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Post Info TOPIC: What should the LTA change to be more effective?


Lower Club Player

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What should the LTA change to be more effective?


There seems to be an overwhelming majority of pros, ex pros, pundits and members on this forum that think the LTA needs to change. This is what I think the LTA's main problems are.

 

Problem 1 - Too much focus on getting people playing tennis

Though I respect that it is good for the future of British Tennis that more people are playing the sport, I think that this is being tackled at the wrong time. Sure, Andy Murray winning Olympic Gold, the US Open and Wimbledon within 12 months was amazing and it would have definitely inspired more people to take to the courts more regularly. However, this method is not going to get you a world class player or to be honest, any successful professional player. Murray is into his late 20s and will obviously hit a point in the next few years where he can't sustain his top level. The idea I suppose was to get as many young people playing while Murray is at the top of the game to inspire them to become world beaters. With no disrespect to any of the current young players, I can only see Katie Swan possibly getting to a stage where she could challenge for the top. The injuries for Laura Robson would have also hampered the progress of this strategy as well, but I don't think the media helped by putting SO much pressure on her after her 2008 Junior Wimbledon win. If this strategy was ever going to work (and in my opinion it never was going to) we needed to fill the void which Murray will leave after his game begins to drop and unfortunately the lack of depth in both the boys and girls in the junior rankings right now is proof to me that this strategy has failed. I don't know how much money is being invested in this, but I think they should try this strategy again once we have a solid and more importantly deep pool of players to inspire a generation and not just one single talisman. As an example from another sport, the Portuguese football team may have Christiano Ronaldo, but if they were up against teams like Spain and Germany, you wouldn't have Portugal as the favourites. One player cannot do it all, even in tennis.

 

Problem 2 - FAR more tournaments need to be held in the UK (PARTICULARLY AT THE JUNIOR LEVEL)

If I was ever made head of the LTA, this would be where the vast majority of my funds would be going initially. And we're not talking a few tournaments, we're talking double figures and then some more. I would blow my entire first year budget on this if need be. For me, there are two huge benefits to doing this. Firstly and pretty obviously, it would give British players the opportunity to compete MORE OFTEN at a higher level than just recreational play. The second is it can ultimately end up saving money that would be spent on expenses such as travelling around the world (or at least it would be lowered). Don't quote me completely on this (I haven't done any research :P ) but a lot of players on the lower level of the senior tour rely on LTA funding to cover the expenses of playing professional tennis. However, surely if there were tournaments all year round in the UK then they wouldn't need to be globetrotting as they currently are to seek tournament earnings and ranking points. Then those who reach the top nationally would have the necessary earnings to travel further a field without too much support and those struggling to make it can drastically lower their expenditure and not be completely spoon fed by fundings from the LTA. The reason I would prioritise junior tournaments over senior tournaments is it is less of a strain financially on not just the LTA but the players' families. Again, I don't know the ins and outs of this (I haven't done my research :P ) but I get the impression that prize money is not provided at junior tournaments? So entries would either be funded by the LTA and most likely, the families. I know tennis is a very expensive sport and it does have a "rich man's sport" tag on it which I know they are trying to remove. I would hope that with the savings made in the long run, that more help can be given to juniors to get them into the game. Things will obviously change when you find juniors like Katie Swan and Jay Clarke who compete at the top level because they will need to chase ranking points at the highest grade junior tournaments, but ultimately the top juniors would be in a transition phase between junior and senior levels and they could earn their monies while on the senior tour in the UK and therefore can help them and the LTA fund for them to compete at the top tournaments in juniors. For the same reason regarding the transitional phase between junior and senior levels, at least 60% of the senior tournaments should be ITF $10,000 (I will use the women's ITF as an example because I am more familiar with it) to give top juniors the chance to earn funds to compete at the big junior events and to discourage them from taking the US College system route, which for them would be an absurd idea. On top of that, 25% would be ITF $25,000 and the final 15% would be ITF $50,000. I would hope that this would end up providing a gradual yet solid build in players with senior rankings both from the current crop and future stars. This would be a long game strategy though and might be expensive initially, but I think if the LTA did this from the start when Andy Murray had that great 12 months, we'd be a lot better off than we are now.

 

Problem 3 - All Weather Courts (in other words, indoors)

I don't know if you've noticed but the weather in Britain can be a bit, well, naff. If it's raining every day for a stretched period of time, I'm not going to want to play tennis. And it rains a lot in Britain :P . To their credit, I believe this is something the LTA are investing in, but my issue with their method is that they all seem to be quite localised. I understand that the Roehampton area is the main hub of British tennis but as it is not very central as an area like Derby and Nottingham, it can be difficult to get to a top facility. The centre that Bally set up is the nearest to me, but that is still a fair way away. What I think the LTA are wasting money on though is building brand new tennis facilities when the courts at the National Tennis Centre are barely being used. There are hundreds of sports centres across the country with good quality indoor tennis courts, but the LTA for me, does not do enough to advertise their locations. All it does is tell me the location of a court near me. I know the nearest court to me already. It's outdoors, it's poorly maintained and it's unsuitable to play tennis for about 5 months of the year due to the weather. The main benefit of indoor courts is that they can obviously be used whatever the weather, so my argument is get those courts filled up first before thinking of building new indoor courts. Indoor courts would also provide a base for any new tournament at both junior and senior levels in times of the year where playing outdoors wouldn't be so appealing, so again by not wasting the facilities already in place, more tournaments is more possible. Another benefit would be that these courts would be less likely to fall into disrepair like so many across the country do and they can provide a better experience for recreational play when the tournaments are not taking place. Only when British tennis has solid player foundations and the revenue from tournaments like Wimbledon, Nottingham, Eastbourne and all other tournaments in the UK is stable enough should we consider building state of the art facilities.

 

Problem 4 - (This one might not be popular and I wouldn't do this straight away) Cut funding to players who train abroad

I know this is a little bit strange as it might be considered a good thing and that every situation is different. I wouldn't do this at the moment because we just don't consistently create talent after talent, so this would be for the future and it would be a gradual decrease. The main problem I have with this is the funding should be going to help British tennis and instead, it is going abroad to what is usually a prestigious tennis academy. If that money is going back into British tennis, it can be used to help improve our own facilities, train more and better coaches and offer more opportunities for British players in more tournaments. Then maybe, tennis courts across the country could be improved. There has to be a reason why so many players choose to train abroad and it's clear the LTA doesn't do enough to make them come back. Again, personal circumstances can play an effect here but quite often it is a player's choice. I also think that players that play consistently on the ATP/WTA tour shouldn't be funded by the LTA at all. It is not the LTA's job to keep players like Dan Evans, James Ward and Naomi Broady afloat (even though I think that's what they've been doing over the last few years) because their performances should be doing that and if more tournaments are created in the UK, they have a fall back if things don't go to plan. The LTA's job is to focus on the young, up and coming players and give them the help through the junior levels and onto the pro circuit. It should then mostly be up to them to put in the performances to better themselves. I know the LTA gets heavily criticised by players for not doing enough to help them financially, but actually if everything in the second problem is implemented, there won't be an issue and it hasn't done Konta any harm since she lost her funding. She can probably self sustain for most of her remaining career now and that is the goal of the players.

 

Problem 5 - Wimbledon and the grass court season

Don't get me wrong. I love watching Wimbledon, but if there was something stopping a much larger crop of young players picking up a racket and getting involved in tennis, for me it's Wimbledon. Wimbledon has its famous and sometimes charming traditions like all in white and strawberries and cream, but this traditional approach is not going to appeal to the masses at all. The atmosphere at Wimbledon over all Grand Slams from someone who has just watched them on the television comes across as a bit up themselves and doesn't have the same atmosphere as the Australian Open in particular, which is my favourite slam. The grass court season is also a problem because it is just TOO short. We get all our tennis in one burst and then it's forgotten about by the time August comes about because that's when the football season starts again. We have been particularly blessed this year however with the victory in the Davis Cup and if anything is going to get people playing tennis more, it will be that. However, it was the crowd atmosphere that made it special and we saw a taste of that at the 2012 Olympics as well. Having the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 for the last few years has also increased the coverage tennis gets, but because it's at a time of year where tennis for most is not a viable pastime, I question how much influence that has had in terms of participation levels.

 

So those are my thoughts without any business knowledge whatsoever, so there are probably huge flaws in all of them. Anyone have any other suggestions?



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Tennis legend

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The LTA debate is a long running one and I don't see it ever ending. I won't necessarily answer your points directly but will put a few of my own below.

Personally, I get incredibly frustrated with the argument over the focus on either "grass roots" or "performance players". So my question is this. Why does it have to be one or the other ? The LTA is a large enough organization with substantial funds and should be perfectly capable of doing BOTH. The two are not mutually exclusive and in my opinion, there is an almost symbiotic relationship between the two. The more players we have at the top end, the higher the profile of the sport and this will play its part in attracting more people to the sport. Similarly, the wider the base of the pyramid at grass roots level, the more top players are going to come through.

Surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility, to set up two sub committees/departments, one focusing on grass roots and the other on performance players. Personally, I would ensure that there were always a couple of people who sat in both camps to help with consistency of strategy and transition.

With regard to the number of tournaments, I think it is a widely held opinion here that the number of futures in 2016 is a disgrace. I personally hold out the hope that more will be added to calendar at a later date, but I am not holding my breath on that one. I do think however, that a balance has to be struck between the number of competitive players and the number of tournaments. Simply putting on 52 ITFs per year is not the answer. Players may well improve their rankings by picking up a lot more points, but that does not necessarily make them better players. I also think that players playing in tournaments abroad is a vital part of their tennis education. Learning to cope with different conditions, surfaces and opponents is vital and staying at home, playing against the same faces week after week, is not ideal.

I disagree slightly about cutting all funding for players who choose to train abroad. For the same reasons as above, I think this can be a great experience for young players and broadens their horizons. If we thought of funding purely in monetary terms, then perhaps you have more of a point. But for me, funding also comes in the form of access to facilities, coaches, physios, dietary specialists etc. Clearly any player moving abroad is going to lose this type of funding by default. But I see no problem in still providing them with a small financial incentive, perhaps through my old favourite of the "Bonus Scheme", which rewards results. Let's be honest, in financial terms, this is a drop in the ocean of the LTA's budget.

One area where I do agree with you entirely, is the availability of all-year-round facilities at a local level. I am much more a fan of multiple small facilities around the country than one or two "NTC's" at enormous expense. Of course in the ideal world, we should have both.

Perhaps the only thing that we can all agree on is that the current strategy is not working, although the question still remains as to whether or not a coherent strategy even exists.

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Junior player

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Just some thoughts from me.
I'm generally in agreement with Bob.
In regard to training abroad - my experience is that it can actually be cheaper than on offer in the uk, so yes it's a personal choice but also a financial one.
Also, the bonus scheme was a great way of rewarding success and its demise has increased the financial pressure on players starting out on tour especially those who have been at college in the states. They need to travel to play and raise their ranking and even if they win they can't always cover their costs.
Help doesn't come from the LTA. Not necessarily a problem, playing German league can help and us colleges are very supportive even after players have finished. Parents also do what they can. That said, the LTA shouldn't expect any loyalty from this group of players.


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Lower Club Player

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I definitely wouldn't put one tournament on every week, probably just so we have tennis consistently throughout the year (maybe 20 or so). I saw the pitiful amount of ITF tournaments in the UK for 2016 and it is a disgrace.

I wonder if hiring out courts from established gyms would be a viable option to hold new tournaments. I don't know if this is possible or is already being done, but the Virgin Active near me has six great indoor hard courts and are in excellent condition. Probably not ideal for recreational players as I'd imagine gym memberships are quite expensive. Universities also have good indoor facilities nowadays. I'm sure they would want to promote professional sports being held on their campus as well and improve their reputation. Again, no idea if this is being done already but looking at the calendar this year and next year, it doesn't look like it.

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Tennis legend

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The penny pinching from the LTA regarding helping this generation ( particularly the later juniors, early seniors ) continues to appear more strategic ( why ? ) than necessary and as most folk say the cuts in the bonus pool for actual competitive success seems very odd, unnecessary and I think ill considered.

As Bob says the savings there and in various other areas directly effecting current players are a "drop in the ocean" compared to the LTA's general turnover and finances.

No, they shouldn't throw money at players and there needs to be independence from a certain stage and well targeted direct and indirect help. But far too much I get the impression "could help, don't help" and that is very unfortunate ( although maybe a stronger word is more appropriate ).

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Tennis legend

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Does anyone know how much was actually paid out during the last year of the Bonus Scheme ? It would be very interesting to know the total figure and to compare it to, say, the salary of one of the Executives.

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All-time great

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I cannot understand why the LTA are not more transparent in what they do and how they spend their(?) money. At present, they are targets for criticism from everybody from top players to passing forum members, and everbody else in between.

Surely they need to publish some sort of plan, and not just management blurb. Otherwise, they're just making a rod for their own backs. confuse

 



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County player

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Strongbow wrote:

I cannot understand why the LTA are not more transparent in what they do and how they spend their(?) money. At present, they are targets for criticism from everybody from top players to passing forum members, and everbody else in between.

Surely they need to publish some sort of plan, and not just management blurb. Otherwise, they're just making a rod for their own backs. confuse


A lot of money goes on things like appearance money for pros to turn up at Queens. What's that got to do with British tennis? And then there's a huge chunk spent on overhead, paying for its hundreds of employees. But nothing is ever visible or transparent with the LTA. What were those 320 plus employees doing during the Draper years? And did that number include the 100 plus employees working for that single entity known as West Hants Lawn Tennis (Bournemouth) Ltd? What are they doing owning a club on the South Coast? Why not one in Fife? Over the years, the LTA has swollen into a greedy behemoth which consumes money just to stay alive but, at heart, it's still effectively a flunkey of Wimbledon which is why it's still into club and pro tournament ownership like the Stella. Can't see why they're still involved in any of that when they have been so neglectful of the sport generally. 



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Newbie

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A big problem is the lack of clay courts in the UK.

How many of the top 100 players learned their trade on clay!

How many astro turf tournaments are there on tour?

We should be spending more money on clay and domes to cover these courts.

www.claycourtservices.com



-- Edited by Clay Court Services on Sunday 10th of January 2016 04:55:00 PM

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County player

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Gissa job.

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/12099138/David-Lloyd-I-turned-10k-into-1m-in-10-years-then-built-a-home-for-Sir-Cliff.html

In relative terms, he could hardly fail. And his track record in tennis/business does suggest upside potential. Mind you, he'd probably lose his Wimbledon membership if he had them all working out of Portakabins in his drive for a leaner, meaner organisation.

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Tennis legend

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Lisa's view of the right way to do it:


lisa whybourn ‏@lisawhybourn 2m2 minutes ago Port Pirie, South Australia

'Tennis Australia really have got it right. Lots of pro circuit tournaments, hundreds of money tournaments and amazing host families!!'

 

 

And adds:

'You can't play a sport with no funding and no competitions in your own country to work your way up to tour level!'



-- Edited by Coup Droit on Wednesday 24th of February 2016 12:30:19 PM

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County player

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More or less what Otto and others have consistently indicated on here. It's not rocket science. There's a lack of purpose with the whole set up in this country beyond the limited aims of the LTA/All England hegemony that surrounds the grass court season.

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Tennis legend

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Presumably the LTA are not unaware that players, coaches, fans etc etc are consistently saying these things and indeed much of it is not rocket science.

But the LTA carry on as if well if we don't judge you to be top 200 potential should we be that bothered about how difficult you find the sport

Naa, on the pro level, you just bother about the elite and the grass season and don't really cater for the core, the level to which so many can at least relate to and first 'aspire' to, to use one of your favourite words.

How to move from the competitive to the elite - well targeted support and funding can certainly help. Ask many Olympians where so many will testify as that making the biggest difference to us turning up for our traditional 5 gold medals ( or 1 in Atlanta 1996 ) and the power of recent games. But then tennis players in general uniquely would no doubt abuse such support so let's give them 'tough love'  

We haven't got the developed infrastructure that Lisa points to in Australia or in some other countries ( and seem to be more dismantling that which has existed ) so some more direct support is needed and I am sure could be given.



-- Edited by indiana on Friday 26th of February 2016 02:15:11 PM

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Tennis legend

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For interest, in terms of stats:

 

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/22912754



-- Edited by Coup Droit on Friday 26th of February 2016 02:36:53 PM

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County player

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Does Wimbledon dish out free tickets for those households willing to make their contribution as host families? Why not? Why doesn't the All England help as much at this level as they do dishing out the free hospitality to the likes of the Lord Beckinghams of this world who neither need nor deserve it and who have no connection with the sport other than bask in its limelight once a year (with their publicists in close attendance)?

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