referees & coaches meeting - tennis ireland...the itf and tennis europe both state that giving...

Referees & Coaches Meeting

February/March 2011

Munster

Tennis Ireland Management & Development Team

•Tennis 10’s

•Competition Formats

•ITN & NPD

•Disciplinary procedures

•Tournament Regulations

•Junior Tournament Categories

•National Irish Junior Ranking

•Child Protection

•Permit distribution

•Questions & Answers

COMPETITION ORGANISERS MEETING:

TENNIS 10s

February 22nd 2011

Conor O’ Callaghan – Development Officer

What does `Tennis 10s` mean?

The ITF bringing formally into the game the principles of the `Play +Stay’ Programme: red, orangeand green balls and courts

2007…

What does `Tennis 10s` mean?

The ITF have changed the rules of tennis (only 5th time!)

ITF: From January 2012 modified balls/courts mandatory.

Tennis Ireland: strongly recommended since 2007 and mandatory in 2011

CHILDREN LOVE TO COMPETE!

“Healthy, enjoyable, easy to access competition is arguably the biggest contributor to retaining players in

the game”LTA (UK) Blueprint 2006

Those who organise competitions and tournaments play a vital role in Irish tennis

by providing the events children love to play!

It is vital that the type and circumstances of the

competition are suitable to the age group.

SCALEis so important…

SCALEand Tennis Development…

FOUR TENNIS `AREAS`

HOW AFFECTED BY SCALE?

TECHNICAL Height and speed of ball bounce affects

development of grips, strokes, footwork

TACTICAL 1. Young players on a large court tend

to stay at the baseline, and will be

reluctant to develop a net game.2. Never learn to play with consistency.

PHYSICAL 1. Inability to `get around` a large court

2. Repeated impact of `heavy ball` - arm

injuries

PSYCHOLOGI

CAL

A fast and heavy ball whizzing around a

large court – “I’m giving up tennis!”

��SOLUTIONS…

• Use the correct ball

• Use the correct court size

• Use the correct format for your competition

• Use the correct racquet size

PRIZES for Junior Tournaments…

The ITF and Tennis Europe both state that giving cash prizes is not good practice in junior tennis

Instead: prizes in the form of gifts/vouchers

TE: “value of not more than $500 (€375)”

Tennis Ireland has decided to phase out cash prizes at junior events over a two year transition period (2013)

Support from the top…“Young kids don’t play soccer on a full pitch, so why

should they play tennis on a full court? Support Tennis 10s”

Roger Federer

“That’s how I started to play...I think when you are 6, 7 , 8 years old, and you’re not tall, you’re not strong, it’s great to have soft balls and smaller racquets”

Justine Henin

“If you play with slower balls on a shorter court, everything is going to be better and easier”

Rafael Nadal

Competition Formats

• Health Benefits

• Competition an integral part of sport

• Appropriate Competition

Competition Formats

• Avoid elimination events

• Develop appropriate competitive

situations

• In order to achieve this Multi match

format’s are crucial

Recommended Formats

• Round Robin’s

• Challenge Formats

• Rotation Formats

• Team Formats

• Modified Scoring

• www.tennisplayandstay.com

Why new Competition Formats:

• Player retention

• Competition adapted to needs

of majority of players

• Enjoyable competition…continuation in the

sport

• Further desire to participate

Importance of Competition

• Vital element in sustaining

interest

• Rating system facilitates

appropriate playing categories

• Radical competition formats and

scoring systems

• Benefit recreational player

• More emphasis on participation

• Realistic goals

• All players engage in a

number of matches

• More scope to arrange

social activities

Positive Aspects of New Formats

Tennis10s Circuit

• Children’s version of ‘Play and Stay’

• Low-key competition for recreational

players

• Intermingling of participants

• All types of clubs facilitated

• Overall Competition Co-ordinator ensuring continuous club rotation

The ITN/National Player Database Project

February 22nd 2011

Conor O’ Callaghan –Development Officer

COMPETITION ORGANISERS MEETING:

What is the ITN?

The International Tennis Number rates all players on a scale from 1 to 10.

An ITF initiative, in use in many countries:

• Australia

• Czech Republic

• France

• Portugal

• Spain

• United States…

“The implementation of a national rating system has proven to be very successful in maintaining high levels of tennis participation in a number of countries”

(International Tennis Federation)

Initial allocation of ITNs:

1. ON COURT TEST

(15-20 minutes…sample?)

2. Use ITF `Description of Standards` sheet, combined with Tennis Ireland `ITN Grid`.

Initial allocation of ITNs:

3. Clubs Knowledge of the player

4. In time Results will be the best measure of a players rating

None of the above should be used in isolation, a combination is most accurate

ITN – The Benefits

1. TO THE CLUB

• Organizing Tournaments –divide/seed the draw objectively

• Team Selection – objective method

• Quick Integration of New Members –first impressions vital

• Inter-club and Open events - will be

linked to ITN


2. TO THE MEMBER

• Find partners/events at your own level

• Measure of Progress – as ITN improves (objective…)

• Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses objectively(on court assessment)

• No more mismatches…


3. TO THE COACH

• Income from on court assessments

• Motivation to take lessons

• Organizing coaching groups objectively


Conclusion

• Accurate Rating system

• Easy access to competition for beginner adults

• Easy transition from Junior to Senior

• Facilitate the movement of players between counties and countries

• Unite Tennis with common rating system

What is the National Player Database?

A database of members of Tennis Ireland affiliated tennis clubs in Ireland

•A total of approximately 80,000 members•Currently 13,500 on the NPD

Sample Page:

Why an NPD?

Two Key Objectives:

1. The ongoing update of a members ITN

2. To allow Tennis Ireland to communicate with Irish tennis players – offer benefits and services.

Uploading to the NPD

• Initial Steps – inform members(data

protection) and assign ITNs

• Install `Club Manager` (€150)

• Create `account` for each member

• Upload results at end of each event

Data Protection

The information held on account profiles is

• managed in a secure manner

• in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act

• held subject to a comprehensive TI privacy policy

WHO?

Norman Walker –IT Consultant

Conor O Callaghan –Munster

www.tennisireland.ie

Complaints & Disciplinary Complaints & Disciplinary

Rules and Procedures Rules and Procedures

• New and very comprehensive draft

approved by the TI Board in July ’10

• New procedures effective 1st Jan ’11



Rules and ProceduresRules and Procedures

• Each Club and Branch must incorporate

new rules and procedures into their

Constitution

• Clubs must inform their members

(individual associates) of the

introduction of new procedures

• Ditto for tournaments, events etc



Rules and ProceduresRules and Procedures

Main features:

• Arbitration – Just Sport Ireland (JSI)

• Covers complaints, objections &

disciplinary actions

• Hearings and appeals Committees at all

levels

• Disciplinary Officers within

Clubs/Branches/TI

• First instance matters go to TI HC


Complaints & Disciplinary Rules Complaints & Disciplinary Rules

and Proceduresand ProceduresExclusions:

• Employment

• ITF/ATP/WTA events

• Complaints against TI Board members

• Child abuse

• Criminal matters

• Anti-doping



Rules and ProceduresRules and ProceduresWhat does it cover?:

• Breach of Code of Conduct, Rules & Regulations at Club, Provincial & TI level

• Aggresive or threatening behaviour, verbal assault, physical assault, bullying, ineligibility, racial harrassment, sexual harrassment, discrimination, forgery or falsification, corruption, misconduct likely to bring the game into disrepute, criminal investigation, criminal conviction, mischevious or vexatious complaints.



and Proceduresand Procedures

Procedures:

• Fastrack hearings

• Mediation

• The role of leader/official/hearings

committee/TI

• Formal procedures for complaints, hearings & appeals



and Proceduresand ProceduresAction:

• Incorporate into Branch rules

• Incorporate into Club rules

• Tournament & event rules

TOURNAMENTS

Updated Rules

Tennis Tournament Planner (TTP)

February 2011

UPDATED RULES

• Entry Forms:

– Player ID

– Child Protection

– Ranking & ITN (Rating)

UPDATED RULES

• Types of Draws

• Modified Scoring

• Weather (Rule 7.8)

• Seedings

TYPES OF DRAWS

• Traditional knock-out draws do not encourage new players

• Whenever possible use draws that guarantee more than 1 match to everybody:

– Round Robin

– Compass Draw

– Continuous Feed-In

COMPASS DRAW

MODIFIED SCORING:

REASONS

• Players:

– Busy lives

– Less travel & accommodation costs

• Organizers:

– Not enough courts

– Time commitment

MODIFIED SCORING:

POPULAR TYPES

• 3rd set Champions Tie-Break

• Short Sets

• No Advantage

• Combinations of them

WEATHER

• Whole round same scoring

• Follow this order:

1. Consolation abbreviated scoring

2. Consolation cancelled

3. Doubles abbreviated scoring

4. Doubles cancelled

5. Singles abbreviated scoring

• Short sets with deciding tie-break is the briefest scoring recommended

SEEDINGS

• Incorrect seeding produces unreliable

rankings

• Correct seeding provides good quality

quarter and semi-finals

Up to 8 entries 2 may be

seeded

With 8 or more entries in an event 2 to 4 may

be seeded

With 12 or more entries in an event 4 may be

seeded

With more than 24 entries in an event 8 may be

seeded

With more than 48 entries in an event 16 may be

seeded

How Many Seeds?

Who Should be seeded?

• Seeding is never easy. Proper research

makes it less likely to be a problem

• Player match history is available in:

http://ti.tournamentsoftware.com

Seed Withdrawal

If a seeded player withdraws, the

remaining seeded players shall stay in

their positions and the next highest

ranked previously un-seeded player

inserted in the vacated position.

NATIONAL IRISH

JUNIOR RANKING

INCLUDING JUNIOR

TOURNAMENT

CATEGORIESFebruary 2011

Ranking System

REASONS :

• Provide the country with a reliable ranking system

• Give’s players opportunity to strive towards a ranking goal

• Give selectors both Provincial/National added reliable information for the selection of teams and squads

JUNIOR NATIONAL

RANKINGS and TTP

• Tennis ID

– All the information is stored under the ID

• How Rankings Work:

– Tournament Categories

– Points

– http://ti.tournamentsoftware.com

JUNIOR NATIONAL

RANKINGS and TTP

• Tennis ID

– Why?

• How Rankings Work:

– Tournament Categories

– Points

– http://ti.tournamentsoftware.com

WHAT Category ?

• Each event within one Tournament is categorized separately

• Categories are allocated according to the event’s strength in the previous year

• Championship Tournaments:

– Fitzwilliam Junior Open

– National Indoors

• All other events: Category 1 to 4

Grade Minimum Requirements

Grade No. of entriesNo. Of

Seeds

Players Ranking

Top 30 Top 20Top

10

Category 1 more than 24 8 8 4

Category 2more than 24

(12)8 (4) 8 4 2

Category 3more than 16

(8)4 (2) 4 2 0

Category 4 more than 8 2 0 0 0

(minimum for Girls Under 18 Events)

EVENT REQUIREMENTS

• Under 12 and 14 events should meet all requirements

• Under 16 and 18 at least four of them.

How Many Points will I get?

• Players are guaranteed to get the points awarded to the Grade of the event they enter

• Events that meet requirements of a higher grade are automatically upgraded

U12 U18B

Brookfield B (A) D (B or C)

RANKING POINTS

• All Irish Junior Open Tournaments are included in the Ranking

• Players must win one match to get any points

• Players are ranked on their BEST 6 tournament results

Total Points & Ranking Points

BENEFITS OF A NATIONAL

IRISH JUNIOR RANKING

• Players have an opportunity to gain points in every region

• Gives tournaments equal opportunity of attracting players from outside their province

• Improve the competitive structure in the country

Protecting our children

Code of Ethics & Good Practice for Children’s Sport

Its very difficult at times for tournament organizers to get the media coverage they deserve and we all know that you all have to work extremely hard to achieve the little bits you do get

Media Coverage

Contrary to some walks of life, however, not all publicity is good publicity

70

Outdoor pursuits expert jailed

..police raided the instructor’s Belfast home where

they found hundreds of photographs he had taken

of….. March 2002, Sunday Life

Shame of ex-teacher

known as Mr GAA

… the sex beast who became

one of Ireland’s best known

sporting personalities, was jailed

for three years yesterday…

November 2000

E x -co a ch ja iled fo r

sex a b u se A fo rm er c r icke t co ach ha s be e n ja iled fo r

th ree yea rs a fte r he ad m it ted se xu a lly

abu s ing yo u ng bo ys

F eb 2 0 2 2 , B e lfa st Te leg ra p h

Allegations of indecent assault against gymnastics teacher …allegations of indecent assault and gross

indecency against the gymnastics teacher stretching back 20 years were being investigated... Aug 2002, Sunday Life

Child-sex karate

teacher gets life

A karate teacher who abused young

boys over a 30-year period was jailed

for life yesterday…

Badminton coach jailed

for sexual assaults A 14 year-old schoolgirl was forced to

play a game of strip badminton with her

coach who went on to sexually abuse her

for 18 months during the 1970s...

Leisure Centre in web

porn probe

A major probe was last night

under way at a top Ulster

Leisure Centre after a worker

was accused of viewing child

porn. Sunday Life, June 02

Child Photo Charge A man has appeared in court charged with taking an indecent

photograph of a child at a leisure centre.

Belfast Telegraph, July 02 Perv suspect freed on bail

Man facing a series of sick

child pervert charges after attempting

to video kids undressing in changing

rooms at a leisure centre.

SundayPeople, June02

Trio caged for sex

attacks on boys

… another of their innocent

victims said that he had been

sexually assaulted in a local

swimming pool.

Belfast Telegraph, May 02

Pool perv had mirror

A pervert pushed a mirror under a changing room cubicle to

spy on two schoolgirls at a swimming pool

Sunday Mirror August 02

48 year old form Olympic

swimming coach from Wexford

Has been found guilty of sexual

And indecent assault against

young boys

Sunday People, June 02

Groping Olympic diving coach was

behind bars last night after he was

convicted of assaulting three of his girl

protegees

Although we can not fully guarantee the protection of children

We can, however, reduce the risks to a minimum by following what the code recommends

Sex Offenders

• 11,500 people on the Sex Offenders Register

in Northern Ireland

• Since 2004 in the Republic of Ireland there has been 11,159 sexual offences

• Of those 729 have been against u17 boys &

girls

Sex Offenders in Perspective

• Most people do not abuse or harm children

• We all have strong feelings and views about those who sexually harm. Our views may be based on misconceptions rather than reality.

• Sexual offenders are not ill and cannot be cured- risk must be managed.

• Abusers can come from all walks of life; they can be male or female, come from all classes, able bodied or with a disability, from all races and religions and be of any age.

What the Code recommends•Children’s Officers (gender specific)•Designated Officer•Constitutional arrangements •Child centred environment and ethos •Child Protection Policies •Codes of conduct for

1.Parents 2. Children 3. Coaches 4. Officials

•Effective proactive and reactive procedures to 1.Reduce risks (recruitment, vetting) 2.Deal with concerns(complaints procedures)

•Education and training for all

EveryoneEveryoneworking with working with

children, in a children, in a

voluntary and paid voluntary and paid

capacitycapacity

Who do these guidelines apply to?

Thank You!

referees & coaches meeting - tennis ireland...the itf and tennis europe both state that giving...

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