Coach Membership policies

Conditions of the Tennis Australia Coach Membership Program.

At Tennis Australia (TA) we take seriously our duty of care to children and young people, as well as their families and community. With this in mind, Tennis Australia recently commenced a national review which aimed to strengthen TA's approach to safeguarding children and young people who participate in tennis.

The national review was assisted by the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) and was based on nationally-recognised standards for their Safeguarding Children Program.

As a result of this review, Tennis Australia has made significant changes to the Tennis Australia Member Protection Policy. These changes are aimed at implementing best practice and standards to protect children and young people in their care.

The policy has been developed as part of Tennis Australia’s ongoing commitment to the health, safety and wellbeing of its members and participants. Member Protection is all about practices and procedures, which protect a sports organisation’s members including athletes, administrators, coaches and officials.

View Tennis Australia’s Member Protection Policy

All coach members must complete the Member Protection Declaration Form when registering for membership. 

All states/territories in Australia have mandatory legislation requiring tennis coaches to undergo a screening process in order to work with children (under 18 years of age). Tennis Australia is committed to helping coaches to adhere to the requirements.

A current Working With Children Check (WWCC) is an essential prerequisite for active coach membership with TA.

There is no national screening system or national standards regarding WWCC and related clearances. Each State/Territory Government has its own legislation. It is necessary to fulfil the requirements in each state/territory in which you are working. Please refer below for specific local requirements (subject to change and it is the responsibility of each tennis coach to ensure that he/she complies with current state/territory legislation).

Also note the following if you are moving between states/territories and intend to engage in child-related work:

• If your working with children activity is likely to take place over ten or more consecutive days, a WWCC for your destination state/territory should be strongly considered (though the requirements vary depending on the destination and it is the responsibility of each tennis coach to ensure that he/she complies with current state/territory legislation); and
• If the move is permanent, a WWC clearance for the destination state/territory should certainly be obtained.

Your screening documentation can be updated at any time by logging in to your MyTennis account.

Coaches who fail to provide up-to-date screening may have their membership suspended or cancelled.

In addition to the Working with Children Check, a National Police Check is an essential prerequisite for active coach membership with Tennis Australia.

To apply for a National Police check, please visit www.nationalcrimecheck.com.au

Only National Police Checks with complete/full disclosure will be accepted. National Police checks are valid for three years from date of issue. If Tennis Australia are unable to verify a National Police Check upon submission, Tennis Australia may request an applicant to obtain a new check or undertake further steps to prove its authenticity. Tennis Australia Coach Members under the age of 18 years will not be required to complete a National Police check. However a parent/guardian must complete the Member Protection Declaration Form.

Your screening documentation can be updated at any time by logging in to your MyTennis account.

Tennis Australia has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of child abuse and is committed to ensuring the sport of tennis is a safe and friendly environment for children and young people. It is imperative that children and young people who access our activities, programs, events or services feel safe and supported.

All new TA Coach Members are required to complete the Keeping the Tennis Community Safe course (online) which was developed in 2018 in collaboration with the Australian Childhood Foundation.  This course is designed to assist coaches in complying with the Tennis Australia’s Member Protection Policy and Safeguarding Children Guidelines.

We encourage all coaches to work collaboratively with your/club venue to implement practices in line with the Safeguarding Children Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct, along with other information and resources can be found on the Tennis Australia website.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team on 1800 PLAY TENNIS (752 983) or [email protected].

Tennis Australia is committed to improving the quality of qualified coaches for players of all levels. To build the professionalism of our coaches and to ensure the safety and integrity of our sport, First Aid was made a mandatory requirement for all Business Package and Qualified coach members.

Please click here for information.

Read the Coaches’ Code of Conduct.

Tennis Australia (TA) expects the highest standards in regard to the professional conduct of its coach members.

TA also encourages healthy working relationships between coach members and the tennis community. However, it is recognised that occasionally issues may arise.

If an issue arises in relation to a person who is bound by a TA policy and their conduct is not in line with Tennis Australia’s national policies, then the matter should be reported to [email protected].

TA notes that the Coach Grievance Policy has been discontinued based on feedback and the strengthening of other TA policies (e.g. Member Protection and Disciplinary policies). Some disputes and matters will fall beyond the scope of those with which TA can assist in accordance with our policies.

However, where members of the tennis community (which may include tennis coaches, players or clubs) need assistance to reach an agreement or resolution on a matter, they may wish to seek assistance from one of the service providers listed in the Mediation Contact Guide.

For more information, please refer to the Professional Conduct Matters and Disputes flow chart on Bounce.

Download the Tennis Australia Coach Members’ website agreement.

Tennis Australia has introduced a concession policy to offer concession holders a reduced price when purchasing a Tennis Australia Qualified Coach Membership.

A person must have the appropriate form of concession in order to be eligible. They must submit the concession document prior to making an application for Tennis Australia Coach Membership via email to [email protected]. Concession documents submitted after a Tennis Australia Coach Membership application has been approved will not be accepted.

Download the below to see forms of concession accepted by Tennis Australia.

In addition to the Coach Membership policy, all Tennis Australia coach members must adhere to Tennis Australia policies.