Terms and conditions for a sports club membership

A sports club membership is a subscription with a community attached, and the terms have to do the work of both: collect the fee, run renewals and notice fairly, apply the rules and the disciplinary process to adults and children, and say what a member gets when the courts are closed or the pool is drained. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Sports clubs, tennis and racquets clubs, cricket, rowing, cycling and athletics clubs and multi-sport centres in England and Wales, run as businesses, community clubs or companies, with adult, family and junior memberships.

What matters in membership terms

Joining, renewal and notice

The terms should state the membership categories, the fee and when it is payable, whether the membership is for a fixed year or rolls monthly, and how it renews and is cancelled. Against consumers, an automatic renewal that is not made clear at joining, a long minimum term with no way out, or a one-sided right to change the price without notice is the kind of term the Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats as unfair; further rules for subscription contracts are being introduced under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Freezing for injury or absence should be dealt with expressly, since Office of Fair Trading v Ashbourne Management Services Ltd [2011] EWHC 1237 (Ch) remains the leading case on long minimum terms in membership contracts.

Rules, conduct and discipline

The club rules on conduct, dress, guests, booking and etiquette should form part of the terms, with a disciplinary process that is fair, gives the member a chance to respond, and allows suspension or expulsion for serious or repeated breach without refund. A member expelled under a process the terms set out has less to complain about than one expelled without a process.

Children, families and safeguarding

Junior and family memberships need a section of their own: the parent as the contracting member, responsibility for the child on the premises, the club's safeguarding policy as part of the terms, with coaches of juniors in regulated activity under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, and the rules on unaccompanied juniors. The club holds personal data on members and children, which needs a privacy notice under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and photographs for the club's website or social media need agreement.

Injury, facilities and closures

The terms can record that members take part in sport at their own risk and must disclose conditions affecting their safety, but they cannot exclude the club's liability for injury caused by its own negligence, such as an unsafe court or a faulty machine, which the Consumer Rights Act 2015 does not allow against a consumer, and the club owes members and guests the common duty of care under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957. The terms should say what happens when facilities are closed for maintenance, weather or events (no refund for short closures, a credit for long ones), and that belongings are left at the member's risk.

Guests, bookings and payment

The terms should cover guest fees and the member's responsibility for their guests, booking and cancellation of courts, lanes and classes, and payment by direct debit with the consequences of a failed payment. Corporate memberships should be invoiced with interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, with the business as the customer. Card payments cannot carry a surcharge under the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

Can I hold a member to a twelve-month contract?

A fixed annual membership is a normal arrangement if it is clear at joining, the price reflects the commitment, and there is a fair way out for injury or a move. The longer and less flexible it is, the more the terms have to justify it.

A member's conduct is driving others away. Can we expel them?

The terms should set out a disciplinary process with notice, a chance to respond and a decision by a stated person or committee, and should allow suspension or expulsion for serious breach without refund. Follow the process and record it.

Do we owe refunds when the courts were closed for resurfacing?

The terms should say that short closures for maintenance carry no refund and that longer closures are dealt with by a credit or extension. Without that term, members will argue that they paid for courts they could not use.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a gym membership
• Terms and conditions for a golf driving range

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.