Club Role Descriptions
Roles Described on this Page
- Team Managers (see see list)
See also the full list of Role Descriptions and holders.
Team Managers
See the list of Team Managers.
The Club is keen to develop its players and for them to take part in team matches. It also wants to improve the results achieved by its teams in inter-club competitions.
Match Dates:
- The Match Secretary organises the programme of SWF League matches at the start of the season, sets the match dates, and decides how many teams to run in each League
- For Croquet England Inter-Club events, the Team Manager is wholly responsible for organising the matches
- The Team Manager may reschedule any match by agreement with the opposing team - please keep the Match Secretary informed and lawn bookings updated
The Team Manager is responsible for the following.
- Book lawns for home fixtures in the Court Booking System (CBS)
- matches always take priority so you may book a lawn for a match that another member has already booked, or is a Roll-Up (though they should be avoided if possible) - the CBS Administrator will deal with cancelling any bookings and notifying the players of their cancelled booking. If you cancel a Roll-Up at less than two weeks' notice, make sure everyone is told (via the Match Secretary).
- Be familiar with the relevant League/Competition/Tournament rules applicable to their team as set out by the South West Federation
- Get squad member availability for the match dates and select team members in accordance with the club's inclusive selection policy and any handicap restrictions for the league, organising revised dates and booking/releasing lawns as needed
- Be vigilant of which teams a player has already played for in a league to avoid illegal representation
- Normally, this is done by one Team Manager being overall responsible for a league and allocating players to separate squads within the league
- For handicap leagues, this could be determined by availability since a player's handicap does not matter when allocating them to the A or B team
- Nominate a captain for any match at which they are unable to be present and brief them on their responsibilities
- Coordinate arrangements with the opposing team, including arrangements for refreshments (usually a week or two before the fixture) - the Match Secretary provides a list of opposing team contacts at the start of the season
- For home fixtures:
- Hospitality: please refer to the Club's Catering Policy
- For away fixtures:
- Details of other clubs can be found on their website or via the Federation members list
- Coordinate transport arrangements
- Advise the driver on how to claim mileage costs
- Ensure that all team members know that they are to provide their own lunch (please refer to the Catering Policy)
- Ensure that results are reported as required by the SWF or Croquet England with a copy to the Match Secretary and relevant Handicap Committee Chair.
Note that results must be submitted electronically and not as an image of a hand-filled sheet.
- Level-play results are passed on by the SWF and Croquet England for adding to the international ranking system so full names should always be used. Note that some players have a specific ranking name to avoid confusion with other players in the world with the same name. Always use their ranking name when reporting results
- The Match Secretary will help report the results if there is a technical difficulty
- Write (or commission) a brief match report (minimum being the results) and post it on the clubhouse noticeboard – ideally along with a cheerful photo!
- Squad support and development:
- Team Managers should promote 'esprit de squad' and actively seek to improve playing standards by holding joint training, coaching and competitive play sessions for their squad in collaboration with the Coaching Coordinator
- Results and "lessons learned" from matches played recently could feature in these sessions
- Encourage discussion of tactical choices
Team Selection Policy and Procedure
The club aims to enter as many team into each league as it can reasonable sustain in order to give all members an opportunity to represent the club competitively. Team squads are also a platform for developing members' playing and team skills.- Once the matches have been arranged, Team Managers should contact all members in the appropriate handicap range to request availability and establish a squad for each team, ensuring all eligibility criteria have been met.
- Squad size is typically a few more than a full team, but should include developing players who would benefit from squad training sessions
- When the club fields multiple teams in a league, squad allocation must be done collaboratively to ensure that players are distributed between teams and that league rules will be met in case substitution is needed
- In good time for each fixture, and giving preference to those players who are playing well and most likely to perform well on the day, announce team selections (including reserves) for each match as soon as possible to facilitate advance diary commitments. Note that a match against a weaker team is an opportunity to give experience to, and develop, an improving player
- Many club members appreciate seeing a team list on the club noticeboard in advance of the match
- Give feedback to the Match Secretary on how difficult it is to raise a team or how many players have not been played: this informs the following year's decision on how many teams to enter into each event