What happens if my child loses their temper or behaves badly on court?

The Competition Code of Conduct applies to every player, including 8U to 10U. Code violations include ball abuse, racket abuse, swearing, obscene gestures, verbal or physical abuse, time-wasting, receiving coaching, unsportsmanlike conduct, not trying, and leaving the court without permission.

Penalties during a match (Appendix Five, LTA Competition Regulations 2026):

Minor incidents can be dealt with by a quiet word instead. For something serious (such as hitting someone with a ball or racket, abuse, threats or spitting) the Referee can default the player immediately, from all events at that competition.

Code Violation Points:

• Red ball (8U): no Code Violation Points are given.
• Orange and green ball: each warning, point penalty, game penalty or default adds 2 points; immediate defaults add 5 or 8. 10 points in a rolling 12 months means an automatic suspension of at least three weeks from LTA competitions.

Parents' behaviour counts too. Parents are "Player Support Personnel". A player is responsible for their supporters' conduct, so a parent's behaviour can lead to sanctions against the child, as well as action against the parent under the LTA Disciplinary Code.