Challenge Ladders have been around for decades and they have always been an
effective technique for giving players an opportunity to test themselves against
their peers. They work best when the players form a natural community, by virtue
of their location or work schedule. Our definition of community has been
redefined by the internet and we now have an opportunity to leverage this
technology to put a new face on the humble challenge ladder.
The BCS Online Challenge Ladder provides tennis clubs and associations with a
tool to enable them to offer a largely self-managed alternative to a formal
competition. It offers the following benefits:
- Club Management effort is
very low, with players effortlessly self-managing their challenges and
processing of results. Match scheduling is coordinated via automated email
messages.
- Challenges are orchestrated through the Online
Challenge system, automatically managing court bookings and cancellations through
integration with the BCS Online Court Booking system.
- An audit trail of challenges is maintained and can be reviewed at any time.
- Smart phones can be used to access the system
- Court payments are managed via an online
pre-payment system, rather like a pre-paid mobile phone. Alternatively payment
can be bypassed.
- Players may join and leave the ladder at any
time. No more waiting for the next competition to commence.