Guidance for Match Managers
1. THE FIXTURE LIST
The IC of GB fixture list has developed and grown considerably over the last few years. This year there are 32 events or fixtures in the season. The emphasis now is on international fixtures, though there are still some domestic fixtures. Among our fixtures are some that are held at regular intervals: the match versus the IC of France happens twice a year (home and away); there are annual matches against Belgium, The Netherlands, and Ireland; and matches every two years against the USA and Germany. All these matches are played to a more or less agreed format: they are for men and women players; they cover as broad a span of age categories as possible; they include juniors or young players; singles and doubles, and sometimes mixed is played. A tennis/golf event takes place every year with the ICs of Belgium, France, GB and Italy taking turns to host. A mixed event (Wallenberg Trophy), with Belgium, France, GB and Sweden taking turns to host, happens more or less every year. There is usually an overseas tour: this year it is to The Bahamas; in 2002 we have been invited to South America. Every year we invite two or three teams to visit us on the eve of Wimbledon: we play tennis and on the Saturday and Sunday before Wimbledon, the visitors attend the IC Ball and IC Reception at Hurlingham, respectively. Our visitors conclude their visit by watching the first day of the Championships as International Guests of the Lawn Tennis Association. This year we have invited Italy, Mexico and Zimbabwe; next year it will be Canada and Russia. The IC of GB also plays an active role in encouraging new ICs to play matches. We also visit countries which do not yet have ICs and we play tennis clubs at home and abroad with IC connections or an international outlook. And then there are IC Events in which representative teams of the IC of GB compete against other ICs. The Potter Cup (Mens Over 45) is played for every year in Barcelona. There is an IC Week (Men and Women playing in Open and Veteran categories) every two years until 2008, starting with Monaco in 2002). The Columbus Trophy for Men in the older veterans age categories takes place every two or three years: this year it was in India; in 2004 it will be hosted by Mexico). A similar event for women veterans will be inaugurated soon by the IC of Uruguay.
A provisional fixture list drawn up by a small subcommittee. (The provisional list is posted on the IC of GB Website noticeboard - see section 3 below.) The list is agreed by the full Committee in about November each year. Match managers are selected and tend, for the regular fixtures, to do stints of about 3 years. A budget is set for each fixture in January/February. The fixture list then goes to press, usually in time for the Club's Spring Meeting. There are minor adjustments both to the list and the budgets as the season progresses. The final fixture list and any subsequent amendments are posted under the Fixtures page on the Website; when a fixture is completed it appears as a Result on the Match Results page of the Website.
Once the season starts, the smooth running of the IC of GB's fixtures and events is largely in the hands of the Match Managers, whose names and contacting details appear by the side of each event/fixture in the IC Calendar. This note is intended to provide guidance to Match Managers on their role and responsibilities. Based on their feedback, and that of members, it will be updated.
2. FIRST CONTACT AND THE BUDGET
Match Managers are first contacted by the Match Secretaries to ascertain their availability to manage a match. At present, Philip SIVITER is the Match Secretary responsible for domestic fixtures, the series against the IC of France and long tours; and Henk NIJEBOER is reponsible for all other foreign fixtures and IC competitions. The Match Secretaries are then given the details of their respective fixture (dates, venues, any relevant background correspondence) and the contacting details of their opposing IC. They will be asked to proceed directly with the arrangements for the match. In most cases a date and venue for the match will have already been agreed between the respective match secretaries of the two (or more) Clubs involved. In some cases the Match Manager may be asked to finalise dates and venue and should brief the Match Secretaries on progress made.
The Match Manager then receive a budget from the Match Secretary or the Honorary Treasurer. The match budget covers all expenditure not otherwise covered by IC members participating in the fixture. The funds may be claimed from the Honorary Treasurer in advance, or after expenditure has been incurred: any expenditure or use of advance should be fully accounted for, and any unspent advances reimbursed to the Club.
The Match Manager should contact the Match Secretary with any doubts about the use of the budget. In almost all cases of regular fixtures (as opposed to IC Events, like the Potter Cup or IC Weeks), the budget for an away match exists to cover to basic items: the costs of juniors participating in the matches and the cost of gifts for the host team. IC members are expected to cover the costs of their own travel and accommodation where this is not taken care of by the host IC (in most cases it is not). In the case of IC Events, the budget includes a contribution to (if not full coverage) of the costs of travel and accommodation; it also covers the competition entry fee (which in turn often, but not always, covers accommodation costs).
In the case of home fixtures, the budget covers the costs of entertainment of the visiting team, but not travel and accommodation, any costs associated with booking the venue and the cost of tennis balls. The budget for domestic IC events is largely intended to cover the latter two items. The extra costs (usually lunch and dinner) which arise from the participation of IC of GB members in fixtures or events will usually need to be covered by a match or event fee. This fee should not, however, be such as to deter members from playing in an event and staying for dinner.
If a Match Manager has any doubts about the sufficiency of a budget he/she has been allocated, should not hesitate to raise the matter with the Match Secretary and/or the Honorary Treasurer, and should do so, ideally, on the basis of costings.
Match Managers should copy the appropriate Match Secretary on any subsequent significant correspondence about a fixture.
3. WEBSITE
Every Match Manager should, as soon as possible, obtain a briefing about the Website from the Honorary Secretary. The website can be used to apply for matches, to post news about a fixture (the team, the itinerary, changes).
4. JUNIORS
It is a clear policy of the IC of GB, and of ICs worldwide, to encourage the participation of juniors (as guests or associate members) in as many matches as possible. Budgetary provision is made for this and the LTA's contribution to IC of GB funds is for this purpose. The best juniors do, of course, have busy playing schedules. But the LTA has agreed to help recruit juniors for our matches. The Match Managers contact point on the Committee for juniors (male and female) is the Honorary Secretary, who will advise on how to proceed with the LTA. It is important that opposing ICs can match the juniors we provide.
5. VENUE
This has usually been decided for a Match Manager. But for a home match the Match Manager should contact the club or centre concerned as soon as possible to confirm (and in writing) court availability, consider back-up in the event of bad weather, and to discuss catering arrangements which might involve the club.
Check everything at the venue the day before. Reconfirm catering arrangements on the day.
6. CATERING/ON AND OFF COURT/ENTERTAINMENT
There is no particular pattern for the entertainment of visiting teams, except where a match has a particular tradition, and some do. But the minimum expected (and budgeted for) is that there will be a good official match dinner and lunches during the match. There should always be water available by the side of the court.
There is sometimes a doubt about how far the IC of GB should extend freedom of the bar towards visiting teams during a match. The extent of this freedom depends to some extent on management of the budget, but in most cases it is not unreasonable, after the usual courtesies have been observed with respect to individual players immediately after play, to expect visiting teams to pay for their own drinks during the course of a fixture. The key point is that whatever the policy is, Match Managers should make this policy clear to the visiting teams, and this is often best done as part of the Captains/Match Managers Meetings at the start of a fixture.
7. HOTELS
Visiting teams are expected to pay for their accommodation and to settle their hotel bills. They are also expected to pay any deposits/downpayments and to provide any necessary supporting credit card information.
Similarly, we would and should expect the same conditions to apply to us when visiting an IC, except during some, but not all, IC Events, where accommodation can be arranged as part of the competition entry fee. If a hotel is being booked by a host IC, the Match Manager should clarify all costs and establish prices for single and double rooms, and how payment will be made, in advance of making any firm bookings. In the event of cancellation of booked rooms, it maybe necessary to forfeit deposits. All this should be confirmed in writing with the host IC.
8. TRAVEL/TRANSPORT
Visiting teams are expected to pay for their international and, except in exceptional cases, local travel.
The IC of GB can give assistance in the choice of transport and with initial reservations.
Similarly we would and should expect the same conditions to apply to us when visiting an IC. In the case of some IC Events, local transport is taken care of. If transport is being booked by a host IC, the Match Manager should clarify all costs and establish how payment will be made, in advance of making any firm bookings. In the event of cancellation, it maybe necessary to forfeit deposits. All this should be confirmed in writing with the host IC.
International travel to away matches: buying cheaper non-refundable tickets carries with it a risk that the traveller may have to withdraw and forfeit the cost of the ticket (or some part of it). This risk must be borne entirely by the individual and not the Club.
9. VISAS
To some parts of the world (outside the European Union) visas are still required. Match Managers should check requirements and the amount of time required for visas to be processed. Host ICs should contact their Embassies in London with letters (faxes) of support. Visas will cost money; emergency visas obtained at short notice will cost more money.
10. TROPHIES
Certain fixtures and IC Events have trophies attached to them. Match Managers should establish the whereabouts of these trophies in good time before the fixture or event. They should ensure that they have been appropriately engraved and cleaned and that they are safely transported to and from the venue.
The Honorary Secretary should always be informed about the whereabouts of a trophy, until a permanent place is established for their collective safekeeping.
11. DRESS
It is important to brief visitors and to be briefed when visiting about on-court dress and dress for events during a fixture. For example, some clubs still have a 'predominantly white' tennis kit ruling. The dress for dinner may be IC tie and jacket, or a suit. The IC Ball is black tie.
Some clubs do not provide towels and visitors especially need to be told to bring towels. Advice on tennis shoes may also be important if the surface sets requirements for them.
12. FLAGS
The IC of GB has a number of IC flags (and banners) which can be taken to IC fixtures and events. Wherever there is a flag pole! This is particularly true of IC Events where there is a tradition to fly the flags of the participating IC teams.
13. BALLS
It is the Match Manager's responsibility to provide an adequate number of suitable tennis balls for home fixture. The cost is taken from the budget. It is difficult to forecast the requirement for tennis balls for every fixture (because it depends not least on the number of matches to be played and on the surface to be played on, but as a rough guide new balls should be used after every two sets). (For matches against the less financially well-off ICs, often in countries where tennis balls are expensive, it may be appropriate to offer to bring tennis balls for the match. Match Secretaries can advise on this.)
14. MERCHANDISE/GIFTS
We may need clearer guidelines on this aspect. For regular annual fixtures (eg France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland), there is a case for dispensing with small tokens for one's opponents and indeed with gifts for the IC, unless the match is also celebrating an important anniversary. We should recognise, with a suitable memento, any overseas tennis club which offers its facilities for a match free or at cost: guidance here can be sought from the opposing Match Manager. The Committee will, from time to time, wish to recognise the contribution made to home fixtures by GB clubs, and in this respect Match Managers feedback on these clubs is very relevant. When playing ICs with which contact is less frequent (for example, far away overseas tours) it should be, and is, customary to present one's opponents with modest tokens of appreciation. In these cases, too, the host ICs and the host tennis clubs, should be given something more substantial.
We now have a better range of gifts in the merchandise catalogue which can be accessed via the “shopping” page on the IC Website: http://www.ic-tennis.org/gb
There is no obligation to use IC clothing for matches, but it does look good! It can also help gain one easy passage into and out of the clubs you are playing at or the events you are attending. In representative matches, team members are encouraged to use it.
15. TEAM SELECTION
In the case of ordinary fixtures, this is a matter for the discretion of Match Managers, who may call on the Club Captain for assistance.
It is part of the task of the Match Manager to try and ascertain the playing standard and age categories of the opposing team so as to ensure a well-balanced match. It will usually be easier for the home side, providing it is given sufficient notice, to match the strength of the visitors, rather than the other way around.
In the case of representative matches, the Match Manager should always try and consult the Committee through the Match Secretary and Club Captain before finalising selection.
If a Match Manager cannot attend his/her fixture then a deputy must be appointed and all relevant contacts be notified: the opposing Match Manager/Captain, IC of GB players, the Match Secretary, and the venue. Usually, the Match Manager is also the Captain of the team, unless the Club Captain is participating in which case the Club Captain should assume the captaincy on the day and the speech-making responsibilities. In cases when administration continues during the fixture itself, the Match Manager may ask a team member to assume the captaincy, but the opposing Match Manager/Captain must be informed at the outset of the fixture.
Confirm the availability of all players on the eve of the fixture.
16. SUPPORTERS AND GUESTS
While encouraging the presence of supporter at IC fixtures and events, Match Managers will sometimes need to ensure that there is a proper balance between the number of players and supporters. Supporters often receive hospitality either directly or indirectly. In some cases Match Managers may feel it appropriate to levy a charge on members for the costs of their guests.
In some cases, most usually the unavailability of suitable tennis opposition for our opponents, Match Managers may wish to call upon guest players to join a team. In such cases a match fee may not be appropriate. The Match Report should make clear the name of any guest who has played for the Club.
17. PROGRAMMES/ITINERARIES
Match Managers should, for home matches, provide the opposing IC and, ideally, GB team members with an itinerary or programme for the fixture. (They should try and ensure that they receive the same for away matches.)
18. RECEPTION OF VISITING TEAMS
It should be clear to the visitors, and in their programme, when their first formal point of reception or welcome is.
19. CAPTAINS' MEETINGS
It is a good idea to begin a fixture with a Captains' Meeting. It should take place as soon as possible after the welcome: to sort out the schedule of play, decide on the length of matches, and to set out any other guidance, for example, with respect to the costs to be borne by the visitors themselves.
When playing away, Match Managers should ask for a Captains' Meeting if one has not been timetabled.
20. AWARDS OF HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
Honorary Membership of our Club is not to be given away lightly. But it may be appropriate to honour a member (or members) of the opposing or host IC with Honorary Membership of the IC of GB. The criteria for such an award are not set in stone (though Club Rule 3 offers someguidance), but usually, a recipient will have done some major service to international tennis (either as a player or an administrator), or be a respected servant of the bilateral fixture or the IC event in question. The recipient must be a member of his/her own IC. The IC of GB Handbook lists all current Honorary Members of the IC of GB.
It is often left to the Match Manager, usually in consultation with senior members of the GB team (and ideally with a Committee Member) to make the award. It is also customary for the Match Manager also to mention the proposed award to a senior member of the opposing IC (preferably a Committee Member and ideally already an Honorary Member of our Club) to check the suitability of the award.
The Match Manager should ensure that he/she has the necessary GB tie or scarf/pin (in the case of ladies) to able to present to the new Honorary Member(s). Ties offered up by members should be replaced!
In the Match Report the Match Manager should record any awards made or received of Honorary Membership. In theory these awards have to be ratified by the Committees of the Clubs concerned and entered into Club records. The new Honorary Members further receive official letters from the Honorary Secretary.
In recent years it has become customary for ICs to use IC Events (for example IC Weeks) as an occasion to make their awards of honorary membership. In contrast, the IC of GB, which has a very full fixture list, has tended to make its awards during bilateral matches or the Pre-Wimbledon visit. If, however, a Match Manager is in doubt about an award, it is always possible to delay the announcement and award until after consideration by the Committee at its next meeting. The award would then be delivered by the Honorary Secretary to the IC and individual(s) concerned: the honour will have been worth the wait!
Further guidance on any aspect of this matter may be otained from the Match Secretaries or the Honorary Secretary.
21. RESULTS
The Match Manager should report the full results, including scores, and the names of any newly-made Honorary Members, as soon as possible after the fixture, to: The Honorary Secretary, the appropriate Match Secretary. A few accompanying words about the fixture or event would be appreciated. Pictures for the Website are also welcome and should preferably be sent electronically in 'j-peg' format.
22. LETTERS OF THANKS
Letters of thanks should be written by Match Managers as soon after the fixtures as possible: in the case of home fixtures, to the host tennis clubs; and in the case of the away fixtures to the host ICs. In some cases it may be appropriate for the Club Chairman also to write, in which case Match Managers should propose this.
23.PROBLEMS
Any serious problems encountered in a fixture should be reported as soon as possible to the Match Secretaries.
24. WEATHER
Fine weather for perfect match play can be arranged by contacting the Club Chairman.