GATE SYSTEM
Communication to Members on changes to club access (effective Wednesday 22nd September)
At the start of 2021, as we set out our vision for SLTSC to be a more inclusive and community
minded club, the committee embarked on a project, in partnership with Tennis Scotland, to provide
easier access to the club. The goal was primarily to enhance access for our existing members but
also the project sought to recruit new members through offering visitors’ access to the club to come
and try before they join. The upshot is we will be replacing our access gate on Snowden Place Lane
with a new gate that links directly into the existing ClubSpark booking system. This new gate is
funded by a grant we applied for and were successful on and comes with Tennis Scotland’s support
as they hope the system will encourage more people to take up tennis. The initial phase will focus
on the transition for club members. Phase 2 will look at how we open the club for visitors at certain
underutilised periods of the day. We will communicate with all members again before this second
phase goes live.
What does this mean for me as a member?
Essentially, there is little change from today. Linked to COVID track and trace, all court bookings,
both for tennis and squash, should as they have for some months now, be made using ClubSpark.
Upon making your booking, you will receive either a confirmation email or a text as you do today,
depending on which option you have selected on your account. The only change is that you will also
be sent a unique code for your booking. This code is your access to the club from Snowden Place
Lane and will be valid for 10 minutes before your booking and remain valid through to the end of
your booking. It will not work outside this window.
The only other change will relate to the provision of lights on the tennis courts, which will now
automatically come on when required during the evening hours of darkness until 10pm. The light
meter boxes for the 3 tennis courts will not be used after 23/9, and in the immediate term, the
committee propose that lighting be provided for free for tennis members. The longer-term
arrangement is under review by the committee as is the option for a light override switch in the
clubhouse to allow us to manage this out with ClubSpark settings in case a day is unusually dark.
For squash members, access to the outside gate will be the same as for tennis members, linked to
squash court bookings on ClubSpark. Access for the clubhouse will remain as it is today – with the
code previously shared by Scott McMillan. This will be the same for all members wishing to access
the clubhouse. The squash courts will continue to use the pay-as-you-go light meter boxes. One
welcome change for squash members is that we have now fitted 2 heaters in Court 2 which can be
switched on as required without fee. We will review fitting heaters in Court 1 over the winter.
As a reminder of how to book a court, please follow these guidelines:
How to book?
1. Sign in with your Clubspark account either online or using the ClubSpark Booker App
2. Select the day and time for your booking
3. Once booked, you will receive an email confirmation/text with a PIN code to access the
court
If there are any issues with a booking, there will be a 24-hour helpline available which can be called
by any member under our contract with the gate provider, CIA.
What should I do now?
We would like to encourage all members, if you have not already done so, to set up an account with
ClubSpark. We would also like to encourage all members to download the ClubSpark Booker App (its
free) to your phone. This is an excellent App that is easy to use and allows you to make court
reservations from anywhere and anytime.
We will confirm nearer the go live date (22/9) if everything is on track. We hope that there will be
no issues as we cross over, and committee members will be available should issues arise. Please do
of course flag any concerns in advance of the changeover or following the install.