Tennis Victoria – Club Guide – Coach Relationship
Background
Tennis is in a unique position as the sport has a large workforce of qualified & skilled development
officers at its disposal – the professional tennis coach. This sets tennis apart from most other sports, and
is a great advantage and opportunity, when professional tennis coaches’ skills, experience and capacity
are put to good use.
Arguably, the professional tennis coach is the most valuable asset for any successful tennis club.
Coaches are more than court hirers, they are an integral element of successful tennis club operations.
The coach, being autonomous and self-employed, comes at no cost to the club, yet has the capacity to
be one of the most important assets of a club. Through the coaches professional marketing and
advertising for coaching he/she will bring to the club many potential members, though ultimately, it is
the club that has the responsibility to ensure there is a myriad of programs and services to convert
potential members into actual members.
This guide aims to provide clubs information to assist them in developing the best possible
arrangements that lead to mutual benefits for the club, coach and the sport.
What do professional tennis coaches do?
• As the name suggests, they coach or teach players how to play or improve their skills at all levels of
the sport. Tennis is a highly skilled sport, and having tennis lessons is usually necessary to learn the
game, and many parents have historically viewed tennis lessons as an important component of
their child’s education. Interestingly, prior to 1960, most tennis participants learnt the game
through watching others and copying, prior to the roll out of coaches at most tennis clubs.
• They coach all levels, and play a very significant role in driving participation growth, and develop
tennis champions
• They promote the game and the venues they coach at, often through the promotion of their own
coaching business
• They volunteer in administrative positions, and assist in building the capacity of tennis clubs and
other bodies
• Support the sustainability of tennis venues through the programming and marketing activities
they provide, and via any fees paid for access
• Tennis coaches can also provide other services such as retailing of tennis gear, restringing,
conducting of tournaments and other events
• Tennis coaches are also being recruited as part time or full time professional managers of tennis
venues
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How do clubs interact with professional tennis coaches?
Clubs usually appoint tennis coaches as “service providers” rather than employees, and this guide will
refer to those arrangements only. In this instance, the coach run their own business providing the
services specified in the agreement, and the club is responsible for monitoring agreed outcomes.
Leading up to the expiry of the agreement, discussions will take place to determine if any option or
extension of the arrangement takes place.
The arrangements with tennis coaches can be summarized into;
1.
2.
3.
Appointment
Ongoing relationship
Re-appointment
1.
Appointment
The task of appointing a professional tennis coach can be a daunting one for a volunteer committee. It is
vital that the following points are considered;
•
Responsible Body – consideration should be given to a specially formed sub-committee being
appointed to deal with a coach appointment, which will include club committee members and other
individuals with particular expertise. Your Community Tennis Officer may be able to assist as a nonvoting member.
•
Services Description – a clear outline of what the agreement will include is prepared. The club
needs to consider any particular focus for the position, which should relate to the clubs vision. The
contract will be based on this, so it is important that it is accurate as expressions of interest from coaches
will be based on this information.
•
Coach Contribution – if the club is asking for a fee for the exclusive rights to provide tennis
coaching (and other) services, then the way this is done needs to be clearly explained.
Every club and coach will need to negotiate services provided and contributions for use of courts and
facility to conduct their business activity. This can be based on a variable per court – per hour fee or fixed
annual fee. There are two main factors which should be taken into consideration when deciding where
within this range a coach should be charged.
A.
Facility maintenance and replacement costs
The conversation should start by having a clear understanding of the operational costs related to the
facility. This includes knowing the annual lifecycle costs of the tennis courts, ancillaries and clubhouse.
This can be calculated using the asset check calculator supplied by Tennis Australia. Alternatively the
club can base this on the depreciation cost of the clubs assets. Roughly this can be calculated using
$2,500 per court, per annum or 2% of the total asset value.
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Ensuring the club can make this annual contribution into the club sinking fund should be a priority. As
the coach uses these assets, he/she should also make a contribution to their maintenance and
replacement. Understanding this figure will help guide how much is required to remain economically
sustainable. Smaller venues would therefore require a smaller contribution than larger venues.
Completing a Club Health Check will assist your club, as you will be able to capture your coaches’ use of
facilities and benchmark your arrangements against industry averages for similar size facilities.
B.
Coach activity benefit to club
The relationship between the club and coach should be one of mutual benefit. Tennis Australia’s 2008
coaching census indicates that the most successful club/facility-coach relationships are those where
coaches are involved in club activities. In situations where coaches are actively supporting and
promoting the tennis club to the community through activities such as membership promotion,
selection of junior teams, open days, offering services to members, being a point of contact at the club
for members and public and assisting with administrational tasks, the intrinsic value that the coach
provides would lower the physical fee that should be paid.
Below is a graphical representation of this relationship.
•
Term of the Agreement – clubs should not offer contract terms to coaches that extend beyond
the duration of their rights to occupy the facility (lease), or if this is done there should be a clause
indicating this limitation.
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•
Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) – The establishment of tangible and auditable KPIs is seen as a
critical facility management tool (appropriate software is important to track and report on this
performance). There is no legal effect if criteria are not met; however the KPIs outline performance
expectations and will be a core instrument in assessing contract renewal.
Setting KPI’s are imperative to measuring a coach’s performance and ensuring both the club and coach
are working towards the same goals. KPI’s outline performance expectations and will be a core
instrument in assessing contract renewal. A coach should have clear indicators by which to measure their
success in the role.
When entering into a contract for service agreement, it is vital that the coach understands the clubs
vision and objectives. This can be clearly stipulated with the provision of KPI’s. By jointly going through
this process both the club and coach can work together on shared objectives to achieve their shared
vision. If the club and coach cannot agree on a shared vision then it is best discovered prior to entering a
formal agreement.
Below are some examples of KPI’s.
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•
Contract – it is important that the agreement is clear and includes items that both the club and
coach are responsible for. Consideration needs to be given to using the Contract for Services template
available from Tennis Victoria. Whilst hand shake agreements may appeal to some due to their simplicity
in the short term; the reality is that these arrangements put both parties in a vulnerable position.
It is crucial that the relationship between club and coach is formalised in a contract that outlines a job
description, any costs relating to court access and lighting, targets in services offered, dispute resolution
and termination process and any additional duties or expectations. Below are a few useful points which
are often overlooked when entering into a contract for service agreement.
•
Exercise of Options – ensure that the process for any exercise of option periods by the service
provider (coach) are clear for both parties.
•
Dispute Resolution – even with the best intentions, disputes can sometimes arise between
committees and coaches. A contract gives both parties the opportunity to resolve issues and should
clearly identify steps to be taken to rectify disputes. Clear and open communication between both
parties is essential in resolving problems before they turn into a grievance.
If necessary, Tennis Victoria can assist in guiding members through the grievance handling process and
can direct parties to subsidised sports mediation where necessary. This process should be outlined in the
contract.
•
Governance – Tennis Victoria encourages clubs to invite their coach to attend all committee
meetings as an observer or in a non-voting committee member capacity, to provide a report on
coaching programs. Clubs that have regular formal & informal communication with their coach have the
best outcomes in terms of transition of coaching pupils to club activities and membership. Coaches
should not be office bearers or voting members of club committees. All committee members have legal
responsibilities to act only in the best interest of the club, and there can be real or perceived conflicts of
interest for a coach if they act in this capacity. It is in both the club’s and coaches’ best interests that club
committee structures do not allow this to occur.
•
Additional Services – professional tennis coaches often have the time and skills to add value to
club operations by providing additional services such as retailing of tennis equipment, restringing,
conducting tournaments and other events. Consider if this can be beneficial for both parties, and how
the coach can be incentivized. If a permanent retailing presence at the club is planned, be aware of the
implications of planning restrictions and legislation such as the Retail Leases Act.
•
Council Relationship – if your venue is leased from council, be aware of any service obligations
which may be part of the lease which your coach may assist you in meeting, or whether council needs to
be informed of any coaching appointment. See sample council service agreement wording below;
"The Tennis Club will demonstrate there is a formal agreement in place with a suitably accredited and
qualified tennis coach. The agreement is to outline usage schedules, financial arrangements and club
development benefits that are agreed to by each party.
The Tennis Club must not elect the above mentioned tennis coach to any position on the Tennis Club's
management committee, or the tennis coach must not be involved in voting on decisions that impact
the Tennis Club's operations."
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"It is acknowledged by Council that the appointment of, and/or arrangements between the Tennis Club
and coach rest solely with the Tennis Club, and that it is the right of the Tennis Club to appoint a tennis
coach under any arrangements they see fit to assist the Tennis Club meet its service obligations to
Council, and to best promote and progress the sport of tennis"
2.
Ongoing Relationship
Once a coach is appointed, it is crucial that formal reviews take place at least annually, as the relationship
is a dynamic one with changing circumstances, considerations and priorities on the part of both parties.
Communication is crucial, and it is important that this is two way. Ideally, a club will appoint one person
as the designated contact person the coach will deal with in regard to their overall relationship.
The best club-coach relationships demonstrate that there are strategies in place to encourage coaching
students to become members and play in club events. Do not assume that these results will be achieved
without constant monitoring and appropriate tactics developed in cooperation with your coach.
On a quarterly basis, a written report should be supplied to the club committee with details of
programming and progress against KPI’s. It is important that both sides feel a degree of accountability
around their part of the relationship, and that this is dealt with in an open, transparent manner and
professional manner.
Sometimes personal relationships can complicate the relationship so that open and frank
communication does not occur. If this is the case, consider inviting Tennis Victoria to play a role in
facilitating meetings.
Consider the “downside” of a poorly managed relationship with your coach. It is a time consuming
exercise to advertise and appoint a new coach, without considering the negative impact of a potential
loss of membership, activity, and fractured personal relationships that can occur. Clubs that
demonstrate a “revolving door” of coach appointments inevitably do not operate at an optimal capacity.
3.
Reappointment
The contract should include clear guidelines around how the reappointment process will be handled.
Handled well, there should be “no surprises” at this point, as formal reviews throughout the contract
term will have identified any issues with non-performance and both parties will know where they stand
in terms of KPI progress.
It is important that the process of reappointment is handled in a timely manner, giving plenty of notice
to the coach. It is important to consider that the club is dealing with the coaches’ livelihood, so the
process should be dealt with in a fair and professional fashion.
Tennis Victoria is available as an independent voice to assist any club with the appointment, ongoing
relationship and reappointment of a professional tennis coach. Please contact your Participation Leader
for more information.
Please note that this document does not provide any legal advice and should be considered a guide only.
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