Team Captain’s Duties
Here is a guide to what you should need to know as a team captain.
- Once the fixture Secretary has passed the match dates to you, add them to your diary to make sure you’re familiar with them.
- Make sure you’re aware which members are eligible to play. Remember they must be current club members for at least 14 days, be at least 14 years old, and they should have a British Tennis membership number if possible, although it’s not compulsory. They must also not have played for another club in the league in the same season in the same category (men’s, ladies or mixed).
- Arrange a team in good time for each match.
- Make sure all players are aware that match fees are charged, £2 per match, home or away. These should be collected by the treasurer at the end of each season.
- At some point in the week before a match contact the opposing captain to confirm the match is going ahead. You’ll need to be logged in to the LTA website to see the captain’s contact details.
- For home matches agree with the players what refreshments each of them will bring for after match tea. Drinks will be provided by the café, which the club pay for from match fees.
- For away matches arrange for one player to drive the team to the other club, if necessary.
- For home matches make sure you have 2 new tubes of balls. You will usually get these from the fixture secretary.
- Make sure you also have a score sheet, you can print one from the link below.
- On the day of the match, in case of bad weather, injury or other problems, keep in contact with the players and the opposition captain.
- Before the match starts, drop into the café and let them know the team is here. Also let them know if the match is cancelled.
- If possible check the net height before play starts.
- Decide which pair will be your number 1’s and which your number 2’s. Away players should stay on the same court for the second match, and home teams should swap courts.
- After the match the home team should fill out a scoresheet, and the away captain should check that it’s all correct. To save filling out one each, the away team usually take a photo.
- Afterwards the home team should enter the scores on the LTA Dorset league website (See below). Once they’re entered the away captain should check that they agree, and then confirm the result. But if any players are listed as “Unknown Player”, even if there is a covering comment with the player’s details, please don’t confirm it until the correct details are put in.
- At the AGM team captains should give a brief report on their team’s progress over the last year.
How to enter scores
You’ll need to log in to the LTA site, click “Log In” at the top right corner of the page, then click “Admin login” at the bottom of the box (not the member login). Then enter your login details.
Click on the required match to display the match details, then click “Enter rubber results”. (Don’t click “Enter Match Result”, as this is to be used when a match is not played.)
Click each <Select player> button and select the correct player from the dropdown list. If the name doesn’t appear, click <Add player> and type their name in the box. If it still doesn’t appear, repeat with the “All clubs” box ticked. If the name still doesn’t appear, select “Unknown Male Player” or “Unknown Female Player” and leave a comment to identify who it relates to.
The first section should be for the number 1’s v 1’s, the second for 2’s v 2’s, the third for home 1’s v away 2’s, and the last for home 2’s v away 1’s. If it’s a mixed match the male player should be entered in the upper box and the female player in the lower box.
In the next column select the winner of each rubber from the dropdown list.
Then enter the scores in the boxes on the right, the result of one set in each box. The home score first followed by the away score, in the format 6-4 for a set won by the home team.
When everything’s correct, press save. Don’t press “Confirm Results” as this is for the away team to use.
For away matches follow the same procedure to log in and check that you agree with the details the other captain has entered, then click the “Confirm Results” box only if everything is complete.
If you need any help contact the fixture secretary.
