MWC Court Booking Rules and system enhancements 2025

1. MWC Gymnasium Court Booking Policy Effective 2025

1.1 Eligibility and Court Usage

• Courts in the gymnasium are open for booking by MWC members only
• Courts may be booked for sports or games deemed appropriate by MWC,  i.e. badminton and pickleball 
  • “Block Booking” – MWC Staff may block off periods of time for conducting MWC programs or for other purposes as needs arise. Blocked court sessions are not available for booking by members

1.2 Session Limits (per member, effective since March 2024)

• Maximum 2 courts, each up to a maximum of 2 hours, per day; and
• Maximum 10 court-hours per week

1.3 Advance Booking (effective January 27, 2025)

• Courts will be open for booking 4 weeks in advance, i.e. you may book a court on the same day or any of the next 27 calendar days
• See below also:  paragraph 2 Court Booking – Now Online

1.4 Contract Booking (effective January 27, 2025)

• Members may book courts at specific time slots consistently, i.e. same court(s) and same time slot(s) on an on-going basis:
  • For 4, 8 or 12 weeks at a time, with a start date within the 28-day advance booking window (see above: paragraph 1.3 Advance Booking)
  • Payment for all the sessions in the contract must be received in full up-front at the time of booking
  • No cancellation may be made for contract bookings; once paid, you may not cancel any or all of the sessions in the contract
  • Subject to applicable MWC court booking rules in this document

1.5 Court Rental Fees

• A court-hour rental is 55 minutes in length, from :00 to :55 of the hour
• Court rental fees are determined by MWC and may be adjusted without prior notice
• Effective January 27, 2025, the different court rental rates are:
  • $25 for Non-Prime-Time:  Weekdays (Monday – Friday) 10am – 6pm
  • $30 for Prime-Time:  Weekdays 6pm – 10pm and Saturday 9am – 6pm
• Full up-front payment is required at the time of booking
• MWC offers “Court Rental Credits” for use in payment towards court rentals. Currently, members may purchase $100 worth of credits by paying $75 (subject to change without prior notice)
• Court Rental Credits may only be used for individual court rentals, but not for booking the whole gym

1.6 Cancellation Policy (effective January 27, 2025)

• No cancellation for Contract Bookings
• Any cancellation request received less than 48 hours prior to the booked time slot will not be accepted
• Cancellation of one-time court rentals must be made by notifying MWC 48 hours prior to the booked time slot
• A cancellation admin fee of $5 will be levied for every accepted cancellation request

2 Court Booking – Now Online 

Effective January 27, 2025, members would need to make Pickleball or Badminton court bookings online directly from the MWC website.  A current MWC membership is pre-requisite.

2.1 Calendar View of Court Bookings

• Members would see their current bookings upon logging in and arriving at the Court Booking page.  The bookings are presented in a weekly view (for PC and tablet) or daily view (smart phone) .  You may scroll forward (next) or backward (previous) to see future/previous reservations.

2.2 One-time Court Booking

• Court Booking is open 28 calendar days in advance.  Members may book available courts on the same day or for the next 27 days.
• All other court booking rules are still applicable

2.3 Contract Court Booking (effective January 27, 2025)

• Contract Duration – may choose one of three options: 4, 8 or 12 weeks
• Start date – could be any date in the 28-day advance booking window (i.e. today next 27 calendar days)
• Rental fee for the whole contract has to be paid in full up-front
• If any of the sessions within the Contract period is not available (already booked by another member, an MWC holiday, or blocked by Staff), the unavailable session(s) will be skipped and excluded from the Contract; the rental fee will be adjusted accordingly

2.4 “Block Booking” – by MWC Staff

• Blocked sessions are shown as a separate Type of Sport (“MWC Program block”) and in a different color in Calendar View
• Holidays are also shown as blocked sessions in Calendar View

(Tutorials for court booking and contract bookings are available)

3 User Profile

3.1 Credit History

• A Credit History report is available under User Profile.  The report tracks a member’s  Court Rental Credit purchases and redemptions.  A running balance is shown after each transaction.  

3.2 Booking History

• The Booking History report under User Profile has been enhanced to show the following new fields:
  • Request (re-labeled from “Transaction Date”)
  • Booking Start Date/Time
  • Booking Type – shows a “C” if it’s a Contract Booking

Thank you for being a valued member of the MWC community. We look forward to seeing you on the courts!

Important rule when in court

As pickleball is a popular sport here at the Markham Wesley Centre, and that we also have badminton players on the court from time to time, safety considerations are increasingly critical by day. At the Centre, we want to make sure all parties can enjoy their games safely. Kindly read the following rule and implement them so that we ensure a safe environment for everybody.

**Badminton players, this is as important for you too because you may get injured should you not be aware of what is happening around you.**

In pickleball, a crucial safety rule is the requirement to stop playing when a ball from another court rolls into your court or your ball rolls into another court. This rule is designed to prevent accidents and injuries by ensuring that players aren't distracted or tripped by an unexpected ball.

Ball on Court Rule:*

1. *Immediate Stop of Play:*

• If a ball from another court rolls into your court, any player should immediately call out "Ball!" or "Ball on court!" to alert all players.
• Once the call is made, play stops immediately. This is a safety measure to prevent players from tripping or being distracted by the loose ball.

2. *Replay the Point:*

• The point in progress is considered dead and must be replayed. This ensures fairness, as the ball could have influenced the outcome of the point.
• No one is penalized when a ball rolls into the court; the situation is treated as a neutral event requiring a replay.

3. *Responsibility to Clear the Ball:*

• After the play is stopped, the ball should be promptly removed from the court before resuming of the game.
• Players should make sure the ball is safely returned to the correct court or placed out of the way to prevent future interruptions.

Importance for Safety:*

- Prevents Accidents: The rule is primarily for safety, reducing the risk of players tripping over a stray ball, which could cause injuries.

- Please walk along the walls when entering & leaving the courts for safety reason

Following this rule helps maintain a safe and fair environment on the courts (specifically for pickleball)!!!