This page provides up to date information as to how the coronavirus (Covid-19) and the latest government advice around it, relates to tennis activities in Britain and all those involved in delivering them, with separate guidelines in place for each of England, Scotland and Wales.
LATEST UPDATES:
England (updated 11 May)
Return to Play Guidance
UPDATE: Step 3 Guidance (11 May)
Following the Prime Minister's confirmation that the country will move to Step 3 of the Government roadmap from 17 May, we have updated our summary grid to provide details of the restrictions that will apply for this stage of the roadmap. This includes:
- Indoor tennis activity permitted for all (including organised group activity and social play)
- Car sharing will be permitted (subject to guidance)
- Spectating permitted
We are awaiting confirmation as to whether the Department for Education restriction on limiting children's group sizes to 15 in out of school settings will remain in place for Step 3.
You can download the summary grid and current (Step 2) full guidance documents for tennis players, venues, coaches and officials via the button links below.
Government Roadmap for easing of lockdown restrictions
The Government has published a roadmap for the gradual and staged easing of lockdown restrictions in England, made possible by the pace of the vaccination programme. Restrictions will be eased across all areas of England at the same time.
We have produced a simple summary grid outlining what the various steps of the roadmap means for tennis activity, which can be downloaded via the link below. The document includes a provisional grid for each of the four steps of the roadmap, and will continue to be updated as and when we receive confirmation of further detail from Government and Sport England on the restrictions that will be in place for future steps of the roadmap.
Where activity is listed as permitted, this may still be subject to additional restrictions and protocols – tennis venues, coaches, players and officials should refer to the LTA's full COVID-19 Secure detailed guidance documents published below.
LTA Covid-19 Secure Guidance Documents for Tennis Venues, Coaches, Officials & Players (updated 9 April)
To accompany the summary grid and following the publication by the Government of detailed guidance, we have updated our full LTA Covid-19 Secure guidance documents for tennis venues, coaches, officials and players to support the continued safe return to play under Step 2 of the roadmap. You can download these documents via the links below:
This documents will be further updated to reflect Step 3 guidance for tennis activity once the move to Step 3 is confirmed by the Government and its detailed guidance for it is published. Further guidance relating to Step 2 and Step 3 of the roadmap is provided in Sport England's FAQs.
Get back on court!
With outdoor tennis courts now open across the whole of Britain – get back on court.
As a naturally socially distanced sport, tennis is a safe and ideal activity to take part in – so if you’re new to tennis now is a great time to try it.
Don't worry if you're not ready to return yet, though. Check out our Tennis at Home hub for guidance on how to improve your game from home.
LTA Youth
Who's ready to Level Up? LTA Youth is a new innovative junior tennis programme created for children aged 4-18.
Sessions are packed full of fun games and dynamic training, with specialist coaches making sure every child has the best start to their tennis journey in a safe and inclusive environment. Sessions also cater to all abilities, so no one gets left behind.
Interested? Find out more about LTA Youth and LTA Youth Start.
Tennis in Schools
The Government’s roadmap for the easing of lockdown restrictions in England confirms that schools will reopen from 8 March, and that school sport and after-school clubs can resume from this date. As part of this, activities such as tennis that can help pupils to be physically active while encouraging physical distancing are encouraged.
The Department for Education has published guidance to support the resumption of physical activity in schools, and coaches, teachers and venues should be aware of the following points:
- Each school has the flexibility to decide how physical education, sport and physical activity will be provided
- Pupils should be kept in consistent groups, with equipment cleaned between use by individual groups
- Outdoor sports should be prioritised where possible, and large indoor spaces used where it is not
- External facilities can be used
- Competition between different schools should not take place until wider grassroots sport for under 18s is permitted
- Schools can work with external coaches, clubs and organisations for curricular and extra-curricular activities, but must be satisfied that it is safe to do so
Covid-19 Protocols for Schools
Tennis is a naturally socially distant sport and as such is an ideal activity to help get children active safely. Schools are reminded that there is no requirement for pupils to use their own individual tennis balls (this was an initial precautionary measure put in place at the start of the pandemic and is no longer a recommended measure, in line with the latest research). Rather, it is recommended that the focus be put on other preventative measures such as maintaining hand hygiene.
Out of School Settings
In relation to the provision of activity for after-school clubs or holiday clubs, this is permitted for limited circumstances, as below:
- Strictly limited to just being for children in specific circumstances (such as where it is reasonably necessary for them to attend in order to allow their parents/carers to work, search for work etc) as set out on the Government website here. This should be made explicitly clear when offering the activity.
- Provides an exemption during Step 1 for use of outdoor or indoor courts prior to 29 March, or indoor courts from 29 March
- Applies to venues classed as an ‘out of school setting’ and permits them to run activity out of school hours (e.g. as a holiday club during the school holidays)
- Even though use of indoor facilities is permitted, Government guidance is for the activity to take place outdoors where possible – more information on safety measures for sports provision in out-of-school settings is available here
- This guidance is for activity for children aged 5 and over. For activity for children aged under 5 – there is separate guidance with restrictions on who can operate under it (see here)
Funding & Support
Government Support
Following the announcement of national lockdown restrictions in January, the Government has announced new one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses to help them through to the spring.
The grants will be provided as follows:
- £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
- £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
- £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000
The one-off grants are in additions to existing business support, including grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.
Grants are to be delivered via local authorities, who will be the best initial point of contact for further information.
The following support is also available from Government for businesses impacted by the national restrictions:
More detail on support will be shared here as it becomes available.
Sport England funding for tennis venues
Sport England have reopened their £16.5 million Return to Play: Small Grants fund to refocus on helping groups, clubs and people who deliver sport and physical activity through the additional challenges that this period of national restrictions will bring. They have also made important changes to the criteria to ensure they are giving the right help at this time.
Their two other coronavirus-related funds, Return to Play: Community Asset Fund and Return to Play: Active Together, are also open for applications.
Separately, Sport England are also working closely with Government on a package of support for sports, following the £100m of government support to leisure operators.
To find out more about the Sport England funding options and how to apply, visit the link below:
Statement: Government Sport Winter Survival Package (20 November)
The LTA welcomes the announcement of support for sporting bodies from the Government and the recognition of the significant uncertainty we face in planning for next year, particularly around staging major events. We will now engage with Sport England to understand more of the details around the support that is being provided.
The announcement is focused around spectator sports and funding, predominantly in the form of loans, will be accessible to NGBs for the ongoing central operation of their sports.
However, it does complement funding already available for clubs, venues and organisations that can be applied for directly through Sport England’s return to play funds, and we would encourage anyone that would benefit from this to submit an application.
We appreciate the ongoing impact of the pandemic on clubs and venues and are continuing to make the case for as much tennis activity as possible to be permitted, as we emerge from the current national lockdown in England.
Scotland (updated 27 April)
Scotland's roadmap out of lockdown
The First Minster announced in February a roadmap out of lockdown for Scotland, with a subsequent outline provided of a provisional timetable for the easing of restrictions and a strategic framework for this, setting out how and when the Scottish Government plan to lift the current coronavirus restrictions over the coming weeks and months.
All of Scotland moved to Level 3 on 26 April. No earlier than 17 May it is hoped Scotland will move to Level 2, 7 June for Level 1 and late June for Level 0. This will be confirmed ahead of each move, and be based on data
Updated Summary Grid & Full Guidance Document (27 April)
Tennis Scotland and the LTA have now updated the summary grid (Version 10) of permitted tennis activity by levels of protections to reflect the move to Level 3 from 26 April. To accompany the summary grid, we have also now republished the full Tennis Scotland/LTA guidance document for tennis venues, coaches and players in Scotland.
The grid and the guidance document outline what tennis activity is currently permitted in Scotland, and provisional details for what will be permitted as we move down through the levels of protection. As and when the Scottish Government confirm any additional detail of what activity will be permitted in Level 2 and below, the grid and guidance document will be further updated to reflect that. Tennis venues, coaches, officials and players should therefore be aware that the details provided in this grid for Levels 0-2 may change at that point.
You can view and download the latest summary grid and full guidance document via the links below:
Confirmation that all of Scotland is now at Level 3 is provided on the Scottish Government website, together with details of the general restrictions for each level:
Those involved in professional sports remain exempt for training and coaching, in line with strict COVID-secure protocols.
Wales (updated 30 April)
Updated Return to Play Guidelines - Friday 30 April
Following Welsh Government confirmation, we’re delighted to release our updated ‘Return to Play’ guidance for Tennis in Wales. These amended guidelines cover important changes for indoor tennis activity.
From Monday 3 May
- Indoor tennis venues can reopen for all tennis activity.
- Group activity will operate within the following limits – children (under 18) no group size limit (but there must be sufficient space for all participants to maintain 2m social distance at all times) and adults (18+) max group size 15 people including coaches, instructors and officials.
- Court limits indoors are as follows for group activity (please ensure you adhere to LTA player:coach ratios at all times):
- 16 children under 11 per full size court
- 8 people per full size court aged 11 and over.
- All participants must maintain 2m social distancing during activity aged 11 years and older indoors, children under 11 should maintain social distancing as much as is practical.
Download Guidance
You can download the full, updated Tennis Wales and LTA guidance document for tennis venues, coaches and players in Wales via the link below:
As restrictions ease, please ensure you continue to wear a face mask as appropriate, maintain 2 metre social distancing at all times and practice good hand hygiene to stop the spread of Covid-19.
All tennis venues should ensure they update their risk assessment in relation to these changes above.
Lateral flow testing is now available in Wales to all those who cannot work from home. Tennis Wales and the LTA recommend that anyone working outside their home (e.g. coaches, officials & competition organisers and paid members of tennis venue staff) undertake regular lateral flow tests to keep both you and others safe whilst helping to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Further information including how to access tests can be found on page 4 of the guidance.
Should the Covid-19 situation remain positive, Wales could move to Alert Level 2 on the 17 May - allowing indoor hospitality and this step may also increase the limits on gatherings outdoors to 50 adults, and indoors to 30 adults for organised activity – please note this is unconfirmed at the point and won’t be until after the Senedd elections at the next Covid-19 review on the 14 May.
Channel Islands
The latest guidelines for players, venues, coaches and officials in the Channel Islands can be found via the links below:
Further information is also available from the Guernsey Sports Commission and Jersey Sport.
SERVES
To support the resumption of the LTA's SERVES programme that takes tennis to new people and places, alongside the main country-specific guidance detailed above, the LTA has produced a summary of key things for venues and organsiations delivering SERVES tennis activity to consider:
Open Court
To support the resumption of the LTA's Open Court disability tennis programme, alongside the main country-specific guidance detailed above, the LTA has produced a summary of key things for venues and organsiations delivering disability tennis activity to consider:
Find a court
Please be aware that not all courts may be open. Venues will need to make an assessment based on whether they can facilitate safe play at their venue. Where they chose to remain closed please respect this decision.
In addition, some courts may take time to be unlocked and prepared for use following the closure during the lockdown period.
Click the button below to find your nearest tennis court.
Find a court
Venue Resources
Resources for venues in England, Scotland and Wales can be downloaded from the LTA Venue Support Resource Library - including infographics, posters and a risk assessment template.
FAQs
For answers to frequently asked questions for players, venues and coaches around the guidelines for a return to restricted play, please visit the LTA Help Centre: