2020 Affiliation Fees
In April, the Board of Tennis NSW resolved to defer the 2020/21 Tennis NSW affiliation fees in order to assist our member clubs with cash flow at a time when the impact of COVID-19 on our sport was only just emerging and its true impact on our sport unknown. It was communicated at that time that there would be no increase in fees and that the timing of affiliation fee payment would be deferred until at least October.
Tennis has been fortunate that even during the most severe of lockdown restrictions, our sport has been able to continue to operate. In recent weeks, as we have slowly stepped out of restrictions, we have witnessed an increase in tennis activity and interest across the State. Online court bookings via the Book A Court system have increased by over 230% this year and, across our clubs and venues, we are seeing increased court hire bookings and coaching class numbers. These are all really encouraging indicators for our sport as we continue down the path to recovery.
As we have outlined in the past, your affiliation fees provide much more than just insurance. Your affiliation fees help fund the wide range of services and support provided by Tennis NSW to our membership. Particularly during this time, your membership has ensured you have had access to our knowledgeable and committed staff and a wide range of resources and support documentation to assist our clubs, coaches and councils through the COVID-19 challenge. Whilst on the court, we have moved quickly to provide alternative competitive playing opportunities for those venues and players impacted by the loss of Australian Ranking tournaments such as AMT’s, JT’s and even JDS. You should note that NSW was the first State tennis body to offer UTR powered competitive play, all of which provide a relevant platform for our players and revenue opportunities for our members.
In summary, whilst we have all been presented with an unforeseen challenge in COVID-19, the Board and Management of Tennis NSW have sought to provide you with ongoing advice, guidance, support and regular communications to ensure that our sport could continue safely and emerge stronger out the other side.
To that extent, we were delighted that our lobbying efforts to NSW Government were rewarded in the first instance to allow our sport to continue through lockdown, albeit in a limited way. We were delighted also that our collective lobbying with the sport sector was successful when each and every Tennis NSW member was given the opportunity to claim a $1,000 grant to support them through their COVID-19 recovery. On to top of this, we have also supported your discussions with local government to help secure rent relief and also make the case for our sport to remain open whilst others were closed.
We hope you have recognised the efforts that every one of the team here have made to help you all navigate your way through this significant challenge.
As was foreshadowed in our communication in April in regards to the 2020/2021 Affiliation Fees, there will be NO INCREASE in the fees for this affiliation year. Therefore, the fee structure for Tennis NSW affiliation will remain as follows:
Facility Affiliate: $450 + $275 per court
Non-facility Affiliate: $525 flat fee
Multi-use Affiliate: $525 flat fee
Council Affiliate: $525 per facility (over five facilities the fee is capped at $3,000)
In terms of payment, we want to provide you with clear sight of the timings for this year and next, so that as a club and venue, you can plan accordingly. To that extent, please be advised as follows:
Affiliation Fees 2020-2021 Invoice issued November 2020 for payment due in December 2020 (6 month deferral)
Affiliation Fees 2021-2022 Invoice issued in May 2021 for payment due in July 2021
Please note that we can offer members the opportunity to pay their membership fees up front in full or you can choose to consider either a 2-part or 4-part payment option. These options will be provided to you when we commence the affiliation process in November. I’m afraid we are not in a position to advise of the Affiliation Fees for 2021-2022 at this stage.
We also recognise that for some of our members, COVID-19 has had a significant impact. To that extent, we wish to provide opportunities for those affiliates who are experiencing genuine financial hardship to seek relief on their 2020/21 affiliation fees. For those clubs seeking such relief, then please contact our Membership team with an email titled: FINANCIAL HARDSHIP REQUEST.
Lastly, we wish to clarify that the timing of affiliation for this year will have no impact on representation at the forthcoming AGM. All TNSW affiliates who were financial members of Tennis NSW as at 30 June 2020 will retain their voting rights for the 2020 Annual General Meeting, scheduled to take place on the 24th November, 2020.
2020 AGM
To view the 2020 Tennis NSW AGM letter click here.
This letter:
- Notifies you of a change in the way that we will host the AGM this year;
- Provides you with the opportunity to suggest any amendments to the Tennis NSW Constitution; and
- Explains the 2020 director election process and timetable.
Please note that the Board is requesting that all nominations for director positions be submitted by Monday, 21 September 2020.
This will allow the Remuneration & Nominations Committee to carry out a thorough evaluation and interview process.
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