Week 3 - Futures (10k) - Sunderland Great Britain

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

RE: Week 3 - Futures (10k) - Sunderland Great Britain

wolf · Tennis legend

Bloomers plays Mannarino in the final.

Final
BLOOMFIELD (GBR) / SKUPSKI (GBR) (2) defeated GRAMBOW (GER) / RUSHBY (GBR) (3) 6-1 6-4

Count Zero · Tennis legend

congrats to blooms + ken.

DUSTY DICK · Club Coach

yes, well done Blommers & Ken.
Now for the singles crown and get the ranking moving back up again.
I know these events are at the bottom end of the scale but the prize money is really terrible.
No wonder many players pack up because they can't scrape a living together. had to get that little moan in. Anyway up the Brit boys.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

That prize money is awful esp when you consider that the American Dollar is so weak. I can't believe how little they are paid and that is if they win the title.

RobC · All-time great

On the other hand, the spectators are few and pay nothing to attend. There's not much if any sponsorship, and no media revenues: Basically, at this level, the money paid it is not being generated by the competition itself, but is trickling down from the higher levels. As such, it makes sense to make the rewards low enough that players won't hang around playing at this level: either they're good enough to make Challenger within 2- 3 years, or they retire from pro competitions to coach the next generation of hopefuls.

Happycynic · Pro player

Yeah, but the amount they get has progressively reduced. Not only is the dollar weak, but prize money for a 10K is static at 10K, i.e. reducing in real terms.

When we say Richard gets this for a week's work- well, also players play 20-25 tournies a year, so each tournie is two weeks work.

i.e Richard, as a top 300 or so player, gets about 500 quid for two weeks.

I agree we don't want to encourage people to hang round at futures for the money- but it also shouldn't just be a rich person's dream.

A top 300 footballer? That is top 20 national team standard. That, in the UK, is 35K+ per week.

helki · Futures qualifying

Do any of the guys who play in these Futures get funding from the LTA? I must admit I assumed they did after reading about the two youngsters who had their funding taken away for poor behaviour. confused

I can't see how they can manage to survive if they aren't funded. It's no wonder it's perceived as a 'rich-man's sport' if they have to pay their own way.

Congrats to Bloomers and Skups on their win.

Fingers crossed for Bloomers in the singles final.

RobC · All-time great

Happycynic wrote:
A top 300 footballer? That is top 20 national team standard. That, in the UK, is 35K+ per week.

yep, but that top 300 footballer will be playing in front of 60,000 fans paying £30 - £50 each plus TV money every week.

(as opposed to our Richard in front of the non- paying Sunderrland crowd)

mjd · Challenger qualifying

helki wrote:

Do any of the guys who play in these Futures get funding from the LTA? I must admit I assumed they did after reading about the two youngsters who had their funding taken away for poor behaviour. I can't see how they can manage to survive if they aren't funded. It's no wonder it's perceived as a 'rich-man's sport' if they have to pay their own way.

Congrats to Bloomers and Skups on their win. Fingers crossed for Bloomers in the singles final.

I dont know if things have changed under the new regime but it was the case that only those at junior level got LTA funding apart from a select few (eg Boggo), and that is why Tim Henman annoys me when he talks such rubbish, he too obviously believes they get funded by the LTA and then go out on the town. The new setup appears to have at least made coaching available to those previously not eligible.
Oh yes, I forgot, the LTA did used to hand out performance bonus when players reached certain ranking milestones of 500, 400, 300 and 200 but that was the first thing that David Felgate abolished when he took over, but the number of £1000 & £1500 pounds they handed out then was peanuts compared to the money that is sloshing around now on new HQ and foreign coaches etc, so where did the £millions go back then? (They certainly wouldnt have been handing out many bonuses in the last couple of years! or would they if they still existed?)

-- Edited by mjd at 22:31, 2008-01-18

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

RobC wrote:

(as opposed to our Richard in front of the non- paying Sunderrland crowd)

Crowd?? what crowd? I think DJ and I were the only people there not with players!

So they wouldn't have got very rich even if we had paid!

mjd · Challenger qualifying

Richard followed up his dubles win of yesterday with a singles win over Mannarino 6-4 6-3 biggrin

A good week, with plenty of match practice!

RobC · All-time great

Stircrazy · Tennis legend

mjd wrote:

Richard followed up his dubles win of yesterday with a singles win over Mannarino 6-4 6-3

A good week, with plenty of match practice!

Good on 'im! A nice week's work! smile

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

excellent result hope to Bloomers doing well this year and getting back to the challenger scene as quickly as possible.