In Victoria, a club or community group that operates as a not-for-profit can be registered as an incorporated association.

Becoming an incorporated association means that the members have decided to give their organisation a formal legal structure. This also means that the club or community group becomes a ‘legal person’, which is a legal entity that stays the same even if its members change.

Under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (the Act), Victorian incorporated associations must register with Consumer Affairs Victoria.

For more information on becoming an incorporated association, the rules and annual reporting requirements and more, head to the Consumer Affairs Victoria website.

Justice Connect

Head to Justice Connect– a national legal service, offering free and affordable legal support for not-for-profit organisations – to find out what’s involved in governing your not-for-profit organisation in compliance with the law, from setting up your rules, to holding meetings. Some free resources include:

• • • How to set up your organisation (incorporated association)
    • Changing or ending your organisation
    • Entering into Contracts

As part of your affiliation with Tennis Victoria, you will be covered under the Tennis Australia National Insurance Program.

Insurance Coverage

• • Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance
  • Management Liability Insurance
  • Personal Injury Insurance^

^Restricted Associate Affiliates cannot be provided with Public Liability or Director & Officers insurance under the Tennis Australia National Insurance Program

Certificate of Currency

A Certificate of Currency is the legal document that demonstrates you have Public and Products Liability Insurance.

A copy of your Certificate of Currency is available for download via the Marsh Insurance website.

If you don’t know what your Tennis Australia Affiliation Code is, please contact your Tennis Development Officer.

Tennis Australia National Policies

Affiliates of Tennis Victoria are bound by, and must comply with, the Tennis Australia National Policies, including but not limited to the; Member Protection Policy, Safeguarding Children Code of Conduct, Disciplinary Policy, Privacy Policy & more.

Affiliates, and all players, coaches, parents/guardians and spectators participating in or attending a Tournament or Competitive Play Event in Australia are also bound by Tennis Australia’s Competitive Play Regulations. 

Affiliates are encouraged to formally adopt these policies annually, and distribute these amongst your players, parents, and anyone else involved in your tennis activities.

Tennis Australia Guides

Further to the Tennis Australia National Policies, a number of guides have been developed by Tennis Australia to equip you with the foundational knowledge and confidence to help your club and coaches connect with different segments of the community

• • • Transgender Inclusion Guidelines 

Some clubs, associations, coaches, and other tennis providers, may wish to develop their own guidelines policies specific to their needs. The following templates and resources will assist as a starting point.

• Head to Play by the Rules and check out their tips for identifying and drafting basic policies and guidelines that every club should have.
• Club Help also provide a suite of resources and templates that you can download and make your own.

Gender Equity Templates

• • • Gender Equity Policy Template
    • Gender Equity Policy Implementation and Communication Plan Template
    • Gender Equity Strategy Template
• Additional Resources
  • • Risk Management – Provide a safe environment. Look through ClubHelp’s suggestions for identifying, analysing and controlling potential risks affecting your club.
    • Conflict of Interest – Learn from examples. Look through our fact sheet to learn from common examples of conflicts of interest and the steps clubs can take to manage them.
    • Medical Emergency Planning Guide – Save lives. Read Sports Medicine Australia’s resources to learn how your club can create an effective and straightforward Medical Emergency Plan.

• • • Tennis Australia National Policies – Check out all of Tennis Australia’s National Policies, including the Member Protection Policy and Safeguarding Children Code of Conduct
    • Safeguarding Children Resources – Keep kids safe. Look through Tennis Australia’s resource kit on safeguarding children at your club.
    • Working With Children Check Record Keeping Sheet
      Digital Working With Children Checks
      You can now store your WWCC in digital format on the Service Victoria app. Follow this link for more information on how to download your digital card.
    • Let Kids be Kids – Stamp out poor sideline behaviour. Read through Play By The Rules’ course and resource pack for advice on how to to maintain a safe environment at your club.

• • • Grants Calendar – Check out our Learn & Serve Calendar which has a list of current grants on offer for your club or association
    • Grant Writing Tips -Be organised. Read through our tips on how to put a plan in place before starting your grant application.
    • Gaining Grants – Increase your chances for success. Read through ClubHelp’s advice for finding, writing and applying for the right grants.
    • 🎥 The Grants Guy – Hear the latest tips & recommendations from Keith The Grants Guy to help your next grant application
    • Strategic Planning – Need a Strategic Plan for an upcoming grant application? Find out more about Tennis Victoria’s Strategic Planning Service.

• • • How to become a Good Sport– Be responsible. Learn about being an accredited Good Sports club to ensure you comply with state liquor laws and serve alcohol responsibly.

• • • Recruiting & Retaining Volunteers – Recruit and retain volunteers that reflect the culture of your club. Read through our guideline for finding volunteers that share your club’s values.
    • Recognition Program – The Tennis Victoria Recognition Program is our way of thanking the Victorian tennis community for their dedication to the sport.

• • • Committee Structures, Roles & Templates – Head to Bounce to complete a series of e-learning modules and check out the resources developed specifically for tennis committees
    • Damn Good Advice for Treasurers – Know the questions your club’s treasurer should ask. Read through the guide developed by Our Community and Commonwealth Bank to learn about keeping tabs on your club’s assets.
    • Strategic Planning – A Strategic Plan can assist the community and provide direction with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for members. Find out more about Tennis Victoria’s Strategic Planning Service.

• • • Women Leaders in Tennis – The Women Leaders in Tennis program aims to increase the participation of women in community leadership positions.
    • Learn 2 Lead – Tennis Australia’s Learn 2 Lead youth leadership program aims to equip young women and gender diverse young people aged 14-18 with leadership skills and confidence to lead change in their local tennis communities.
    • Future Leaders – Tennis Victoria’s Future Leaders Program enables our next generation of volunteers to work closely with our local tennis clubs in creating welcoming environments on and off the tennis court.
    • Play It Forward – Play It Forward or Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is a group of Tennis Victoria Youth Program participants who act in an advisory capacity to Tennis Victoria (TV).

• • • Coaching Services Guide – Effectively manage coaching services at your club. Read our guide to tender, appoint, manage and retain coaches.
    • Club-Coach Relationships – Create and continue strong club-coach relationships. We’ve outlined how to achieve common goals in win-win working relationships.
    • Interviewing Coaching Candidates – Choose a coach that’s best suited to your club. We’ve suggested an interview format and questions for finding the right coach.
    • Club Coach Agreement – Set clear roles and responsibilities in the interest of both the club and coach. Refer to our Club Coach agreement template for ideas.

• • • Reflecting our diverse communities – 5 Steps to Getting Started
    • First Nations Engagement Guide
    • LGBTQI+ Engagement Guide
    • Chinese Engagement Guide

• • • First Nations Engagement Guide
    • Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners – Find out if you should do a Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners for your event.
    •  Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement Maps –  This map allows you to find out who the formally recognised Traditional Owners are for an area.

ClubSpark is an online system designed to simplify a club’s administration duties and help connect them to their participants by providing a platform that creates more opportunities to find, access and participate in tennis – more easily and more often.

Click to download ClubSpark Summary ❯

Benefits

✔ Membership administration

✔ Database management and communication

✔ Registrations and payments gateway for court hire, events and programs

✔ Build a mobile-friendly website to promote and share information about your venue

✔ View reports highlighting court utilisation, membership numbers, and revenue

Cost $

Free for affiliated clubs, centres & associations^

^Additional costs apply for some affiliation categories.

How to get access

Contact your Tennis Development Officer to get started.

What support is available?

✔ Online resources and how-to guides available at support.tennis.com.au, including pre-recorded training webinars on each module

✔ Online ClubSpark software training sessions is conducted on a regular basis, click here to view current schedule and register

League Manager is a league management system that allows clubs/centres and associations manage competitions in real time.

Benefits

✔ Generate and view fixtures, ladders, statistics, and reporting

✔Calculate ladders automatically

✔Communicate with players

✔ Manager team availability and selection

Cost $

Free for affiliated clubs, centres & associations^

^Additional costs apply for some affiliation categories.

How to get access

Contact [email protected] to get started.

What support is available?

✔ Online resources and how-to guides available at support.tennis.com.au

✔ Dedicated support from your Tennis Development Officer or our Tennis Operations team ([email protected]) 

Tournament Planner is software designed to manage any type of tournament.

Benefits

✔ Easy scheduling, using player availability, court availability, other matches etc.

✔ Generating and viewing reports for matches, players, draws and more

✔ Endorsed Tournaments and Events can published online

Cost $

Free for affiliated clubs, centres & associations^

^Additional costs apply for some affiliation categories.

How to get access

Contact [email protected] to get started.

What support is available?

✔ Online resources and how-to guides available at support.tennis.com.au

✔ Dedicated support from your Tennis Development Officer or our Tennis Operations team ([email protected])