Frequently Asked Questions
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Q. How can I play tennis at Oxford University?
You can either play tennis as a social or team member of Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club (OULTC).
To try out for a team you attend the trials, held at the start of each term, the details of which are available on our facebook and instagram pages. If you get selected for a team then you will have to buy membership for that team (we do have a hardship fund available - please ask your captain for further details on this).
Social tennis open days are held at the start of each term where you can come and have a taste of what a social tennis coaching session is like, to help you decide whether you would like to purchase a social tennis membership.
Q. Can I try out before joining?
OULTC runs a taster session at the start of each term to allow people to see what our social sessions look like. Unfortunately we don’t offer taster sessions at any other time. Please keep an eye on our Instagram for details about our next taster session.
Q. What should I do if I missed the social tennis open day but want to try out social tennis to see if I want to join?
Q. What should I do if I missed tennis trials but want to play for a team?
There are team trials at the start of both Michaelmas and Hilary, usually at the end of week 0. Michaelmas trials are for everyone, whether you want to retrial for a higher team or you are new to OULTC. Hilary trials are for those that could not attend Michaelmas trials. If you cannot attend either trial for good reason, you can reach out to a captain (names can be found here) and at the captains digression they may invite you to trial at a training session. However, our squads get full fast, so this isn't guaranteed!
Q. Do I have to be incredible at tennis to trial for a team?
We have 4 men's and 4 women's BUCS teams, each with an average of about 12 players per team. We also have a larger Development Squad for those who would like the opportunity to compete at a friendly level. Due to the large number of teams we have there is quite a range of abilities within our team players. So just go for it, everyone is welcome to trial and even if you don't get in the first time you can always trial again or join our social tennis program which also caters for a wide range of abilities with its beginner, intermediate and advanced streams.
Q. How do I book social tennis sessions?
Once you have purchased a social membership, you will receive an email with the links to book sessions. Bookings open on Tuesdays at 9am for sessions the following week. If you can no longer attend a session you've booked, please email oultcsocial@gmail.com at least 24 hours ahead of the session, so that we can free up the slot for somebody else. Slots that have opened up will be put on the whatsapp chat. If your session is cancelled due to weather, you will receive an email. To give all of our members a fair chance to play, we ask that you only book 2 sessions per week.
Q. Can I book the Iffley courts?
Once you have purchased a social membership, you can purchase a top-up membership from the reception at Iffley Sports Centre. This will allow you to book courts over the year (including the summer, expires in October).
Q. What social tennis membership options are there?
For social tennis we have 2 membership options.
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The annual membership - begins in October and lasts for the duration of the academic year
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Trinity term only membership - lasts for the duration of Trinity term and the summer, for a reduced price
Unfortunately we cannot offer reduced memberships for those who purchase a membership later in the term or academic year.
Q. Can I play with a friend who doesn't have an OULTC membership on the booked courts?
Yes. It is possible for OULTC members to bring guests from outside the club to play on courts for a small fee of £2. All guests of the court booked must be checked in at reception and where they will be either granted access to the courts if they are a club member or charged £2 for access to the centre if they are not. Members can book courts back to back e.g. 2-3pm and 3-4pm but not side by side i.e. they can't book two courts next to each other for themselves and 3 housemates to use.
Q. Can social tennis members come to the Wednesday night socials?
Yes absolutely! All members of OUTLC are more than welcome to all the Wednesday night socials organised by our club's social sec's. The Men's and Women's teams have separately organised socials but often have joint ones as well. All the details of our weekly socials are available on our facebook page so make sure to follow it to keep up to date!
Q. Can I borrow a racket to play at the social tennis sessions or do I need my own?
We have a limited number of rackets avaliable in our club house for social players to use, but if you have access to a racket then please bring that.
Q. How can members open the clubhouse?
To open the clubhouse, ask the reception at Iffley Road Sports Centre for a key, where you will need to leave your Bod card as a deposit. After you have finished using it please lock up the clubhouse securely and return the key to the reception. If someone else is staying longer than you and needs the clubhouse, ask for their Bod card and then swap it with yours at the reception, it is now their responsibility to return the key after use.
Q. Do you have a ball machine?
Yes! You are welcome to use the ball machine whenever you have a court booking at Iffley Road. Just borrow it from the clubhouse and return it to where you found it.
Q. Do you offer inter-club competitions for social and team members?
Yes, throughout the year we have 3 main inter-club competitions.
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Box Leagues are open to social tennis members and happen every term. Members can enter through the LTA website, where they will be placed into groups with players of similar ability - for additional info please see the Box Leagues FAQs here
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Club Championships happen every year during Trinity term and both team and social members are welcome to enter. There are 3 events - Women’s Singles, Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles. Entries open at end of Hilary term.
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College Cuppers is a team competition that is open to all members of the university, college captains are responsible for entering and selecting teams.
Q. When are the social tennis sessions?
The TT25 sessions are as shown below:
Beginner
Coaching sessions:
At Iffley Sports Grounds:
Mondays at 10.30am, Saturdays 1:30pm, and Sundays at 1pm.
Intermediate
Coaching sessions:
At Iffley Sports Grounds:
Mondays at 11.30am, Saturdays at 2:30pm, and Sundays at 2pm
Advanced
Coaching sessions:
At Iffley Sports Grounds:
Mondays at 12.30pm, Saturdays 3:30pm, and Sundays at 3pm.