Membership

Injury Prevention Policy

Noble Park Tennis & Pickleball Club
Injury Prevention Policy

Policy statement:

Noble Park Tennis & Pickleball Club is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all participants, staff, volunteers, and spectators involved in our club activities. We recognise that preventing injuries is a key aspect of promoting a positive and inclusive sporting environment. Our injury prevention policy focuses on minimising the risk of injuries by implementing safety measures, providing education, and maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone.

This policy follows best practices and adheres to relevant safety standards, ensuring our club remains a safe and inclusive environment for participants at all levels. It applies to all members, including administrators, officials, coaches, players, spectators, visitors, and volunteers at Noble Park Tennis & Pickleball Club, and is effective from 1 July 2025.

Purpose

This injury prevention policy, developed by Noble Park Tennis & Pickleball Club, aims to reduce the risk of sports-related injuries at our club. Sports injuries represent a significant public health issue, second only to road traffic injuries in terms of years lost to disability. In Victoria, approximately 4,500 people annually stop participating in team-based sports due to injuries.

Our club is dedicated to creating a safe environment for participation by minimising injury risks wherever possible.

Definitions

  • Injury Prevention: Assessing risks, analysing hazards, and inspecting environments such as homes, sports facilities, or workplaces to prevent or reduce the severity of physical injuries before they happen.
  • Positive Sport Conduct: Demonstrating respect, fairness, and integrity in sports. It includes playing by the rules, showing good sportsmanship, supporting teammates, respecting opponents, and valuing the spirit of competition. It promotes an inclusive and encouraging environment where everyone can participate safely and enjoyably.
  • Anti-Social Behaviour: Actions that disrupt the game's positive environment, such as disrespecting officials, opponents, or teammates, engaging in verbal or physical abuse, cheating, or acting in a way that undermines the integrity and fairness of the sport. This behaviour negatively impacts the experience of others and can lead to disciplinary action.
  • Safe and Secure Environment: A setting where participants, spectators, and staff can engage in activities without the risk of harm or fear for their safety. This includes ensuring that sports facilities are free from hazards, that appropriate safety measures (such as first aid, protective equipment, and emergency access) are in place, and that respectful and positive behaviour is encouraged. It also involves adhering to health, safety, and inclusion guidelines to create a welcoming atmosphere for all involved.

Policy Procedures

Club Environment

  • Appropriately trained First Aid and Safety Injury Management Officers will be present and easily identifiable at all events.
  • The club facilities will be regularly inspected to ensure the grounds are safe for use, including playing surfaces, permanent fixtures, lighting, and court-side hazards, such as sharps, water, sweat and debris. A written checklist on Club Spark and OpenSports, will be used for these inspections​.
  • Emergency contact details of players will be collected annually through registration and stored securely in Club Spark and OpenSports for accessibility during planned events and activities.
  • Updated and well-maintained first aid kit, defibrillator and fire extinguisher and blanket will be available at venues.
  • All club areas will be accessible to emergency vehicles during planned events.
  • All venues will provide complimentary water during training sessions and game days. Additionally, the club is responsible for ensuring that free water is available at all other scheduled events.

Club Connections:

  • Officials, members, players and families can suggest ideas and activities to support injury prevention by contacting the club at nobleparktennis@outlook.com .
  • The club will actively promote injury prevention messaging at the venue and through online platforms. Information on positive sports conduct, hydration, and extreme weather conditions will also be made available.
  • The club will actively refer injured players to Dandenong Hospital and Urgent Care Clinics, Information about these services, including contact details, website and address will be provided on session and venue notice boards, and on club website.
  • The club will provide injury prevention and positive sports conduct education material to its club community through OpenSports and club website throughout the season.

Club Culture

  • All injuries must be reported by the First Aid Officer on duty using Injury Report Form and/or reported according to the processes in place at place of incident Information will be securely stored and followed up by a designated club representative. The club will conduct an annual review of injury occurrences at the end of each season and implement targeted preventive measures to reduce future risks in the following season.
  • Club leaders will role model and champion appropriate behaviour, including the use of commonly-used safety equipment (knee and elbow pads, footwear, strapping and taping) and positive sports conduct behaviour in accordance with the Fair Play Code.
  • The club will collect player’s medical conditions annually at the start of each season through membership renewal and OpenSports which will be disseminated appropriately to the relevant club leaders e.g. coaches. This information will be stored securely on Club Spark and OpenSports for accessibility during planned events and activities.
  • In the event of injury, on duty First Aid Officers are trained and ready to help. The First Aid Officer should be the first point of contact. Any player receiving First Aid must fill out an injury report form. Failure to complete this form may prevent members from receiving approval of any insurance claims submitted to Volleyball Victoria.
  • Players returning after injury or illness  must provide a medical clearance signed by a healthcare professional, which will be kept on file. Players may only return to play if fully recovered and pain-free.
  • The club encourages players to perform warm-up and cool-down exercises to reduce injury risk. Warm-up routines will increase body temperature and heart rate, while cool-down exercises will involve light activity and stretching.

Climate policy:

  • All play must be suspended (on completion of the current game) and no further matches are to commence if the temperature is 35° C or greater.
  • In the event of extreme weather, individual matches may be cancelled without teams attending the courts, providing that it is mutually agreed by both captains, otherwise players must attend courts. Mutual agreement is only when the captains communicate with each other, and agree to cancel the match. Cancellation of matches in advance by text, phone or voicemail message is not acceptable; two-way communication is essential. Should a visiting team wish to contact a venue club to clarify if a match will proceed, it is recommended to ring either the club phone or the Junior/Senior Convenor’s mobile number. For Junior and Senior matches, in the event of lightning and thunderstorm play must be stopped immediately. For Junior matches, upon agreement by both club’s Junior Convenors, a match may be cancelled without both teams attending the courts. Where there is no attendance both teams must enter their player lists using the “By Ph” feature on the Club Zone website. Junior matches: When play is stopped due to weather or court conditions the home club Venue Supervisor is responsible for making the decision to abandon any match, taking into account current court conditions, the likelihood of further play interruptions and time needed to restore courts to a safe playable state in time for matches to be completed in the normal time frame. Senior matches: If play is stopped due to weather or court conditions, both captains must agree before the match is abandoned. However, if play has not resumed within one and a half (1½) hours after the cessation of play, then either captain shall have the option to abandon the match.
  •  On days of extreme heat when the temperature reaches 35° C, individual matches may be cancelled without teams attending courts providing it is mutually agreed to by both captains otherwise players must attend courts. Where there is no attendance both teams must enter player’s names using the “By Ph” feature on the Club Zone website. Notwithstanding the foregoing, play may be cancelled below this temperature with consent of both captains. For the purposes of this By-Law, the temperature used is as provided by the Bureau of Meteorology, either on their app or on their website, and according to the BOM weather station closest to the venue courts.
  •  The home Club has the right to decide as to whether courts are unfit for play, however, either captain shall have the option to stop play during rain, even it the court surface is deemed fit for play. In all Junior matches, only the club supervisor or Junior Convenor may cancel a match due to inclement weather by initialling the scorebook.
  • If the home Club deems, in the preceding days to scheduled matches, that its courts have been rendered unplayable by wind damage, or by flooding, and a reasonable effort has been made by the home Club to restore the court/s in time for scheduled matches, each match unable to be played will be declared a ‘wash-out’. In such circumstances, the home Club, in the case of Junior matches, must notify the Secretary of the opposing Club/s and the Association Secretary before 8:00 p.m. on the day preceding the match/es. For Senior matches, the home Club must notify the Secretary of the opposing Club/s and the Association Secretary before 10:00 a.m. on the actual match day. The requirements pertaining to the non-attendance of teams (ref. By-Law 14a) shall apply.
  • If Junior matches have not commenced by 9:45 a.m., play will be called off. If Senior matches have not commenced by 2:30 p.m., and unless otherwise mutually agreed to by both team captains, play will be called off.
  • Players from both Senior and Junior competing teams are required to bag and water courts after each set. In the event of inclement weather it is expected that players from both competing teams will assist with preparing the courts ready for play

Compliance 

To ensure that all members, participants, and visitors adhere to the club's policies and maintain a respectful, safe environment, the following non-compliance procedure will be implemented;

  1. Initial Warning and Education
    • In case of a policy violation, the individual(s) will be informed of the breach and provided with an explanation of the specific policy and its importance. This is intended to educate and promote understanding, encouraging voluntary compliance.
  2. Formal Warning
    • If non-compliance persists after the initial warning, a formal notice will be issued by at least two club officials or Integrity Unit representatives. This warning will outline the nature of the breach, the expected corrective actions, and the potential consequences for further violations.
    • The warning will be documented and stored in the club's records, in compliance with the Constitution's procedures on record-keeping.
  3. Escalation to Disciplinary Action
    • Should the individual continue to breach the policy after the formal warning, the matter will be escalated to the club’s Integrity Unit or committee, who will review the situation in accordance with the club Constitution.
    • Possible actions include:
      1. Suspension from club activities.
      2. Expulsion from the club,
      3. Fining, where applicable.
      4. Other corrective or educative measures deemed appropriate by the board.
  4. Appeals Process
    • The individual(s) may appeal any decision through the grievance procedure outlined the  Constitution. A mediator may be appointed if the parties are unable to resolve the dispute internally. This ensures that individuals have a fair opportunity to present their case.
  5. Reporting and Documentation
    • All incidents of non-compliance will be documented and reported to the club’s Board, regarding the register of members and records management. This ensures transparency and proper follow-up for any policy violations.
  6. Final Decision
    • All decisions regarding serious disciplinary actions (such as suspension or expulsion) will be made by the Executive Committee , ensuring that the member has been given the opportunity to be heard and that all actions are based on fair consideration.

This procedure ensures consistency with the club's constitution while promoting compliance and integrity across all activities.

 Reviewing and adaption 

Noble Park Tennis & Pickleball Club is committed to regularly reviewing and adapting the Injury Prevention Policy to ensure its effectiveness in preventing injuries for all players. This policy will be reviewed annually, with amendments made as required.   

For further guidance please see Tennis Australia and Waverley Districts Tennis Association. 

Feedback process: 
Club members are encouraged to provide feedback on the policy or report concerns to the committee, which will be reviewed and addressed in a timely manner. 

 

Policy approval date:    1July 2025   

President (name, signature): ____________________________

Vice President (name, signature): ________________________

 

This policy was last updated on:    /    /

Next review date:    1 June 2026