As play restrictions begin to be lifted, many CTAs are looking at restarting their USTA and non-USTA tennis programs within their communities. Here are nine things that your CTA should do prior to getting back on the tennis court.
(Important note: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of items that your CTA board needs to consider before running programs in the COVID-19 era. Always consult with your legal counsel for any additional questions or concerns you might have.)
1. Check your General Liability Insurance Coverage for any potential exclusions. If you have the USTA third-party insurance coverage, we strongly encourage you and your board members to watch the CTA Insurance Webinar that took place recently. Click here to view the CTA Insurance Webinar.
2. If your CTA doesn't have this type of insurance already in place, consider purchasing Directors and Officers Liability Insurance to protect the personal assets of your board of directors and officers. For more information on the USTA 3rd party D&O Liability Insurance, click here.
3. For your employees, make sure your CTA has Workers Compensation Insurance. If your CTA contracts out work with Independent Contractors, make sure they have their own Workers Compensation Insurance in place.
4. Familiarize yourself with your local tennis facilities' policies and procedures to make sure your programs are in compliance with their respective guidelines. Share these policies and procedures with your staff and program participants.
5. Use the CDC, state and your local health guidelines as well as the USTA Play Safe recommendations to create your own CTA-specific minimum standard health protocols for all your programs and tennis activities. Train your staff and share your protocols with all your program participants.
6. With the assistance of legal counsel, develop a waiver to protect your organization against liability from the transmission of COVID-19. Have all your program participants sign the waiver before participating in your activities and store these waivers securely for at least seven years. Your CTA can use these general waiver templates, but consult with your legal counsel to customize these waivers for your respective organization and programs. (Disclaimer: Please ensure you note that the waiver templates provided are not intended as legal advice for your organizations. The organization should check with the laws governing your location and consult with your legal counsel.)
7. Assign a board member or CTA employee to be the "recorder" and document all protocols, actions and incidents that took place during your programs. This is extremely important, especially if something happens during your programs.
8. Before your programs begin, host a virtual board meeting to make sure all your board members are in agreement with all the protocols you have developed as well as all the programs that will take place during this time.
9. Share information about your programs and protocols on your website and social media. If your CTA is looking for a free website builder, contact management tool and program registration, you can now take advantage of the new Tennis Management Tool features.
Disclaimers: The above is not meant to be a comprehensive list of items that your CTA board needs to consider before running programs during the COVID-19 era. Always consult with your legal counsel for any additional questions or concerns you might have.
For additional COVID-19 resources and information, check out Tennis Industry United Resources.
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Delia Mask is the Community Services Manager for USTA Texas.
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