The Tennis Geelong Inc. By-Laws and Constitution, 2025 edition, rewritten for busy parents and players. 151 questions with the by-law number next to each answer, so you can check the original.
These rules apply to Tennis Geelong competitions only.
That is Saturday Senior, Junior, Women's Midweek and Night pennant run by Tennis Geelong Inc. in Geelong and surrounding district, Victoria. Other regions and other states have their own by-laws, and Tennis Australia tournaments have their own regulations. If this page and the rule book ever disagree, the rule book wins.
The eight things people ask most, in one line each.
Tennis Geelong junior tennis starts at 9.00 am on Saturdays. Players must be under 18 on 1 May.
By-laws 4.2.1, 4.1.1.1
The heat rule is 34 degrees on eldersweather.com.au. Juniors must stop; adults may stop without the other team agreeing. Wait half an hour, then abandon the remaining sets.
By-laws 2.8.3, 3.8.3, 4.7.4, 5.8.3
A team that is 15 minutes late forfeits the first set, another set every 20 minutes, and the whole match after one hour.
By-laws 2.7.1, 3.7.1, 4.2.1, 5.7.1
Nobody can abandon a washed-out match until one hour after the start time, with all players present.
By-laws 2.8.2, 3.8.2, 4.7.2, 5.8.2
To play finals: juniors need 6 sets, seniors and Midweek 9 sets (Senior Section 1 needs 15), and night players 1 to 3 matches depending on season length.
By-laws 4.11.1, 2.9.1, 3.9.1, 5.9.1
Parents and spectators must not coach or give instructions to players during or between points.
Section 7
Only club secretaries and nominated competition secretaries can contact Tennis Geelong. Everyone else asks their club.
By-law 1.10
Once both captains have signed the score sheet, the score cannot be disputed.
By-laws 1.21.1, 2.5.3
Tennis Geelong, Victoria. Numbers in the last column are by-law references.
| Rule | Junior | Senior | Midweek | Night | By-laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start time | 9.00 am Saturday | Set each season | 10.00 am | 7.00 pm, finish by 10.00 pm | 4.2.1, 2.3.1, 3.3.1, 5.3.1 |
| First set forfeited after | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min | 4.2.1, 2.7.1, 3.7.1, 5.7.1 |
| Whole match forfeited after | 1 hour | 1 hour | 1 hour | 1 hour | 4.2.1, 2.7.1, 3.7.1, 5.7.1 |
| Heat rule | 34°: must stop | 34°: may stop | 34°: may stop | 34°: may stop | 4.7.4, 2.8.3, 3.8.3, 5.8.3 |
| Points per match | 8 (Premier 7) | 8 (Open 16) | 8 | 2 for the win + 1 per set | 4.5.2, 2.4.2, 3.4.2, 5.4.2 |
| Sets to qualify for finals | 6 | 9 (Section 1: 15) | 9 | 1–3 matches by season length | 4.11.1, 2.9.1, 3.9.1, 5.9.1 |
| New balls from the home team | 2 pairs | 2–4 pairs by format | 2 pairs | 2 pairs | 4.6, 2.10, 3.10, 5.10 |
| Walkover: who to tell first | Other club by 8 am, secretary by 8 pm | Competition Committee | Competition Committee | Other team before play | 4.2.3, 2.7.5, 3.7.5, 5.7.5 |
| Washout decision | ~7 am Sat, WhatsApp | Email ~1 hr before | Email + WhatsApp ~1 hr before | Email ~1 hr before | 4.7.1, 2.8.1, 3.8.1, 5.8.1 |
| Finals format | Page (8 teams) / knockout (6) | Page (8) / knockout (6) | Page (8) / knockout (6) | Knockout | 4.11.2, 2.9.6, 3.9.6, 5.9.6 |
| Finals substitutes | 1, immediately available | 1 man + 1 woman | 1 | 1 man + 1 woman (mixed) or 1 | 4.13.1, 2.9.11, 3.9.11, 5.9.11 |
Every row is explained in full below. Download the rule book to check the source.
What this is, who it covers and how to use it.
A plain-English version of the Tennis Geelong Inc. By-Laws and Constitution, the 2025 edition. The by-laws are the rules the competitions are played under. The constitution is how the association itself is run. This page is a guide. If it ever disagrees with the rule book, the rule book wins, so each answer tells you which by-law or rule it came from.
Section A; By-law 1.1All competitions
Clubs and players in Tennis Geelong competitions only: the Senior (Saturday), Junior, Women's Midweek and Night pennants, played by clubs in Geelong and the surrounding district of Victoria. They do not apply to other regional associations, to other states, or to Tennis Australia tournaments, which have their own regulations.
Constitution rule 8; By-law 1.5All competitions
Yes. The Laws of Tennis as adopted by Tennis Victoria apply, along with Tennis Australia's Code of Behaviour and the etiquette rules for matches without an umpire. The by-laws only change things where they say so.
By-law 1.1All competitions
Four: Senior, Junior, Women's Midweek and Nights, in two or more seasons a year. Each has its own Competition Committee that grades the teams and decides anything the by-laws do not cover. The association can trial new competitions, with interim by-laws published before they start.
By-laws 1.5, 1.6All competitions
Not directly, unless you are a club secretary or the club's nominated competition secretary. Everyone else goes through their club. That is the rule for every competition, so if something on match day needs sorting with the association, find your club secretary.
By-laws 1.10, 2.11, 3.11, 4.10, 5.11All competitions
Download it from this page, as a PDF or the original Word file. Tennis Geelong emails rule books to club secretaries, and fixture cards go to clubs at a price set by each committee.
By-law 1.11All competitions
The Computer Recording System, which is Tennis Australia's Match Centre. Every result goes in there. The home team enters the result and the away team confirms it, except in finals or after a forfeit, when the winning team enters and the losing team confirms. Instructions are on the Tennis Geelong website under Match Centre FAQ.
By-law 1.13.1All competitions
A Competition Committee can alter its own by-laws during the year, with notice to clubs, but the change only sticks if the AGM accepts it. Proposals must reach the Executive Secretary by 1 July, go out to clubs 21 days before the meeting, get discussed at a General Meeting at least 28 days before the AGM, and pass with more than half the votes.
By-law 1.9All competitions
Ages, grades, Saturday mornings, umpires, finals.
Under 18 as at 1 May. That one date covers both the Winter and Summer seasons that start in that year, so a player who turns 18 in June can still play the Summer season.
By-law 4.1.1.1Junior
Boys Grades and Girls Grades, where a team is four players and a match is four singles sets plus two doubles sets. The committee can also run a Premier Grade for the strongest players, with a minimum UTR if it chooses: two to four players a team, two singles rubbers (best of two sets with a 10-point tiebreak at one set all) and one doubles set to eight games. Premier singles are played in UTR order on the day. Development competitions can be added under Tennis Australia guidelines.
By-laws 4.1.1.2, 4.1.3.1, 4.1.3.2Junior
With committee approval, yes. A Girls Grade team can have at most one boy on court in any match, finals included. A girl can play in a Boys Grade team as long as at least one boy was registered in that team at the start of the season. If the player was not registered in that team at grading, the club needs special permission each time. Same for anyone joining a Premier Grade team after grading.
By-laws 4.1.4, 4.1.5Junior
9.00 am on Saturday. For home and away matches the two clubs can agree a different time. Finals start at 9.00 am and cannot be moved by the teams.
By-laws 4.2.1, 4.11.4Junior
If no set can start within 15 minutes of the agreed time, the late team forfeits the first set. Every 20 minutes after that, another set goes. A team that has not turned up an hour after start time forfeits the whole match. Forfeited sets are marked on the score sheet and in the CRS with the reason.
By-law 4.2.1Junior
Yes. The missing player's sets are forfeited, singles first then doubles, and the result goes in as a forfeit for those sets. If fewer than three sets can be played, it is a walkover to the other team. In Premier Grade a walkover only happens if no players are available at all.
By-laws 4.2.2, 4.2.3Junior
Tell the other club by 8.00 am and the Competition Secretary by 8.00 pm on match day. Miss that and the club is fined $30. The team receiving the walkover still enters its players in the CRS, marked Home Forfeit or Away Forfeit, to get full points, and the team giving it confirms. Games count in percentages.
By-law 4.2.3Junior
Up to two extra players per match, finals included. In Boys and Girls Grades the extras can only play in the doubles sets. Put their names in when the result is entered.
By-law 4.1.11Junior
Yes. Every junior team must be supervised by a responsible adult for the whole match. Before play the home supervisor, then the away supervisor, lists the players for every set on the score sheet in the order the by-laws set out.
By-laws 4.1.9, 4.1.10Junior
Boys and Girls Grades: Singles 1, 2, 3 and 4, then Doubles 1 and 2. Premier Grade: the doubles first, then Singles 1 and Singles 2. The teams can agree to change the order.
By-laws 4.3.1, 4.3.2Junior
If it is spotted during the set, the team at fault loses every game it has won so far in that set, and the set carries on from there with the right players. If it is spotted after the set, the set is awarded 6-0 to the other team. A set is never replayed.
By-law 4.3.3Junior
Each season the committee says which grades must have a central umpire and which may. Where sets are umpired, the umpire is an adult or a child helped by an adult, the teams take alternate sets, and the home team umpires the first. Umpires may call foot faults. In the beginner grades with a mandatory umpire, the idea is to teach, not punish.
By-laws 4.4.1, 4.4.2; Section 7Junior
Boys and Girls Grades: eight points a match. Two for the win plus one for each set won. If the match is tied on sets and games, one point each. Premier Grade: seven points a match, two for the win plus one per set, and a tiebreak does not count as a set. The winner is whoever wins more sets, then more games (Premier: rubbers, then sets, then games). A bye earns nothing.
By-laws 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.5.5Junior
The home team: two pairs of new, Tennis Australia approved balls, for home and away matches and for finals. Either team can add a pair at any point. Good used balls are fine for green ball and orange ball matches.
By-law 4.6Junior
The Weather Committee meets at about 7.00 am on Saturday. If the round is off, a WhatsApp goes to every Junior Representative straight away and a notice goes on the Tennis Geelong Facebook page. An abandoned round is not replayed and the points are split evenly, even if a team had already given notice it was short. A team with a bye gets nothing.
By-law 4.7.1Junior
Only if both team supervisors agree, with all players present. If they cannot agree, nobody can call it off until an hour after the listed start time. The names of the players who would have played still go on the score sheet and into the CRS. If rain stops play part way, it must restart within an hour or the match is abandoned. Nobody has to play on an unplayable court, and a match can be played on one court.
By-laws 4.7.2, 4.7.3Junior
34 degrees. That is the junior heat rule: when the temperature reaches 34, play must stop. Wait half an hour to see if it changes, then abandon the remaining sets and split the points for them. Games already played go on the score sheet. The only thermometer that counts is eldersweather.com.au for the town you are playing in, checked at a change of ends, never by holding up play.
By-law 4.7.4Junior
Use the association score sheet. Both captains sign it at the end. The home team enters the result in the CRS and the away team confirms it, by the deadline the Junior Committee sets each season. In finals the winner enters and the loser confirms.
By-laws 4.8.1, 4.8.2Junior
Yes, as a late registration. The club submits it through the Google form linked on the Tennis Geelong website by the results deadline, and the club playing the new player enters them in the CRS. If the player turns out to be too strong for the grade, the committee can regrade them. Playing someone who is not registered, or putting the wrong name on the score sheet, gets the sets reviewed and possibly a penalty.
By-laws 4.9.1, 4.9.2, 1.15.2Junior
Not in the same competition, once they have been graded in a team, unless both clubs talk it through and the Junior Committee gives permission first. Nobody can play two junior matches on the same day either.
By-laws 4.1.2, 4.1.13, 4.1.14Junior
Not below the grade the committee put them in, without permission. Once a player has played five or more matches in higher grades they cannot go back down that season, again without permission. New players, or players the club gave little information about, can be regraded by the committee before their fifth match.
By-laws 4.1.6, 4.1.7, 4.1.8Junior
Only until one of them has played five matches in one team. After that they stay with that team.
By-law 4.1.12Junior
Six sets with their club that season. The committee can grant special permission case by case. A player cannot play finals below the lowest grade they played in during the season without the committee's say-so.
By-law 4.11.1Junior
The top four play finals. Equal points are split by percentage, games first then sets. Eight-team grades use the Page system (1 v 2 and 3 v 4, loser of 1 v 2 plays winner of 3 v 4, then a grand final). Six-team grades are a straight knockout (1 v 4, 2 v 3, winners to the grand final). A six-team grade with a bye, so five real teams, sends only the top three to finals: 1 goes straight to the grand final and 2 plays 3.
By-law 4.11.2Junior
Nobody independent. An adult from each team stands at the net, one each side, to supervise and help. That adult must not be the parent or guardian of a child playing on that court. If the children ask to be umpired, those adults umpire: they fix clear line-call mistakes and call the score. Grades that had umpires all season are umpired by those adults.
By-law 4.11.3Junior
Semi-finals and preliminary finals are hosted by the higher-placed team, from 9.00 am, unless the host club has to stagger times to fit all its matches. The host must have two courts per match or the committee will move it. Grand finals are at a neutral venue chosen by the committee, 9.00 am, with a committee or Executive member supervising.
By-law 4.11.4Junior
Someone each club nominates to run the finals matches at its venue, one or two depending on the court layout. They should know tennis well and must not be connected to any team playing there. They have the final say on everything at that venue, hold both teams' score sheets until both are handed in, allocate the courts, and sign off the completed score sheet. No team leaves until that is done and each has a copy.
By-laws 4.11.5, 4.11.6Junior
In Boys and Girls Grades the 1st and 2nd singles players from each team play one six-game doubles set, in the same format the grade used all season. Whoever wins it wins the final.
By-law 4.11.10Junior
The Weather Committee sends a WhatsApp to Junior Representatives about an hour before start, plus a Facebook notice. If a Page-system semi-final is cancelled, the finals switch to knockout. A cancelled preliminary final sends the home team straight to the grand final. A cancelled grand final is won by the home team (first team through under Page, higher on the ladder under knockout). On the day, nobody can postpone a final until an hour after the start time, and only the Tennis Geelong official or the Venue Supervisor can do it then. The home team reports where the match got to by noon Sunday, and the committee sets the date to finish it, usually at the same venue.
By-laws 4.11.7, 4.11.8, 4.11.9Junior
One qualified substitute, a boy or girl to suit the grade. In home and away matches the sub must be available within 30 minutes and takes over for the remaining sets. In finals the sub must be there straight away and qualified for that grade. The interrupted set is forfeited. The sub's name and the reason go in the CRS comments. A player with a treatable medical condition can have one ten-minute break, but play is never delayed so someone can get their breath back.
By-laws 4.13.1, 4.13.2, 4.11.11Junior
Before the third round, at the Competition Secretary's discretion, a team can be slotted into a bye. It has to arrange the matches it missed with the clubs concerned and finish them before the end of the first round of home and away.
By-law 4.12Junior
Saturday pennant: formats, eligibility, finals.
Four. Six-player mixed: three women and three men, nine sets (three mixed, three women's, three men's), six-game sets with a tiebreak at six all. Four-player mixed: two and two, six sets (four mixed, one women's, one men's). Single-sex doubles: four players, six doubles sets. Open Match Play: three to six players of any gender, two singles rubbers and two doubles rubbers, each best of two sets with a 10-point super tiebreak if it reaches one set all. The committee can allow odd team shapes if it thinks they suit the competition.
By-laws 2.2.2 to 2.2.7Senior (Saturday)
Yes. Six-player mixed teams can add one man and one woman; the extra plays either two same-sex doubles sets or one mixed set. Four-player mixed teams can add one man and one woman, and then the three men (or three women) can each play two sets, decided before play starts. Single-sex teams can add two players, with players on two or three sets. The same pair cannot play together twice, and no player can be in both sets of a pairing (sets 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6). All of this applies in finals too, and the sets actually played are what count for finals qualification.
By-laws 2.2.2.1, 2.2.3.1, 2.2.4.1Senior (Saturday)
Six-player mixed: 1st, 2nd and 3rd mixed, then 1st women's, 1st men's, 2nd women's, 2nd men's, 3rd women's, 3rd men's. Four-player mixed: 1st mixed (1st man and 1st woman), 2nd mixed, women's doubles, men's doubles, 3rd mixed (1st man and 2nd woman), 4th mixed. Single-sex doubles: 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 3, 2 and 4, 1 and 4, 2 and 3. Open: 1st singles (player 1), 1st doubles (2 and 3, or 3 and 4), 2nd singles (player 2), 2nd doubles (any two of 1, 3, 4, 5, 6). Start time is set each season; captains can agree changes.
By-law 2.3Senior (Saturday)
Two things. If a club has two teams in one grade, a player who has played five matches for one of them cannot switch to the other without approval. And once a player has played five matches in total in higher grades, they cannot drop to a lower grade that season without approval. You have played a match if your name is in the result in the CRS.
By-laws 2.1.2, 2.1.6, 2.1.9Senior (Saturday)
Anyone not listed as a base player in the club's original team submission. The committee can regrade them before their fifth match. Unless the club noted in the CRS comments that they should be graded lower, they are graded into the section they first play in, and if the committee decides they were too strong for it, the sets they played can be forfeited.
By-laws 2.1.3, 2.1.4Senior (Saturday)
Eight points a match: two for the win plus one per set won, or one each if it is tied. The winner is the team with more sets, then more games. Open Match Play is 16 points: three per rubber (3-0 if won in straight sets, 2-1 if it went to the super tiebreak, a forfeited rubber is a straight-sets win) plus four for winning the match, decided on rubbers, then sets, then games. A match that cannot start because of weather is four points each (eight in Open). A bye is nothing.
By-laws 2.4.1 to 2.4.6Senior (Saturday)
Before play, the home captain then the away captain list the players for every set, in block letters. Each club keeps score. Both captains sign at the end, and once signed the sheet cannot be disputed or altered without the other captain's permission. If a team plays someone other than who is listed, the games it won in that set are forfeited and the set resumes with the right player; found after the set, the set is 6-0 to the other side.
By-laws 2.5.1 to 2.5.3Senior (Saturday)
One man and one woman substitute per match, available within 30 minutes. The interrupted set is forfeited with the score as it stood, the sub plays the remaining sets, and the injured player takes no further part. In Open Match Play the sub can only come in for a later rubber, the interrupted rubber goes to the other team, and the line-up may need rearranging so nobody plays both singles. One ten-minute break is allowed for a treatable medical condition.
By-laws 2.6.1, 2.6.1.1, 2.6.2Senior (Saturday)
Fifteen minutes after the start time the first set is forfeited, then another every 20 minutes, and the whole match an hour after start. If you are short one player, the missing sets go in this order: six-player teams lose the 3rd mixed, 3rd lady's and 3rd man's sets; four-player mixed lose the 2nd lady's and 2nd man's; single-sex lose the 4th player's. Short two or more and it is a walkover, though you should still play some social tennis. In Open, the team that is at full strength chooses which two rubbers are forfeited.
By-laws 2.7.1 to 2.7.3.1Senior (Saturday)
The Competition Committee first, as early as possible, so it can help look for alternatives. Not telling the committee is a $30 fine. Then tell the other club. The team receiving the walkover enters its players in the CRS marked Home or Away Forfeit for full points, and the forfeiting team confirms. The fine for a home and away walkover is $50, for a finals walkover $100, and for a grand final $250, with the team's place in the finals at the committee's discretion. Three unexplained forfeits and the team is out of the competition with all its points deleted.
By-laws 2.7.5, 2.7.5.1, 2.7.5.2, 2.7.6Senior (Saturday)
The committee emails Senior Representatives about an hour before start, and posts on the website and Facebook. Abandoned rounds are not replayed, points are split and no scores go in, so those sets do not count toward finals qualification. If it rains on the day, nobody can abandon until an hour after start time with all players present. Completed sets stand, unfinished ones are split, and if the captains cannot agree the committee decides.
By-laws 2.8.1, 2.8.2Senior (Saturday)
At 34 degrees on eldersweather.com.au for your town, either team can stop without the other agreeing, and the unfinished sets are split. If it is already 34 before play, the wet-weather process applies. Check only at a change of ends. Once 34 is reached, wait half an hour before abandoning. If both captains agree, play can go on whatever the temperature.
By-law 2.8.3Senior (Saturday)
Nine sets with the club that season, or 15 sets for Section 1 of each format. Written requests for exceptions go to the committee. Anyone who plays a final for a team they are not registered in, without approval, forfeits their sets. In Open, a super tiebreak is not a set. A junior who has played nine sets in the association's junior or senior competition can fill in for an injured finals player with permission and correct grading.
By-laws 2.9.1, 2.9.1.1Senior (Saturday)
Top four in grades of six or more teams, ties split by percentage (games then sets). Eight-team grades use the Page system, six-team grades knockout, smaller grades whatever the committee decides. Each team fills in its own score sheet with the playing order before play, the sheets are swapped only once both are done, and no changes after that except an injury sub. A tied final is settled by one extra mixed (or doubles) set played straight away, partners chosen by each captain from players who played that day. In Open it is a doubles 10-point super tiebreak.
By-laws 2.9.6, 2.9.7, 2.9.8, 2.9.8.1Senior (Saturday)
The committee picks the venue and may name two courts, ideally the same surface. Clubrooms and courts must be open 30 minutes before start and left as found. The home team brings new balls, both teams bring a score sheet, and the host puts on afternoon tea: milk, tea, coffee, tea towels.
By-laws 2.9.2, 2.9.3, 2.9.4Senior (Saturday)
Cancellation emails go out about an hour before start. A cancelled Page semi-final turns the finals into a knockout; a cancelled preliminary sends the home team to the grand final; a cancelled grand final is won by the home team. If play has not started because of weather, players stay at the courts until 3.00 pm. A match that cannot start by then, or is interrupted, must be finished by the following Thursday, and the Competition Secretary must be told the arrangement. The heat rule is the same as home and away, with the same Thursday deadline.
By-laws 2.9.9, 2.9.9.1, 2.9.9.2Senior (Saturday)
One qualified man and one qualified woman, immediately available. Write the sub's name, the sets they played and the reason on the score sheet (the back is fine) and copy it into the CRS comments. The replaced player is done for the day and the interrupted set is forfeited at the score it reached. The sub can be one of the extra players. In a postponed final the other team must be told, and the sub must meet all the usual eligibility rules.
By-laws 2.9.11, 2.9.11.1Senior (Saturday)
New, top-grade, Tennis Australia approved balls. Six-player teams: three pairs. Four- and three-player teams: two pairs. Open Match Play: four pairs. Same for finals. Either team can add a pair if both captains agree.
By-law 2.10Senior (Saturday)
Not without the committee's approval for the two clubs, and never two senior matches listed on the same day. Clubs must also keep player names up to date in the CRS. Breaking the eligibility by-laws costs the sets the player took part in.
By-laws 2.1.7, 2.1.8, 2.1.11, 2.1.12Senior (Saturday)
Weekday women's doubles pennant.
Teams of at least four women. A match is six six-game sets of women's doubles with a tiebreak at six all. A team can bring one or two extra women. With five or six players there is no fixed order, but it must be decided and written on the score sheet before play and must not hold things up. No two players can pair up twice in a match, except in a drawn final or when replacing an injured player, and a sub cannot play more than three sets.
By-laws 3.2.1, 3.2.2Women's Midweek
10.00 am sharp, unless both teams agreed another time before the day. The order of play is 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 3, 2 and 4, 1 and 4, 2 and 3, and no player can be in both sets of a pairing.
By-law 3.3.1Women's Midweek
If the club has two teams in a grade, a player who has played 15 sets in one of them stays there. And once a player has played 15 sets in higher grades she cannot drop lower that season. Both need committee approval to override. Nobody plays two Midweek matches on the same day, or for two clubs in a season, without approval.
By-laws 3.1.2, 3.1.6, 3.1.7, 3.1.8Women's Midweek
At the end both captains agree the result and take enough detail to enter and confirm it. Home enters, away confirms, by the committee's deadline. Finals and forfeits: winner enters, loser confirms. Disputes about players or scores go through the CRS dispute system; anything else is a complaint under by-law 1.21. An unfinished set is marked incomplete with the score as it stood and the reason in the comments.
By-laws 3.5.3, 3.5.4Women's Midweek
One substitute, available within 30 minutes, for the remaining sets. The interrupted set is forfeited at the score it reached and the injured player is done for the day. Write what happened in the CRS comments in case of an insurance claim. One ten-minute break is allowed for a treatable medical condition.
By-laws 3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.3Women's Midweek
First serve not played within 15 minutes of start: the first set is forfeited, then one every 20 minutes, the whole match after an hour. Short one player, the 4th lady's sets are forfeited; short two, it is a walkover. A walkover must be reported to the committee first, as early as possible ($30 fine if not), then to the other club. Walkover fines are $50 for home and away, $100 for a final and $250 for a grand final. Three unexplained forfeits and the team is removed with its points deleted.
By-laws 3.7.1 to 3.7.6Women's Midweek
The committee sends an email and a WhatsApp to Midweek Representatives about an hour before start, plus website and Facebook. Abandoned rounds are not replayed, no scores are entered, and points are split evenly even if a team had already given notice of a forfeit. On the day, nothing can be abandoned until an hour after start with everyone present. Completed sets stand. The heat rule is 34 degrees on eldersweather.com.au, checked at a change of ends, with a half-hour wait before abandoning, and play can continue by agreement.
By-laws 3.8.1, 3.8.2, 3.8.3Women's Midweek
Nine sets with the club in the current Midweek competition. Emergency Pool players qualify with nine sets across the various clubs they filled in for. Nobody can play finals below the lowest grade she played during the season without approval. Written requests for exceptions go to the committee.
By-law 3.9.1Women's Midweek
The committee allocates the club and it shows in Match Centre. Two courts of the same surface must be set aside and both used for the whole match. Clubrooms, courts and facilities must be open 30 minutes before start or the club is fined $50. The home team brings four new balls, both teams bring a score sheet, and the host provides afternoon tea.
By-laws 3.9.2, 3.9.3, 3.9.4Women's Midweek
Top four in grades of six or more. Eight-team grades use Page, six-team grades knockout. Finals start at 10.00 am. Separate score sheets, swapped once both are complete, no changes after except an injury sub. A tied final is decided by one extra tiebreak set played immediately, partners chosen by each captain from players who played that day. The winner enters the result and the loser confirms straight after the match.
By-laws 3.9.5 to 3.9.8Women's Midweek
Cancellations go out by email and WhatsApp about two hours before start. If play cannot begin, players wait at the courts until 12.30 pm. After that the match is finished as early as possible without clashing with the next round of finals. The teams can agree to move to another surface, another venue or another time, and sets can be played together or one at a time. If they cannot agree, the Midweek Committee can move the match on the day. If a grand final venue and time cannot be agreed, no premiership is awarded. Refusing to go where the committee sends you is a forfeit. Heat-abandoned finals must be finished by the following Friday.
By-laws 3.9.9, 3.9.9.1, 3.9.9.2Women's Midweek
One qualified substitute who is there straight away. Name, sets and reason on the score sheet and in the CRS comments. The injured player is done for the day and the interrupted set is forfeited. In a postponed final, tell the Competition Secretary before the sub plays.
By-law 3.9.11Women's Midweek
The home team, two pairs of new Tennis Australia approved balls, for home and away and for finals. Either team can add a pair.
By-law 3.10Women's Midweek
Evening pennant: 7 pm start, 10 pm finish.
Three. Four-player mixed: two women and two men, four mixed doubles sets, six-game sets with a tiebreak at five all. Triples: any three players, three singles sets and three doubles sets, tiebreak at five all. Single-sex doubles: four players, four eight-game sets with a tiebreak at seven all.
By-laws 5.2.2, 5.2.3, 5.2.4Night
7.00 pm start and a compulsory 10.00 pm finish, unless both teams agreed another start time before the day.
By-law 5.3.1Night
Four-player mixed: 1st mixed (1st man and 1st woman), 2nd mixed (2nd man and 2nd woman), 3rd mixed (1st man and 2nd woman), 4th mixed (2nd man and 1st woman). Triples: doubles 1 and 2, singles 3, doubles 1 and 3, singles 2, doubles 2 and 3, singles 1. Single-sex: 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 1 and 3, 2 and 4. Teams can agree to change it.
By-laws 5.3.2 to 5.3.4Night
Mixed teams can add one man and one woman, who may play two mixed sets. Triples can add up to three, in any sets as long as no doubles pair is repeated and nobody plays two singles. Single-sex teams can add two, anywhere, as long as doubles pairs are not repeated. Extras can also replace an injured player. All of it applies in finals.
By-laws 5.2.2.1, 5.2.3.1, 5.2.4.1Night
Two for the win plus one per set won; a tie is one point each. Winner on sets, then games. A match that cannot start because of weather gives each team half the available points. A bye is nothing.
By-laws 5.4.1 to 5.4.5Night
Entered by 7.00 pm the day after the match and confirmed by 7.00 pm the day after that (a Tuesday match is confirmed by Thursday). For the last home and away round and all finals, entered by noon the next day and confirmed by 7.00 pm that same day. A player counts as having played if their name is on a signed score sheet.
By-laws 5.5.4, 5.1.9Night
A player registered with the committee as an emergency. They can play for any team in the section they were graded in, or higher, without needing club-by-club approval.
By-law 5.1.8Night
One substitute, available within 30 minutes, for the remaining sets. The interrupted set is marked as a retirement at the score it reached and the injured player takes no further part. One ten-minute break is allowed for a treatable medical condition.
By-laws 5.6.1, 5.6.2Night
Fifteen minutes late forfeits the first set, then one every 20 minutes, the whole match after an hour. Short one player: mixed teams lose the 2nd lady's and 2nd man's sets, single-sex teams the 4th player's, triples the 3rd player's. Short two: walkover. Tell the other team as soon as you can before play or the club is fined $30. The team receiving the walkover submits its team in the CRS for full points. Three unexplained forfeits and the team is out.
By-laws 5.7.1 to 5.7.6Night
Email to Night Representatives about an hour before start, plus website and Facebook. Abandoned nights are not replayed and points are split, except where a walkover had already been notified. Nothing can be abandoned on the night until an hour after start with everyone present, and the names of the players who would have played still go in the CRS and count as qualifying sets for finals. Heat is the usual 34-degree rule on eldersweather.com.au.
By-laws 5.8.1 to 5.8.3Night
It depends on the season length: one match in a season of seven weeks or fewer, two matches in an eight to ten week season, three matches in eleven weeks or more. Written requests for exceptions go to the committee. Nobody plays finals below the lowest grade they played in during the season without approval.
By-law 5.9.1Night
Top four in grades of six or more, split by percentage (games then sets), knockout: 1 v 4 and 2 v 3, winners to the grand final. Finals start at 7.00 pm, and the venue must be open 15 minutes before. Both teams bring new balls and a score sheet. Once the teams say they are ready, the order cannot change except for an injury sub. A tied final is decided by 10-point tiebreakers: one mixed, or one doubles, or for singles-and-doubles formats one singles plus one doubles with the total points deciding it, repeated if still level.
By-laws 5.9.2 to 5.9.8Night
Cancellation emails go out about two hours before start. If play has not started, players stay at the courts until 8.00 pm. A match that cannot start by then, or is interrupted, must be completed within five days (heat: by the following Thursday), with results entered straight after. The Competition Secretary must be told on the night. Page-system grades revert to knockout if a semi is cancelled, and a cancelled grand final goes to the home team.
By-laws 5.9.9, 5.9.9.1, 5.9.9.2Night
Mixed grades: one qualified man and one qualified woman. Triples and single-sex: one qualified player. Tell the other team before the sub takes the court, write it on the score sheet and in the CRS comments. In a postponed final, tell the Competition Secretary and the other team first.
By-law 5.9.11Night
The home team or host club: two pairs of new Tennis Australia approved balls, for home and away and for finals. An extra pair needs both captains to agree.
By-law 5.10Night
Score sheets, balls, clothing, tie breaks, results.
Anything made by a recognised tennis clothing brand, and club clothing is encouraged. Leggings or mid-thigh compression shorts on their own are fine. Not allowed: ripple-sole, jogging, running or cricket shoes, or any shoe with a raised heel or studs.
By-law 1.17All competitions
Every club should have a first aid kit at the courts where the match is played, including ice or an ice substitute.
By-law 1.3All competitions
At least one court for Senior Mixed, Senior Men's, Junior and Midweek matches. At least two for Open Match Play and night matches. Lines and nets must be in good order, courts in disrepair must not be used, and toilets and rooms must be open during matches.
By-law 1.2All competitions
First to seven points, two clear; at six all, keep going until someone leads by two. The player due to serve serves one point, then everyone serves two points in turn in the same order as the set. Serves alternate right court then left, starting from the right, so odd points come from the right and even points from the left. Change ends every six points. In most grades a set is won at six games with two clear, or a tiebreak at six all makes it 7-6. Some junior grades play the tiebreak at five all (6-5), and night single-sex eight-game sets play it at seven all.
Section 6AAll competitions
The home team enters it in the CRS and the away team confirms. In finals, or when a team receives a forfeit, the winner enters and the loser confirms. Each committee sets its own deadlines each season. Missing them is a $5 fine per match.
By-laws 1.13.1, 1.13.5, 1.14.2.4All competitions
An unfinished set (injury, weather) is marked incomplete with the score as it stood, say 4-1, and the reason in the comments. For an injury, say how it happened. A forfeited or unplayed set lists the players, is marked Not Played with the reason picked from the list, and has no score.
By-laws 1.13.3, 1.13.4All competitions
Same rule in every competition. Spotted during the set: the team at fault loses the games it has won in that set and the set continues with the listed player. Spotted after the set: 6-0 to the other team. A set is never replayed.
By-laws 2.5.2, 3.5.2, 4.3.3, 5.5.2All competitions
One ten-minute break for a treatable medical condition, after which the set resumes from the last completed point. Play is never held up so a player can get their strength or wind back.
By-laws 2.6.2, 3.6.2, 4.13.2, 5.6.2All competitions
Yes. Clubs must fix name changes in the CRS. In juniors, a wrong name on the score sheet counts as an unregistered player, and the sets can be reviewed and penalised.
By-laws 2.1.11, 3.1.11, 4.9.2, 5.1.10All competitions
Every member of a premiership team gets a memento, and the club gets a mounted colour team photo, provided the photo is booked within the set times. Junior runners-up get a ribbon. A team that goes through the season undefeated, including a washed-out round where points were shared, is called champions.
By-law 1.18All competitions
Before the third home and away round, at the Competition Secretary's discretion, a team can take up a bye. It must arrange the matches it missed with the clubs involved and finish them by the end of the first rotation.
By-law 1.16All competitions
The 34° rule, washouts, when a court is unplayable.
The Competition Committee (for juniors, its Weather Committee). Seniors and nights: email to the representatives about an hour before start. Midweek: email and WhatsApp about an hour before. Juniors: the Weather Committee meets around 7.00 am Saturday and sends a WhatsApp to Junior Representatives. Every competition also posts on the Tennis Geelong website or Facebook page. Abandoned rounds are never replayed and the points are split.
By-laws 2.8.1, 3.8.1, 4.7.1, 5.8.1All competitions
When the temperature reaches 34 degrees, play can stop. In juniors it must stop. The only temperature that counts is eldersweather.com.au for the town or postcode you are playing in, checked at a change of ends, never by holding up play. Once 34 is reached, wait half an hour to see if it changes before abandoning the rest of the sets, which are split evenly. In the adult competitions both captains can agree to keep playing in any heat.
By-laws 2.8.3, 3.8.3, 4.7.4, 5.8.3All competitions
A reasonable chance of someone being injured. Rain, moss, mould or algae on the surface, a broken net, or real holes or bumps in the playing area all count. Nobody can be made to play on an unplayable court. If there is water on the surface, players should try to clear it first: squeegees on hard courts, rollers on synthetic grass. Clubs with ongoing court problems must tell the Competition Secretary and move matches off those courts.
Section 6All competitions
Plexipave gets slippery, especially older courts where the grit has worn off and moss has grown. Wet, shaded courts with moss and little grip underfoot after squeegeeing are unplayable; sunny courts that are drying after a squeegee can be played once both teams are happy. Synthetic grass is less slippery but can waterlog. If there is still a sheen after rolling and it sloshes when you walk, it is unplayable; if rolling leaves no sheen or puddles and the walk sounds drier, play on. Common sense and safety first.
Section 6All competitions
The host club official can ask the visiting club official to agree to cancel that day's matches at the venue. If they agree, the host enters the result in the CRS with both teams' players listed and the away team confirms. In juniors, if there is no agreement, the normal wait-an-hour rule applies.
By-laws 2.8.2.1, 3.8.2.1, 4.7.3, 5.8.2.1All competitions
Completed sets stand. Nobody can abandon until an hour after the start time (unless both captains agree earlier), and all players must be there at that point or their sets are forfeited. Unfinished sets have their points split. Players and scores for complete and incomplete sets go in the CRS. If the captains cannot agree whether to play on, the committee decides. In juniors, play must restart within an hour or the match is abandoned.
By-laws 2.8.2, 3.8.2, 4.7.2, 5.8.2All competitions
Yes. The names of the players who would have played must go in the CRS even if the match never started. In night pennant those count as qualifying sets for finals.
By-laws 2.8.2.2, 3.8.2.2, 4.7.2, 5.8.2.2All competitions
How points work, Page vs knockout, cancelled finals.
By percentage. Games are compared first, then sets.
By-laws 2.9.6, 3.9.6, 4.11.2, 5.9.6All competitions
The finals format for eight-team grades. Semi-finals are 1 v 2 and 3 v 4. The loser of 1 v 2 plays the winner of 3 v 4 in a preliminary final. The winner of that plays the winner of 1 v 2 in the grand final. Finishing top two means you get a second chance.
By-laws 2.9.6, 3.9.6, 4.11.2All competitions
The finals format for six-team grades, and all night grades. Semi-finals are 1 v 4 and 2 v 3, and the two winners play the grand final. Lose and you are out.
By-laws 2.9.6, 3.9.6, 4.11.2, 5.9.6All competitions
Under the Page system, the first team to win through to the grand final. Under knockout, the team that finished higher on the ladder. It matters because a cancelled grand final goes to the home team.
By-laws 2.9.9, 3.9.9, 4.11.7, 5.9.9All competitions
A cancelled Page-system semi-final turns the series into a knockout (1 v 4, 2 v 3 next time). A cancelled preliminary final sends the home team straight to the grand final. A cancelled knockout semi-final sends the two home teams (1 and 2) to the grand final. A cancelled grand final is won by the home team. In five-team junior grades, a cancelled semi sends 1 and 2 to the grand final.
By-laws 2.9.9, 3.9.9, 4.11.7, 5.9.9All competitions
Seniors: one extra mixed set (or doubles set for single-sex teams) straight away, partners chosen by each captain from players who played that day; Open plays a doubles 10-point super tiebreak. Midweek: one extra tiebreak set. Juniors: the 1st and 2nd singles players play a six-game doubles set. Nights: 10-point tiebreakers to suit the format.
By-laws 2.9.8, 3.9.8, 4.11.10, 5.9.8All competitions
No. A bye is not a match. That includes a round that is washed out while your team has the bye.
By-laws 2.4.5, 3.4.5, 4.5.5, 5.4.5All competitions
Seniors, Midweek and Juniors: if there is no overall winner, one point each for the match plus one for each set won and half a point each for every unplayed or unfinished set. If there is an overall winner, they get two for the match instead. Open Match Play has its own split by rubber. Night pennant uses the same idea on its smaller points scale.
By-laws 2.4.4, 2.4.6.4, 3.4.4, 4.5.4, 5.4.4All competitions
In Seniors and Midweek, no: nothing is entered in the CRS for an abandoned round, so it cannot qualify anyone. Juniors still enter the names of who would have played. Nights enter names too and those sets explicitly count as qualifying sets. Check your competition's by-law to be sure.
By-laws 2.8.1, 3.8.1, 4.7.2, 5.8.2.2All competitions
The club is fined, at the committee's discretion: $100 for a semi or preliminary final and $250 for a grand final. Whether the team keeps its place in the series is also up to the committee. This applies to walkovers and to sets forfeited because players were unavailable, not to injuries during the match.
By-laws 2.7.5.1, 3.7.5.1Senior (Saturday)Women's Midweek
What a club pays and what it gets fined for.
Clubs. Tennis Geelong invoices each club, and a club with an overdue invoice earns no points until it is paid in full, with points only resuming from the payment date. Team registration fees are due no later than round three.
By-law 1.14.1; Constitution rule 12All competitions
The full team entry fee, whether the team is pulled after grading or after the season starts. On top of that the committee can fine the club $50.
By-laws 1.14.1.2, 1.14.1.3, 1.14.2.2, 1.14.2.3All competitions
Results entered or confirmed late: $5 a match. No club delegate at the AGM or a General Meeting: $20. Not telling the association of a change in club details: $20. A dispute or complaint found to be frivolous: $20. A frivolous finals protest: $50. Giving a walkover without telling the committee (seniors, Midweek) or the other side in time (juniors, nights): $30. A home and away walkover: $50. A finals walkover: $100, or $250 for a grand final. A Midweek finals host whose clubrooms and courts are not open 30 minutes before start: $50. Most are at the committee's discretion.
By-laws 1.8, 1.12, 1.14.2.4, 1.21.2, 1.21.3, 2.7.5, 3.9.3, 4.2.3, 5.7.5All competitions
It cannot nominate anyone, have a member accept a nomination, or vote at association meetings until everything is paid. Overdue fines also go back to the committee that issued them, which can add a further penalty.
By-laws 1.14.2.1, 1.14.3.1All competitions
The President, Secretary, Treasurer, each Competition Secretary and each CRS Coordinator receive an annual honorarium for their work. The amount is approved at each AGM.
By-law 1.20All competitions
Players, parents, spectators, penalties.
Play by the rules and follow tennis etiquette. Own your actions on and off the court. Look after your own gear, the club's gear and the facilities. Zero tolerance for illicit drugs, performance-enhancing substances or excessive alcohol. Mind what you post about the association. Use respectful language with everyone, respect every participant regardless of age, race, gender, ability, background, sexuality or religion, and respect officials' decisions even when you disagree.
Section 7All competitions
Support both sides and cheer good play. Let the players finish the match without interference. Respect coaches' and officials' decisions. Use respectful, supportive language with players, officials and other spectators. Raise concerns about anyone's behaviour through the proper channels, not on the day. And do not give instructions or directions to any player during or between points.
Section 7All competitions
No. A spectator is anyone not directly involved in the match, and spectators must not direct play or instruct players during or between points. Save it for the drive home.
Section 7All competitions
If either team asks, a spectator can be asked to be the central umpire, for instance when the players are unsure how to play a tiebreak. It cannot be the parent of a child in that match, and the umpire must be on the court taking part, not scoring from outside the fence.
Section 7; By-laws 3.10.1, 4.4.1All competitions
Report it to the Club Supervisor at the time. First, the supervisor tells the player their behaviour is not on. If it keeps going, the club representative refers it to the Competition Committee as a written complaint under by-law 1.21.1 with the details.
Section 7Junior
Your club representative, who lodges a complaint with the Competition Secretary under by-law 1.21.1. Anyone who witnessed it, player or spectator, can report it that way.
Section 7All competitions
When Tennis Geelong appoints umpires or referees, they can penalise physical abuse, verbal abuse, audible or visible obscenity, and abuse of racquets, equipment or balls. First instance a warning, second loss of a point, third loss of the set or rubber, and it carries through the rest of the match. A defaulted player is out for the day and cannot be replaced. Physical abuse that stops the match goes to the committee and, if appropriate, Victoria Police. Lesser issues (best effort, dress, delay, unsportsmanlike conduct) get a warning first, then a written complaint to the committee.
Section 7All competitions
The Competition Committee decides. For juniors in junior events the usual ladder is an educative response, then a written warning, then disciplinary action. For adults, parents and spectators it is a written warning, then disciplinary action. Serious breaches can skip steps. A sanction lasts two years from the end of the current season: something from Summer 2024 runs until the end of Summer 2026.
Section 7All competitions
Score disputes, complaints, protests, mediation.
Use the dispute system in the CRS for anything about players or the scores entered. But once both captains have signed the score sheet, no dispute about it will be considered, so check it before you sign.
By-laws 1.13.2, 1.21.1All competitions
Through your club. Within three days of the match the club sends a written statement to the Competition Secretary and a copy to the other club's secretary. The committee may call the clubs in; each can send two people. Its decision is final and comes as quickly as possible. If the complaint is judged frivolous, the complaining club is fined $20.
By-law 1.21.2All competitions
Yes, a protest can be lodged over a finals dispute or complaint. If it is found to be frivolous the protesting club is fined $50 on top of any other penalty.
By-law 1.21.3All competitions
The constitution's grievance procedure. The parties have 14 days to sort it out between themselves. If that fails, within 10 days they tell the Executive and agree to mediation. The mediator is someone both sides accept, or failing that one the Executive appoints (club v club) or someone from the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria (club v association). The mediator must be unbiased, hears everyone, but does not decide. If mediation fails, the parties can go to the Act or the courts. A grievance cannot start while a disciplinary matter on the same thing is still running.
Constitution rules 24 to 28All competitions
The constitution: members, the Executive, AGMs, voting.
An incorporated association under Victoria's Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. Its purposes are to run competition tennis in the Geelong region, promote sportsmanship and etiquette, support its member clubs and promote the game. It is not for profit: it cannot pay money or assets out to members, beyond reimbursing expenses or paying for goods and services at arm's length. Its financial year ends 31 July.
Constitution rules 1, 2, 3, 5, 6All competitions
The members are clubs (and life members). Any bona fide tennis club in Geelong and surrounding district that supports the purposes can apply. Players are 'associates': financial members of a member club or of a Tennis Geelong competition. There must be at least five members. Members' rights cannot be transferred.
Constitution rules 4, 7, 8, 14All competitions
To join, a club writes to the Secretary saying it wants to join, supports the purposes and will follow the rules. The Executive decides and need not give reasons if it says no. Membership starts when approved and any joining fee is paid, with voting rights after ten business days. A club leaves by written resignation, is taken to have resigned if its subscription is 12 months overdue, or can be expelled. A club that leaves and wants back applies as new.
Constitution rules 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16All competitions
The Executive: a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer, one representative from each Competition Committee (usually its secretary) and two general members. No club can have more than two people on it. The Executive manages the business, can appoint staff and subcommittees, and can delegate most of its powers in writing. It must meet at least four times a year with a quorum of four.
Constitution rules 39, 40, 41, 55, 59All competitions
Any associate (so any financial member of a member club or competition) who is over 18. Competition Committees are elected at the AGM with the numbers set in the by-laws: Senior and Junior have a secretary, a CRS Coordinator (Junior also an AJP Coordinator) and two to seven members; Midweek a secretary, CRS Coordinator and four members; Nights a secretary, CRS Coordinator and up to four members.
Constitution rule 46; By-law 1.6All competitions
Nominations go to the Secretary in writing at least 14 days before the AGM, with the candidate's consent, signed by the President or Secretary of their club plus one other associate (candidates cannot endorse themselves). If only one person is nominated they are declared elected; if none, nominations are taken at the AGM. If there are more candidates than places there is a secret ballot run by a returning officer, with a tie settled by a fresh vote or, if the candidates agree, by lot.
Constitution rules 48 to 51All competitions
President, Secretary and Treasurer: three years. Vice-Presidents, Competition Secretaries, CRS Coordinators and general members: two years. Competition Committee members: two years, with half the positions up each year. Terms are staggered so only one of each type is elected at any AGM. Anyone can be re-elected. A general meeting can remove an Executive member by special resolution.
Constitution rule 52All competitions
By resigning in writing, by ceasing to be an associate, by missing three consecutive meetings of their committee without leave, or under the Act. Leave of absence is up to three months and is not granted after the fact unless asking in advance was not feasible. The Executive fills casual vacancies, and must fill the Secretary's job within 14 days.
Constitution rules 53, 54, 63All competitions
Within five months after the financial year ends on 31 July, so by the end of December. Clubs get at least 21 days' notice. Attendance at the AGM must be in person; the General Meeting held beforehand to discuss rule changes can be online. A club that fails to send a delegate is fined $20. The AGM confirms minutes, receives the annual report and financial statements, elects the Executive and Competition Committees, and sets fees.
Constitution rules 29, 32; By-law 1.8All competitions
One vote per member club, cast by its delegate. No proxies. Votes are by show of hands unless three or more members demand a written poll. A tie is settled by the Chairperson's casting vote. A quorum is delegates from a simple majority of voting members; if there is no quorum within 30 minutes the meeting is adjourned up to 21 days, and if there is still no quorum, at least a third of members present can proceed.
Constitution rules 33, 35, 37All competitions
A vote that needs at least three quarters of the delegates voting to be in favour. It is required to remove an Executive member or to change the rules or purposes. Members get at least 21 days' notice with the full wording. Rule changes must be in the Secretary's hands by 1 July before the AGM, and the official voting form is lodged in person at the AGM. A rule change does not take effect until the Registrar approves it.
Constitution rules 36, 72All competitions
Yes. At least 25% of members can request one in writing, stating the business and signed by the requesting members. If the Executive does not call it within a month, the members can call it themselves within three months and the association pays their reasonable costs. Only the business in the request can be dealt with.
Constitution rules 30, 31All competitions
Grounds are failing to follow the rules, refusing to support the purposes, or conduct prejudicial to the association. The Executive appoints an unbiased disciplinary subcommittee. The person gets written notice between 14 and 28 days before the hearing, stating the grounds and their right to attend, be heard, send a written statement and appeal. The subcommittee can take no action, reprimand, suspend for a set period, or expel. It cannot fine. Suspension or expulsion takes effect immediately.
Constitution rules 18 to 21All competitions
Yes. Give notice in writing to the subcommittee straight after the vote or to the Secretary within 48 hours. The Executive must hold a disciplinary appeal meeting within 21 days, with notice to every voting member. The Executive states its reasons, the person is heard, and members vote by secret ballot with no proxies. The decision stands only if at least three quarters vote to uphold it.
Constitution rules 22, 23All competitions
Funds come from fees, subscriptions, donations, fundraising, grants and interest. Everything goes through one bank account; all money must be banked within 15 working days; cheques and other instruments need two Executive signatures. The Treasurer can be given a spending limit without item-by-item approval and may keep a recorded cash float. Financial records are kept for seven years, and the statements are certified by the Executive and presented at the AGM.
Constitution rules 45, 64 to 67All competitions
Members can inspect the register of members, minutes of general meetings and, subject to limits, the financial records and other documents including Executive minutes, free of charge. The Executive can refuse access to confidential, personal, employment, commercial or legal matters. Copies of the rules are free; other copies may carry a reasonable fee.
Constitution rules 17, 70All competitions
They must disclose it, leave the room while the matter is discussed, and not vote. The rule does not apply to an interest shared with all or most members, or one that exists only because they belong to the group the association serves. The disclosure is minuted.
Constitution rules 61, 62All competitions
At least four a year, seven days' notice, quorum of four. The President or any four members can call a special meeting, and urgent meetings can be held with whatever notice is practical, needing an absolute majority to pass anything. Each member has one vote, the Chairperson has a casting vote, and proxy voting is allowed at Executive meetings (though not at general meetings). Minutes record attendance, business, votes and any conflicts declared.
Constitution rules 55 to 62All competitions
It can be wound up voluntarily by special resolution. Any surplus cannot go to current or former members or associates. It goes to a body with similar purposes that is not run for profit, chosen by special resolution.
Constitution rule 71All competitions
To a member: by hand, by post to the address on the register, or by email or fax. To the association: by hand to an Executive member, by post or in person to the registered address, or by email to the association or Secretary if the Executive allows it. The registered address is whatever the Executive sets, or else the Secretary's postal address.
Constitution rules 68, 69All competitions
The source for everything on this page. Keep a copy on your phone for match day.
Ask your club secretary. Under by-law 1.10 only club secretaries and nominated competition secretaries can contact Tennis Geelong, so they are the people who can get you a ruling. The official site is tennis.com.au/tennisgeelonginc ↗. For the rules of tennis itself, and how to behave when there is no umpire, see our guide to matches without an umpire.
Peanut Tennis is independent and not affiliated with Tennis Geelong Inc., Tennis Victoria or Tennis Australia. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice, and was prepared from the 2025 rule book. Rules change at the AGM each year.