There is currently some confusion about the state of schools’ tennis. When is tennis part of the federation and when will the rules of the Department of Education apply?

Tennis is part and parcel of the Department of Education when:

You step foot onto a school premises (Private school, government school etc.)
You coach on school premises (Private coaching included.)
School A plays against school B even if it does not take place on school premises.
You travel as a school team.
Provincial trials to select a provincial school team.
Challenge matches to determine the school ladder.
For the above mentioned the rules of the department as per the Gazette applies. The Gazette volume 664, number 43826 published on 21 October 2020 is currently (1 February 2021) applicable. Amendment of Direction 5 stated that non-contact sport training, inter-school non-contact sport matches and non-contact sport- related activities may resume. This is followed by several rules / protocols to abide by.

When and where does the federation come in?

The federation is the custodian of the sport. The department relies on the federation to make sure the sport is safe. Tennis South Africa went a long way to put rules and regulations in place. These rules were approved by government. These rules were also circulated widely and are freely available on the TSA website.

Schools tennis is part of the federation. Participation at school level has to abide by TSA rules and regulations.

Common sense has to prevail at all levels. Currently we advise that you proceed with:

Internal school tennis i.e. school practices, championships etc.
League matches (Prevent big numbers e.g. 6 teams at one venue)
Provincial or regional trials on condition that these take the format of a TSA event of individual participation.
We advise against:

Festivals and mass participation events
Team competitions played where staff and players need to sleep over and share transport and accommodation
Remember – No spectators.

SA Schools Committee

David Jaquire