The Royal Tennis Court
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The Royal Tennis Court

Membership

The Royal Tennis Court is the oldest surviving court in England, and stands in the historic surroundings of Hampton Court Palace. The current court was built by Charles I on the site of the one played on by Henry VIII. When you play here, you are treading in the footsteps of sporting monarchs.

How to get started

Book in for your first session with one of our Professionals. You'll have an hour on court, racquet provided, get a first introduction to the game and will be hitting the ball from the start for the all-inclusive cost of £59.50. The dress code on court is 'predominately white' and you will need non-marking court shoes (the shoes worn for badminton, indoor hard court tennis, or similar).

Age and ability

Real Tennis is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone of almost any age. Whether you're eight or eighty, as long as you can swing a racquet and move, you can play. If you have played any other sport, you will have developed some useful skills. Of course, we also encourage complete beginners with little, or no sporting experience to enjoy this wonderful game.

Juniors

We are especially keen to encourage younger players to the game. The Professionals will be happy to advise in individual cases but Junior players from around 8-10 years old are typically strong enough to swing a racquet. We aim to create a relaxed and encouraging atmosphere and for all players under 18 years old we provide: reduced court fee, regular coaching courses, club tournaments and matches, access to national and international tournaments and a free second hand racquet.

Handicap system

The game benefits from an excellent rating system. From the moment you start playing, you'll be given a handicap and a world ranking! This means that, in theory, any two players can get together for a competitive game.

The social side

Members of The Royal Tennis Court are a friendly bunch. The atmospheric and historic club rooms are a lovely place to get a feeling of Hampton Court Palace. The club organises a programme of competitions and social events throughout the year such as the barbecue in the private garden and a carol service in the atmospheric surroundings of the Chapel Royal inside Hampton Court Palace, installed by Henry VIII in the 1530s, and remodelled for Queen Anne by Sir Christopher Wren in the 1710s.

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Membership PACK

Within this pack, you will find:

The completed forms should be returned to the Membership Secretary who will keep you informed of the status of your application. The names of all candidates for membership will be put firstly before the Membership Committee and then before the Board of Directors at their next meeting.

Membership in the first instance is for an introductory period of 6 months (including the trial period where appropriate) after which Full Membership should normally be confirmed.

Subscriptions are paid by direct debit. The direct debit payment is taken quarterly on 1st February, 1st May, 1st August and 1st November.

Should you wish to resign, please inform the Membership Secretary, in writing, no later than one month before the next payment is due.

If you are new to Real Tennis, you can start with a 3-month long trial membership. This costs £60 and confers full membership rights while you try out the sport and club. After three months, you can convert your membership status to permanent.

Subscriptions

Rates effective from 1st August, 2024

Membership Category Joining Fee Annual Subscription Quarterly Direct Debit
Full (30+ years) £200 £496 £124
Full (25-29 years) £140 £336 £84
18-24 years not in FTE £20 £192 £48
Under-18 and 18-24 in FTE £10 £64 £16
Social
Up to 6 courts per year (cannot play tournaments/club matches)		 None £148 £37
Trial Membership
A 3-month trial membership - full membership booking rights (cannot play tournaments/club matches)		 None £80 Payable on application

Any joining fees due are taken in 4 quarterly payments with the first 4 direct debit payments.

Court and professional fees

Court and Professional Fees correct as of 1st April 2024

NB Off-peak courts are 6:30am and 10:30pm every day, plus 7:30am on weekends

Court Fees (per hour, per person)

Age 30+ Fee
Singles £16.50
Doubles £10
Off-peak
Singles or doubles		 £8

Age 25-29 Fee
Singles £13
Doubles £10
Off-peak
Singles or doubles		 £8

Age 18-24 not in Full Time Education Fee
Singles £9.50
Doubles £8
Off-peak
Singles or doubles		 £8

Age 18-24 in Full Time Education Fee
Singles £8
Doubles £8
Off-peak
Singles or doubles		 £8

Under 18 Fee
All courts £7

Guest Fee
30+ £12
Under 30 £6

NB T&RA Passport holders have one court fee waived per year


Professional Coaching

Fees

NB In addition to the relevant whole court fee

Professional Fee
Nick Wood £27.50
Scott Blaber £27.50
Lesley Ronaldson £27.50
Jack Josephs £27.50

Availability

Professional Times
Nick Wood
By arrangement		 6:30am to 5:30pm, Mon to Fri
8:30am to 6:30pm, Sat & Sun
Others 8:30am to 5:30pm, Mon to Fri
9:30am to 5:30pm, Sat & Sun

Professional Marking

Match Fee
Singles £8.50 ea
Doubles £4.25 ea

Cancellation Fees

Correct as of 1st April 2024

Cancellation Fee
5 days
Cancelling after 12 noon 5 days before a booking		 £5
2 days
Cancelling after 12 noon 2 days before a booking		 £16.50
Fee will be £33 if no replacement opponent can be found
24 hours, or no-show
Cancelling within 24 hours of a booking, or not turning up		 £33
Also subject to Professional's fee

Professional Development Trust

The Royal Tennis Court Professional Development Trust was set up to encourage the development of the RTC’s young tournament-playing professionals by assisting them with their expenses involved in participating world-wide in tournaments and by providing help with their own personal development. The success of the approach can be seen in the world rankings of Chris Chapman and Ben Taylor-Matthews who have both benefitted from the Trust.

The Trust monies are fragile and in the light of the RTC Strategic Objectives, it was proposed and agreed at the AGM, in May 2016, that the fund could be given a firmer footing if more members were to contribute a small sum via their quarterly direct debits. This was to be a voluntary contribution only.

As a result, the Board of Directors has agreed to a levy of £2 per quarter per over 25 year old member, being raised on an entirely voluntary basis. All revenue received in this manner will be passed over to the RTC Professional Development Trust.

We anticipate that this will enable the Trust to continue its work and expand its activities as opportunities present themselves and to provide a solid base for the development of future professionals, helping to assure the health of the game at The Royal Tennis Court and beyond.

You do have the option to opt out of contributing to this fund. Should you wish to do so, please note this in the relevant box on your application form. Your arrangements will remain confidential. You may cancel at any time in the future.

Michael Day
Chairman of the Board of Directors
June 2017

Strategic Objectives

This document explains the priorities that the Board of Directors take into consideration when making decisions, all of which we hope the membership will actively support.

RTC STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

2022/23 PRIORITIES

Members' Tennis Experience

All members should have the opportunity to achieve their potential as players. They should be encouraged to play both socially and competitively and to enjoy viewing high level tennis, within the club and beyond. We shall seek a reasonable balance between the different aspirations of members.

  • Focus also on retaining existing members (recruitment is much harder than retention) by continually enhancing the member experience (through the stimulus of the pro team, the quality and upkeep of facilities, and the variety and quality of social events)
  • Investigate padel court options

A World Class Court in a Unique Historic Setting

The playing experience should be excellent for all standards of player from novice to world champion. The club facilities should reinforce this experience, in keeping with the historic Royal Palace.

  • Work with Historic Royal Palaces to achieve more timely and effective maintenance and repairs of the court, the club and professionals' apartments, with value for money

Supporting the Game and its future development

The RTC should promote the Game within this unique setting and in the wider community for the benefit of the present and future generations. We seek to maintain a constructive and supportive relationship with the T & RA and other organisations in the Real Tennis community.

  • Run an annual development tournament for junior professionals from all clubs

Juniors

The RTC will actively encourage young people of all backgrounds to take up the game. We will continue to support the development of their game.

  • Continue to drive an exceptional programme of recruitment and coaching to increase the number of juniors and to retain them into adulthood

The Professional Team

The Professional team are the key to a successful club. The RTC will aim to attract and retain a team of the highest quality and support their continuing development.

  • Develop a strong a cohesive professional team, accelerating the development of our junior professional

A Sociable Club

The RTC should be a friendly and sociable club both on court and off, providing a variety of events for members and guests.

  • Re-activate our social programme post-COVID-19

Membership

The RTC seeks to attract an engaged and thriving membership. All are welcome.

  • Continue the drive for new members, with the objective of increasing net membership numbers by at least 10 this year

Communication

The RTC Board will ensure that members and potential members are well informed about the playing and social opportunities at the club, and will seek to inspire members through a variety of communication vehicles including appropriate use of social media outlets.

  • Inform and inspire both existing and potential members about what is happening at RTC, and what is coming

Governance and Sustainability

The Board of Directors will represent all sections of membership and be proactive in working to achieve the above objectives. We aim to maintain a healthy financial base for their pursuit.

  • Continue to maintain a stable financial base for the club's activities while selectively releasing funds to support priority actions.

February 2023

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