What happens if we're running late on the day?

Under Regulation 21 of the LTA Competition Regulations 2026:

• Sign in on the attendance sheet, or tell the Referee you've arrived, on every day of the competition. Until you do, your child is treated as absent.
• It's the player's responsibility to know when they're scheduled. If your child isn't ready to play within 15 minutes of their match being called, the Referee can treat it as a failure to appear, which brings Withdrawal Points (none in 8U events).
• If you're going to be late, phone the Referee, explain why and give an arrival time. The Referee can delay the match but doesn't have to.
• Once signed in, your child can only leave the venue if they have no more matches that day, or with the Referee's permission.

If you arrive ready to play more than 15 minutes after the match was called, the Referee may still agree not to treat it as a withdrawal. They can take into account whether you phoned ahead and how much notice you gave, whether the match can easily be rescheduled, and whether the delay was outside your control. That decision is entirely at the Referee's discretion and can't be appealed.