Dear Ladies,
Welcome to the Spring 2024 Session of the HKLTL’s 2023-24 Season! I wish everyone a wonderful new year of tennis and take this opportunity to reflect on the HKLTL’s highlights in the first half of the season, while also looking forward to what we have in store in the future.
The HKLTL is much more than tennis!
Our social activities are now back in full swing, with our lively December Christmas tournament at the American Club being a resounding success. “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” theme gave an opportunity for participants to wear original and festive outfits which really added to the fun atmosphere of the event! A huge thanks to our new Social Coordinator Melanie Ng and the Social Sub-Committee for their hard work behind the scenes to make this tournament such a big success. The HK$32,000 proceeds from the event were donated to Harmony House, a Charity which supports victims of domestic violence.
Ahead of us, we have the popular Captains’ Cocktails event planned for late January (details to follow soon) and the Annual Luncheon planned for May 2024. At last year’s Annual Luncheon, we managed to donate a total of HK$90,000 to RUN Hong Kong and we will once again be looking to support a worthy cause. With very few exceptions, our teams have resumed their social lunches after matches, a testament to the strong camaraderie and sportsmanship that defines our league.
Sportsmanship and maximising our enjoyment of the on-court experience
Once again, the sportsmanship demonstrated in the Fall 2023 Session was exceptional, and I commend our captains for cooperatively resolving the majority of on-court incidents with good common sense, allowing the Committee to focus on our primary mission: enriching the lives of as many ladies as possible in Hong Kong through socially competitive tennis.
The protests which have arisen so far this season have all been related to unwelcome behaviours including racquet abuse, profanity, undue aggression, unjustified breaks during gameplay, refusal to observe club dress code protocols and unauthorised private club facility use by guest teams.
While our goal is for protests to be a last resort, captains may face the challenge of deciding whether alerting the Committee to certain instances of poor behaviour through a protest could in fact be helpful. There are occasions when addressing an opponent’s behaviour is beneficial, raising awareness and contributing to the HKLTL’s greater good. Captains, thank you for exercising good judgment in determining when it is appropriate to protest.
To ensure all teams fully embrace the culture and values of the league, let’s continue to emphasise the importance of maximising our on-court enjoyment. Our weekly league matches are a celebration of tennis, a space where we collectively promote good sportsmanship, foster camaraderie within our teams, and share fellowship with our opponents. Captains, in particular, are encouraged to ensure that their teammates display sportsmanlike behaviour and to approach any incidents with a calm and common-sense resolve. In this regard, I am pleased to once again attach the Guide to Managing and Avoiding Disputes for your reference.
Continuing to bring the HKLTL to more ladies in Hong Kong
Initiatives like the 2023 HKLTL Open Day have significantly boosted our membership, making us stronger than ever. This season we had a record number of 16 new teams and over 100 new players joining us, and the HKLTL now comprises a total of 60 teams! The Committee is fully committed to maintaining this growth momentum in the coming year with another HKLTL Open Day planned for March 2024. A heartfelt thank you to our existing teams for extending such a warm welcome to all the newcomers, and let’s keep working together to grow the league and make new teams feel at home here.
As we all know, the HKLTL season is long compared to many tennis leagues and moving only one team up and down at the end of each season may not be enough to balance the grading of teams within divisions over time. As we did last year, in an effort to keep the league fresh and competitive, the Committee will discuss the potential for additional promotions and demotions at the end of the season, where these are warranted. With this in mind, all teams are encouraged to play competitively right up until their last matches.
Finally, a huge thank you to the talented and tireless ladies on the HKLTL Committee for their commitment and time to assist as volunteers to run the league. As always, you can be assured of my commitment to the continued smooth running of the HKLTL and to keep a watchful eye on the need for any improvements. Here’s to a fantastic Spring 2024 Session!
Kind regards
Alison Whalley
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