability. Most children work this out for themselves very quickly. If two players are of similar ability, their playing order is not important. If any dispute however, team managers could use player rankings (singles points/doubles points available with the draw) to decide player order. The team manager has the final say on the team order.

Team communication. As some parents don't seem to look at their e-mails regularly, werecommend that you don't rely on this for team communication. Txts usually get a better response and a Whatsapp group for your team may be even better. For older players, you may wish to include the players in the group as well as parents.

Team names. Colours are usually used for team names.

Player eligibility. Please ensure that all Kilbirnie players are Kilbirnie Tennis Club members.

Vouchers. Sometimes certificate/vouchers will be available to award to your team. These will be for such things as “Best Sportsmanship”, “Most Professional”, “Team Mates Choice”, and “Best Effort”. Team managers can award these to their team at their discretion (good idea to share the awards around though).

FREE Novice Interclub Training. For all players new to interclub or in the Hot Shots grades, additional FREE coaching is available. This coaching is delivered by our professional PlanitPro coaches and will cover serving, rallying, scoring, and strategies. All novice players are welcome and encouraged to attend. For Hot Shots team managers, please do encourage your team to attend these.

Competition

Draw. Tennis Central will e-mail team managers when the draw for the pre-Xmas or post-Xmas competition is published. This will usually be a couple of weeks before the first contest. The draw will include the dates and venues of all contests.

Competition start dates. Pre-Xmas competitions usually start mid-October and post-Xmas competitions start early February. No contests are usually scheduled over Labour weekend and Waitangi weekend (but this may depend on  the timing of Easter and other events)

Interclub Handbook. The Tennis Central junior Competition Rules and Conditions document can be found here. It includes:
- competition rules
- what to do if wet weather
- ordering your team by merit
- player etiquette
- guidelines for parents, coaches, and spectators
- team manager duties
- match formats
- venues
- recording results.

Warm-up time. As with all sports, tennis players need time to get their mind focused and muscles operating well. It is therefore recommended that you ask your team to arrive at least 15 minutes before each contest so that they can warm up with some team practice. 

Tennis balls. The Junior Convenor will arrange balls for you before the first contest. The balls will be placed in the clubrooms for you to pick up. The Hot Shots teams receive two cans of low compression Tecnifibre Green Dot balls for the pre-Xmas season and another two cans for the post-Xmas season. Grades A-D teams receive two cans of Tecnifibre X-One balls for each competition. As the X-Ones slowly depressurise, hold off opening the second can until after the 3rd or 4th round. Let the Junior Convenor know if your team loses too many balls and you don’t have enough to last until the end of the competition - some used balls from the senior competitions can be supplied.

Marking tennis balls. To ensure return of your balls at the end of each match, it is recommended that you mark your balls when you open a can. This will help distinguish your balls from those of the opposing team.

Club courts. The Junior Convenor will book courts 3-5 for your Kilbirnie Tennis Club your home games. The draw will only indicate courts 4&5 are available but you can spread over the three courts. This means you can play one doubles and two singles games at the same time. Magnetic scoreboard discs and overlays can be found in the cupboard next to the womens bathroom in the clubrooms. Remember to return them after use.

Access to clubrooms. The clubrooms will be open from around 8:45am on Sundays for Hot Shots coaching. Let everyone know (including those from the opposition teams) that they can get water and use the bathrooms. If you would like access at an earlier time, you can also get an access card. A deposit is required for a card though, which is fully refundable on return of the card.

Hataitai Courts. Some games may be scheduled at Hataitai Park. These have been booked for you by Tennis Central. If anyone is on the courts when you arrive, just nicely let them know that the courts have been booked for junior interclub and ask if they could move to other courts.

Rescheduling games. If you need to reschedule a home game (perhaps because the scheduled game has been rained off), let the Junior Convenor know and he/she will book the courts for you at Kilbirnie. You can check bookings here. You can also re-schedule rained-off games at The Renouf Tennis Centre (outdoor courts only). This may allow you to get a time that better suits you (the Kilbirnie courts are heavily booked over the weekend during the interclub season). There is no charge for re-scheduled interclub games at The Renouf. You can book courts at the Renouf by calling the Pro Shop at the Renouf (04 384 6294) and stating that you wish to book courts for a rescheduled interclub game. You will need to state the competition (Junior), your grade, and the names of the clubs competing. Let your junior convenor know if you have any problems with this.

Results sheets and entry of results. Results sheets and instructions on how to enter results into Match Hub can also be found here. If you have any problems or need to make a correction to scores, please contact the junior convenor for assistance.

Rules of Tennis

Latest rules of tennis from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).