Code of Conduct | Swansea Tennis Club

Code of Conduct & Club Rules

Introduction:
Swansea Community Association Tennis Club (Swansea TC) is a not-for-profit community tennis club managed by volunteers for the benefit of its members and guests. The Club pays an annual permit fee to the City of Toronto to operate during Club hours in the outdoor season. Membership fees pay for regular maintenance and upgrading of the facilities, including the court surface, nets, windscreens, lights, and the surrounding area. Membership fees also pay the salaries of the Club Manager and Court Attendants.

Objective of this Code

The Swansea TC Code of Conduct has been put in place to foster a safe and welcoming environment, free from any discrimination, harassment, abuse or violence at the Club. The goal is to encourage a community in which individuals—including members and their guests, non-members who have paid to play, staff, contractors and the general public—are treated with respect, dignity and fairness at all times.
This Code also provides guidance regarding how to report behaviour that contravenes the Code or other Club Rules by laying out clear investigative and discipline processes.
The Code is consistent with and expressly incorporates the Club’s purpose, promoting the playing and enjoyment of tennis, as well as the Club’s By‐Laws, Policies, Rules, each as may be amended by the Board from time to time.
Members are reminded that they are responsible for the conduct of their guests who are also expected to abide by our Code of Conduct and Club Rules.

Definitions
Definitions: When used in this Code, the following terms will be defined as follows:

“Abuse” includes but is not limited to:
1. speaking in an offensive way and/or a way that ought reasonably be known to be offensive to or about someone; or
2. treating a person with cruelty or violence.
“Discrimination” includes but is not limited to treating anyone on the basis of any prohibited ground under human rights legislation, or City of Toronto Human Rights Policy (HRAP), such as race, ancestry, place or origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status or disability.
Emergency” is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment which requires urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation.
“Harassment” includes but is not limited to engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against another person that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome.
“Sexual Harassment” includes but is not limited to:
1. engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct with respect to or against another person because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome; or
2. making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to another person or employee and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.
“Violence” includes but is not limited to:
1. the exercise of physical force by a person against another person, that causes or could cause physical injury to the other person;
2. an attempt to exercise physical force against another person, that could cause physical injury to the other person; or
3. a statement or behaviour that is reasonable for another person to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against them, that could cause physical injury to them.

Member Responsibilities
By accepting or continuing membership in the Club, every member is deemed to agree to the following:

The privileges and rights of each member are governed by the Club’s By‐Law, Club Policies and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time to time;
The conduct of each member is subject to the Club’s By‐Laws, Club Policies, and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time to time; and
Each member is responsible for compliance including that of his/her/their guests with the Club’s By‐Law, Club Policies, and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time.

Member Conduct
All members and their guests shall:

Conduct themselves in a sportsperson‐like manner when using Club facilities and property, and during any Club activity or competition;
Respect the rights of other members, their guests, non-members who have paid to play,the general public, Club Pros, Staff and Contractors;
Respect the Club’s property, facilities and equipment;
Respect the privacy and personal data of other members, their guests and Club Staff;
Refrain from collecting bulk member contact information (i.e. e-mails, phone numbers, etc.) for solicitation, commercial, marketing or political use;
Abide by all local, provincial and national laws and regulations and orders that apply to Club operations;
Abide by the Ontario Tennis Association’s Code of Conduct for tennis play and the Ontario Tennis Association Anti-Harassment Policy; and
Be an ambassador for the Club in the community and as a guest at other Tennis Clubs including but not limited to, play as guests, league play and community events. Members are expected to conduct/comport themselves with the same respect and dignity for others as if at their home Club.

Interaction with Club Directors, Volunteers, and Staff
Members must understand that:

Club Directors, volunteers, staff, vendors, contractors and all others providing service to the Club are to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness consistent with the mission and values of the Club community;
Members are required to follow the directions of the Club staff, including the Club Manager and Court Attendants, who may require them to not play or stop playing for safety or other reasons, depending on court conditions;
The Club Manager and Court Attendants are required to fill out an Incident Report and submit it to the Club Board in the event that members or their guests refuse to follow their request that they follow this Code of Conduct and/ or other Club Rules.
Members shall not instruct the Club Manager or Court Attendants on their duties or job performance, nor attempt to discipline staff; the Club’s Board of Directors, through the Director in charge of Club Operations, is solely responsible for instructing contractors in the performance of their duties;
Members may comment or make suggestions to the Club’s Board of Directors regarding concerns about the performance by Club Staff, vendors, contractors, partners, etc. of their duties or the operation of the Club, for the betterment of the Club; and
If a member or guest is viewed as being unfit to play, (for example, unsteady on their feet or otherwise unwell), the Member or guest will be refused access to the courts for safety reasons. Members behaving in an aggressive, disrespectful or offensive manner will be asked to leave the courts.

Reporting

Violation of this Code of Conduct by a Member or guest may be considered conduct which is improper or injurious to the interests and/or operations of the Club.
Any violation observed by a Member shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s), preferably in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Guidelines for reporting incidents are found below.
Any violation observed by the Club Manager or a Court Attendant shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s) by submitting an Incident Report at the earliest opportunity.
Any violation observed by a Board Member or a member of the Swansea TC coaching staff shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s), preferably in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Guidelines for reporting incidents are found below.
Board members shall report the matter to members of the Board’s Members’ Relations Committee, a subcommittee of the Board.
Refer to the home page of this site to contact anyone on the Board of Directors.

Incident Reporting Guidelines
A report concerning a violation of this Code of Conduct or the Club Rules should be made as soon as possible after the incident and should include the following information:

Name, phone number, e-mail address of the member making the report
Date and time of the incident
Names of any witnesses
Name of alleged offender(s)
Full details of the incident, including what led up to the incident, who was involved, and what happened
Date incident report is being submitted.

Violations and Process

Process for Booking Rules Apparent violations of booking rules will be addressed by the Club’s volunteer Booking Administrator. The Administrator will send an e-mail to the member noting the details of the booking irregularity, stating the booking rule in question, informing the member that he or she may respond, or seek explanation of the rules, and that further infractions may lead to suspension of booking rights and playing privileges.
Process for Other Rules
1. The Club’s Board of Directors will investigate reports of conduct that is improper or injurious to the interests or operations of the Club or which willfully violates or neglects the observance of the Club’s By‐Laws, Policies or Rules, including this Code of Conduct.
2. The Board of Directors may ask for reports from witnesses. If any member of the board was party to the incident under investigation, that member will offer a written report and then recuse themselves from any vote regarding what should be done regarding that member.
3. In the event the initial investigation concludes that discipline of a Member is appropriate, the Board of Directors shall give the Member an opportunity to explain the conduct. The Board shall e-mail the member, using the e-mail address on file in the Member’s account, to indicate that a violation has been reported, when that violation occurred and what parts of the Codes or which Club Rules are said to have been breached or broken. In this same e-mail, the Member will be given the opportunity to prepare an explanation and formal response within seven days.
4. In the case of serious breach of this Code, including where the violation involves the use or threat of violence or other actions that jeopardize health and safety, any Member of the Members Relations Committee, or any Director of the Club, may forthwith suspend the member’s or guest’s privileges to use the facility for a period not exceeding 10 days, pending review by the Members Relation Committee. The Member will receive an e-mail from the Club to which the Member may then respond.
5. During this process, the President may communicate to the membership that a disciplinary matter is being investigated. Recognizing the potential for detrimental impact on the Club and the enjoyment of members, such investigations shall be undertaken at the earliest possible time.
6. After giving the Member an opportunity to address the report, the Members’ Relations Committee will report to the entire Board with its report and with its recommendations. The Board will then consider the recommendation of the Committee and implement appropriate discipline.

Discipline may include suspension of rights and privileges or suspension or termination of membership.

Club Etiquette and Safety Rules:

The game of tennis depends on courtesy and fairness to ensure all players are afforded equitable playing time and optimal playing conditions. Sportsperson-like, respectful, and courteous behavior is required at all times on the courts and in and around the facility. For clarity: Behaviour such as yelling, profanity, or racquet throwing are not allowed. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off or placed in silent mode. Music may only be played during club events.
Always enter the courts by the gate closest to your court to avoid disrupting other players. All bags, clothing, equipment, towels, water bottles, etc., must be placed at the net posts of all courts or along the outside fence of courts 1 and 4. Items must not be placed at the back of any of the courts. The alleys between the courts must be kept clear at all times.
For the safety of all players, wait until there is a break in play to request the return of a ball from another court or to return a ball to another court. Do not cross onto or behind another court to retrieve a ball. Do not return a ball while play is in progress on another court.
A maximum of three balls per court is allowed, except if the court has been booked for a lesson with a Swansea TC instructor. Lessons are available from qualified instructors approved by the Club.
Privately owned ball machines may not be used on the court. No spectators, strollers, bicycles, dogs, rollerblades, skateboards, hockey sticks, soccer balls, basketballs or other non-tennis related items are permitted on the courts at any time, with the exception of parents of very young children taking lessons. Maximum 4 players per court.
Remove any garbage, food, drinks, clothes, towels, cans, or balls from the courts when you leave to ensure a safe and clean environment.
No wet court playing. In the case of inclement weather, players must exit the courts when directed to do so by the Club Manager or Court Attendants.
The perimeter fence is extremely hard and inflexible, so be cautious of head injury and stray balls under feet.
Take note of and respect all official notices from the Club and/or the City of Toronto as these notices may have an effect on court availability or safety.
Club members are collectively responsible for following the Rules. For the occasions where no court monitoring is happening, members must self-regulate in accordance with the Rules.
At the end of the night, the last players to leave the court must turn off the lights.

Court Access and Booking Courts

To play at Swansea Tennis Club or participate in Club activities, events or programs, players must be registered and must have paid their annual dues in full. Registered members may also be asked to show a form of identification to the Club Manager and/or Court Attendants prior to playing. Shoe tags will no longer be distributed to members.
CourtReserve is the Club’s online registration and booking system used to manage membership accounts and facilitate court booking.
All members have 48 hours advance court booking privileges. All members have a two- hour daily limit on playing time.
Court reservations must only be made under the names of those playing; this will be enforced throughout the season.
For instructions on how to book courts with guests, check the member portal at CourtReserve for instructions.
Members who are booked in the system have priority of that court. Court maintenance activities may supersede tennis playing activity on an impromptu basis.
A booked court is held for 15 minutes. If members do not arrive on court within 15 minutes of their start time, the booking is forfeited and the court becomes available in the booking system to other members. Members who did not arrive on time will be recorded as “no-shows.” Multiple no-shows will result in the suspension of booking privileges and, therefore, playing privileges. Players should leave the courts at the end of their designated playing time to allow other members to start their games on time.

Gate Code

The gate code will be provided to all members and must not be shared with others. The code will be changed regularly over the course of the season to ensure members maintain exclusive access to the courts.

Tennis Attire
All players must wear appropriate tennis attire and non-marking tennis shoes. For the protection of players and the court surface, no jogging, running or other shoes may be worn on the courts.

Guests

A guest is a person who is not a member of the Club, but is brought to the Club by a member because the member wishes to play with their guest(s). Members must play on the court with their guest(s) in order for the player(s) to be considered a guest.
Members are responsible for entering their guests’ names into the booking system and making sure the guest fee has been paid before play starts. Court Attendants are required to confirm the booking and payment before allowing play to start.
The guest fee and other related details are determined by the Board of Directors on an annual basis. The start date for the accommodation of guests is May 1st of each year. Check with CourtReserve and/or with Court Attendants for updates.
Guests are required to follow Club Rules and the Club Code of Conduct. Members are responsible for ensuring their guests adhere to these rules and guidelines. Members whose guests break the rules may face suspension of booking privileges and, therefore, playing privileges or face other penalties as deemed appropriate. The Club reserves the right to refuse guest privileges to players with a history of breaking the rules.

Non-Members

A non-member is a person who is not a member of the Club and not a guest of a member. Before being allowed to play at Swansea TC, non-members must check in with the Court Attendant on-site. Non-members can only play if no other non-members have been registered for the day, no guests are playing on the courts, and if two courts are free.
Non-members will be allowed to play after informing the Court Attendants of their names, and after paying a fee, the amount determined by the Board of Directors on an annual basis, as per the guest fee. Court Attendants are required to confirm the booking and payment before allowing play to start.
Non-Members must comply with the Club Rules and Club Code of Conduct.

For a list of public tennis courts and other community tennis clubs, visit toronto.ca and search for court listings under Parks & Recreation Facility Listings. Tennis Canada publishes The Rules of the Court, which is intended as a resource for players at all levels and governs Inter-County play. To ensure everyone has a positive experience playing tennis, please refer to the Ontario Tennis Association Abuse Policy and the Ontario Tennis Assoication Code of Conduct for Unaffiliated Matches.

Code of Conduct & Club Rules

Objective of this Code

This Code also provides guidance regarding how to report behaviour that contravenes the Code or other Club Rules by laying out clear investigative and discipline processes.

The Code is consistent with and expressly incorporates the Club’s purpose, promoting the playing and enjoyment of tennis, as well as the Club’s By‐Laws, Policies, Rules, each as may be amended by the Board from time to time.

Members are reminded that they are responsible for the conduct of their guests who are also expected to abide by our Code of Conduct and Club Rules.

Definitions Definitions: When used in this Code, the following terms will be defined as follows:

“Abuse” includes but is not limited to:

speaking in an offensive way and/or a way that ought reasonably be known to be offensive to or about someone; or

treating a person with cruelty or violence.

Emergency” is a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment which requires urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation.

“Harassment” includes but is not limited to engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against another person that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome.

“Sexual Harassment” includes but is not limited to:

engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct with respect to or against another person because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome; or

making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to another person or employee and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.

“Violence” includes but is not limited to:

the exercise of physical force by a person against another person, that causes or could cause physical injury to the other person;

an attempt to exercise physical force against another person, that could cause physical injury to the other person; or

a statement or behaviour that is reasonable for another person to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against them, that could cause physical injury to them.

Member Responsibilities By accepting or continuing membership in the Club, every member is deemed to agree to the following:

The privileges and rights of each member are governed by the Club’s By‐Law, Club Policies and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time to time;

The conduct of each member is subject to the Club’s By‐Laws, Club Policies, and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time to time; and

Each member is responsible for compliance including that of his/her/their guests with the Club’s By‐Law, Club Policies, and Rules, including this Code of Conduct, each as may be amended from time.

Member Conduct All members and their guests shall:

Conduct themselves in a sportsperson‐like manner when using Club facilities and property, and during any Club activity or competition;

Respect the rights of other members, their guests, non-members who have paid to play,the general public, Club Pros, Staff and Contractors;

Respect the Club’s property, facilities and equipment;

Respect the privacy and personal data of other members, their guests and Club Staff;

Refrain from collecting bulk member contact information (i.e. e-mails, phone numbers, etc.) for solicitation, commercial, marketing or political use;

Abide by all local, provincial and national laws and regulations and orders that apply to Club operations;

Abide by the Ontario Tennis Association’s Code of Conduct for tennis play and the Ontario Tennis Association Anti-Harassment Policy; and

Be an ambassador for the Club in the community and as a guest at other Tennis Clubs including but not limited to, play as guests, league play and community events. Members are expected to conduct/comport themselves with the same respect and dignity for others as if at their home Club.

Interaction with Club Directors, Volunteers, and Staff Members must understand that:

Club Directors, volunteers, staff, vendors, contractors and all others providing service to the Club are to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness consistent with the mission and values of the Club community;

Members are required to follow the directions of the Club staff, including the Club Manager and Court Attendants, who may require them to not play or stop playing for safety or other reasons, depending on court conditions;

The Club Manager and Court Attendants are required to fill out an Incident Report and submit it to the Club Board in the event that members or their guests refuse to follow their request that they follow this Code of Conduct and/ or other Club Rules.

Members may comment or make suggestions to the Club’s Board of Directors regarding concerns about the performance by Club Staff, vendors, contractors, partners, etc. of their duties or the operation of the Club, for the betterment of the Club; and

If a member or guest is viewed as being unfit to play, (for example, unsteady on their feet or otherwise unwell), the Member or guest will be refused access to the courts for safety reasons. Members behaving in an aggressive, disrespectful or offensive manner will be asked to leave the courts.

Reporting

Violation of this Code of Conduct by a Member or guest may be considered conduct which is improper or injurious to the interests and/or operations of the Club.

Any violation observed by a Member shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s), preferably in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Guidelines for reporting incidents are found below.

Any violation observed by the Club Manager or a Court Attendant shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s) by submitting an Incident Report at the earliest opportunity.

Any violation observed by a Board Member or a member of the Swansea TC coaching staff shall be brought to the attention of a Board Member(s), preferably in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Guidelines for reporting incidents are found below.

Board members shall report the matter to members of the Board’s Members’ Relations Committee, a subcommittee of the Board.

Refer to the home page of this site to contact anyone on the Board of Directors.

Incident Reporting Guidelines A report concerning a violation of this Code of Conduct or the Club Rules should be made as soon as possible after the incident and should include the following information:

Name, phone number, e-mail address of the member making the report

Date and time of the incident

Names of any witnesses

Name of alleged offender(s)

Full details of the incident, including what led up to the incident, who was involved, and what happened

Date incident report is being submitted.

Violations and Process

Process for Other Rules

The Club’s Board of Directors will investigate reports of conduct that is improper or injurious to the interests or operations of the Club or which willfully violates or neglects the observance of the Club’s By‐Laws, Policies or Rules, including this Code of Conduct.

The Board of Directors may ask for reports from witnesses. If any member of the board was party to the incident under investigation, that member will offer a written report and then recuse themselves from any vote regarding what should be done regarding that member.

During this process, the President may communicate to the membership that a disciplinary matter is being investigated. Recognizing the potential for detrimental impact on the Club and the enjoyment of members, such investigations shall be undertaken at the earliest possible time.

After giving the Member an opportunity to address the report, the Members’ Relations Committee will report to the entire Board with its report and with its recommendations. The Board will then consider the recommendation of the Committee and implement appropriate discipline.