Q10: Should we perhaps do away with 'Mid-Week' classification?

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The Mid-Week membership made sense when the courts were overfull at weekends. But today the Mid-Week classification is preventing these members from playing at weekends when many would perhaps welcome the additional opponents.

• Many full members cannot play in the day-time on weekdays;
• Many mid-week members cannot play at weekends.
• At neither times are the courts over-full.

In fact, the busiest periods seem to be summer evenings.

1. Should we perhaps do away with 'Mid-Week' classification?
2. Should 'Full' membership now refer only to the right to play after 6pm?

Discuss.

The Mid-week classification prevents us getting a good game in the evening and at weekends.

• Mid-Week classification affects our game considerably as it means that we are short of people

to play in fixed fours after six and sometimes on a Sunday morning as they are only mid-week members.

People shouldn't have to pay the full rate if they aren't playing every day.

• I think there are members who are happy to pay less and just play in the week with a regular four. It all comes down to cost. I think you need to offer people the choice to play in the week and keep their costs down especially when the weekend social tennis is not that great.

Keep things as they are.

• Few people in gyms or Clubs can meet the constraints of times for midweek membership but it rewards the flexibility of those who can. Keep as it is.
• Keep mid week as it is.
• If mid-weekers want to play at the weekend (and that includes playing for teams and in matches) then they should pay the full membership fee. Full membership should entitle the member to play whenever they like, (like a 'peak membership'). Most people only play in the summer, and they are paying a lot of money for what is already a very short season! To take away the classifications would be very unfair and ostracise mid-weekers and full playing members and juniors. Every club has a structure in place for it to work and that includes classification of when mid-week players, full playing members, and juniors, can play, according to how much they pay in subs. At the moment, incidentally the juniors seem to be able to play every afternoon after school, every day when on holidays,e very evening in the summer (even if it is on the hard, and also can mix in with adults if they have been given adult status), as well as play at any time at the weekends. They are able to do this alot of the time as the courts are never very full! How fair is that considering how much they pay in subs, and they can play just about any time they want? The club needs the peak and off-peak membership and junior membership structure in place for it to be fair to everyone.

We should all pay the same rate.

• Don't feel I can comment on this because I didn't realise that there was different membership rates. I think that we should all pay the same fee and be able to use the club as and when we can. Who is checking whether people have full membership or not?
• No distinction necessary between the two types.
• How do you identify mid-week members?
• As we are not over-full with members, why should we give a discount? We want to encourage all members to play at week-end. My name is Tom Kelly.
• Not sure that tiered membership is necessary. Evenings suits the social aspect of the club and should be encouraged. Offer one simplified mambership and stress the value. It's a simpler, clearer message to deliver on a shoestring budget. Good Luck.
• Agree, let's just open things up to all and spread the cost evenly.
• No need for separate classification.

Scrap mid-week classification, and introduce an 'evening play' classification.

• Yes, I think 'Full' membership should now refer only to the right to play after 6pm. We need all the people we can get on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
• Yes, only on lovely summer evenings are the courts full.
• Exactly correct that this needs to be changed. The usage of the club has changed, and would change again if floodlights arrived.
• I don't know how many mid-week members there are so how significant this is. Perhaps your last suggestion is best—full membership is for evenings. It wouldn't affect me if mid-week membership was done away with.

The right principle is to discount in exchange for restrictions on playing times.

• There should be a reduction in price in return for being restricted as to when you can play. This appeals to people and I know a few people who like it. What actual restricted hours you have could be varied - not sure what is best.

Scrap Mid-week classification, and introduce new classifications.

• The mid-week memberships should be scrapped. Instead winter and summer memberships should be considered.
• Mid-Week membership could be scrapped, but serious consideration shold be given to winter (hard court) and summer (grass court) memberships.
• In the winter months, only offer a full membership. But in the summer, offer a partial membership which enables people to play until 4pm. Then full membership for any-time play.

Scrap mid-week classification if the assumptions are correct.

• Sounds OK to me providing your statement above is accurate.
• Only caution would be not to lose mid-week members by a major hike in subs for them.
• No idea of the money involved. It does not directly affect me as I work, but, if mid-week members want to play at the weekend, then it makes sense to do away with the classification.

Keep the mid-week classification, and lower other fees.

• Mid-week membership should definitely continue in the same vein but prices should drop for the younger age groups.

If mid-week members paya lower rate, they shouldn't be allowed to play at the most popular times.

• No idea. I didn't know there was a mid-week member category. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, particularly if such members are allowed to play at the most popular times (weekday evenings) anyway.

Encourage Juniors to fill the courts.

• Back to the Juniors : with the right approach, Juniors could fill the courts.

Improve the reception new members receive.

• Sort out lessons and secure future membership, as you will lose all the faith that excited new members. New membership and the free lessons are great but you lose so much when keen new members want to play and get a very bad reception at the club house or get shouted at re. etiquette or rules on the grass courts. (Very bad last year ... could not go into bar after lessons as senior members who had screamed at us new members were in bar ... bar takings down). Not sure re. classifications as main concern is lack of continuation lessons. I am emigrating in 2007 and am glad that I do not have to renew because that I would not have renewed my membership because I was unimpressed with the club's ability to deal with new membership. You gave some free lessons ...... and we were able to follow it with one paid session. After that one session on a Sat afternoon. If you have a child etc, it's a totally unsuitable time. I spoke to Ollie pre-Christmas and we came up with a time mid-day on Sunday after junior lessons. When mentioned to Sunny it was dismissed. Therefore no lessons on offer. New member ..... no lessons .... not confident to join in. DO NOT JOIN AGAIN. C. SORT IT OUT#

An assumption behind the question is incorrect—some weekday evenings are dead.

• This is the most ridiculous suggestion! Also - it is only Monday and Friday evenings and possibly weekends that are 'busy' during the summer. The club is dead Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings in the summer for general play. Even team members don't practice on those days anymore!
• Going off slightly on a tangent, but I feel very strongly about this: intermediate players evenings should be brought back in. The organised mix in by the club coach on a Friday night where the full playing members are made to mix in with intermediates has actually killed what was always the best and most popular time to play social tennis. It is the wrong time to do it, especially as most members cannot come down during the week but can make a Friday night and when they turn up they would like to get a decent game of tennis and time to socialise and have a drink or two at the bar afterwards!!! Quite a few full playing members don't want to come down on a Friday night now because of the organised mix in with intermediates.

I was just about to take advantage of the Midweek classification.

• I'm considering becoming mid-week simply because the weekends were getting so quiet. Perhaps that defeats the object though! Maybe lowering the full membership and have full membership only is the answer.

I don't mind.

• No strong views

Introduce short-term memberships.

• Peak and off-peak could be redefined in line with observed usage. Short-term memberships could be sold at a premium—i.e. three months for summer grass at half a full year rate—could be upgraded to full year when we have convinced new members what we have to offer!

(Question not clear enough. Misunderstanding.)

• Full members should have the right to play anytime and they shouuld not be restricted to play after 6 pm.
• I think this makes sense but I would change it to 5pm. It would allow off-peak members to play in teams and tournaments.
• No - full should be just that.
• Surely Full membership means Full! unless I have misunderstood - can't see you can restrict people to after 6pm and then call it a full membership - sorry if I have missunderstood! think Midweek should stay - not sure what income you get from midweek but something is better than nothing.