2013 Team AEGON announcement

korriban · Challenger level

RE: 2013 Team AEGON announcement

wolf · Tennis legend

It says on the selection policy if you earned £150,000 at the end of the calendar year, you don't have to be given International Travel Allowance. That seems like too high an amount to me, only Jonny, Heather and Laura have achieved that. Surely if you earn 50 grand a year, you shouldn't be struggling to get by that much. I find it slightly ridiculous if players like Colin and Ross get travel funding.

And Dom or even Colin and Ross didn't have to be selected. You have to be top 50 to be considered for selection, only top 25 players will be automatically selected.

PaulM · Tennis legend

Sarah Borwell posted an interesting idea on GBTG - maybe instead of linking rankings to age, it should be linked to years on tour?

That takes account of late starters, those who suffer injury breaks, those who go to college etc...

And it is inherent in things like these (and pretty much everything in life), that those who need it the least get the most....

-- Edited by PaulM on Tuesday 11th of December 2012 11:05:06 AM

Spectator · All-time great

Yes, this must be hugely frustrating to Ms Borwell. Here she is advocating university, seeing people who go to university do quite well (as well as getting an education ... no small thing in and of itself). And then the LTA puts together a funding system which basically freezes you out if you are starting up after a university career, since almost no one will go from UNR to top 150 between June and November.

Spectator · All-time great

In fairness to the LTA, it appears it does have a "Manual Matrix Adjustments Policy" which allows for players who have injury, train abroad, etc. (Apologies if someone else has mentioned this and I'm duplicating).

indiana · Tennis legend

I also see a further article on the funding cut plus withholding of 3 years, with relation to Roger the Dodger's performance :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/9183182/LTA-chief-Roger-Drapers-job-under-scrutiny-as-funding-is-cut-by-Sport-England-over-drop-in-players.html

"Given that the LTA declares on its website that our focus is to support participation growth, this has to be considered a resounding failure.

Draper, who was not available for interview on Tuesday, is often asked why Britains elite players with the exception of Andy Murray continue to disappoint. He often replies with a blizzard of statistics, purporting to show all the good work the LTA is doing to broaden participation and inspire youngsters.

But Drapers defence mechanism has been exposed by the Active People results. After six years in the job, on a salary of over £400,000, his position can barely be tenable."

It is interesting how so many folk, journalists. tennis followers etc see Draper as an absolute spin merchant, which you would think with being so see through would really be counterproductive in him increasingly being taken less seriously, but he continues on and on...

-- Edited by indiana on Tuesday 18th of December 2012 05:32:02 PM

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

Sport England have cut the funding for tennis from £24.5 million to £17.4 million for the next 4 years, and of that £10.3 million is "on hold". Sport England are keeping it from the LTA for a year, and unless they prove they are doing a competent job of improving grass roots participation, that money will be given directly to tennis clubs bypassing the LTA.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/tennis/tennis-funding-withheld-by-sport-england-8422586.html

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, i'd been reading abot this is in the Daily Telegrah :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/9750339/Sport-England-witholds-10m-of-funding-for-tennis-until-sport-can-improve-its-plan-to-boost-participation.html

and noticed...

a) the frank comments from Sport England :

Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said: The LTA has taken a while to grasp that it is a different market place now and you have to build participation despite so much competition out there. You cant just shout, I am tennis, heres my product, the sport has to start instead with understanding what their customer wants, it has taken the LTA some time to understand this.

They need a stronger plan, they need the right skills to deliver it and they need to have feedback so they know what is working and change it fast if it isnt working. It is very important that tennis gets it right, because this is a sport that appeals across a wide age range and for men and women.

and...

b) the typical lack of any real acknowledgement of problems and spin from the LTA :

The LTAs chief commercial officer, Simon Long, responded: This is a substantial potential award for British tennis, and we are working closely with Sport England to ensure that we develop the best tennis offers to increase participation.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Sport England have also slashed the funding of cricket by 15.2m pounds. That's a major blow, as that's one sport where a huge number people can actually earn a living with the mushrooming of T20 leagues around the world. Add to that, that both the men's and women's team have been doing very well in the last five years.

Union and League, two other "professionals friendly" sports, have also received a cut. Can't say there is much wrong in what they've done with the tennis (which isn't professional friendly, anyway) funding, sad as it is for the players. It's just that there has been precious little result to show for all the assistance.

philwrig · Hall of fame

So we have less overall individuals playing tennis, but more juniors playing competitive tennis. Is that right ? or our we down on both scores.

RBBOT · Futures qualifying

Actually the cricket cut is only £8m, as the money they used to pass on to Chance to Shine is now going to be paid directly.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Ohh, I had no idea that Chance to Shine is partially funded by Sport England. Not that bad then, I guess (but more is always better etc. etc.)

Count Zero · Tennis legend

wasn't sure if this desrrved it's own thread but Draper has come in for some stick (from bbc):

The chair of the All-Party Tennis Group has described the £640,000 salary of Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper as "unthinkable".

Details of Draper's salary were published for the first time last week.

On Monday, Sport England cut the LTA's funding, criticising its plans for increasing participation.

"It's unthinkable that someone earning four times more than the Prime Minister has not got ideas for the shake-up of the sport," Baroness Billingham said.
Continue reading the main story

This report from Sport England means what the LTA is doing, or failing to do, is absolutely unacceptable

"You don't give bonuses for failure, surely, and a priority has to be placed on grassroots sport.

"The LTA is one of the wealthiest sporting organisations in the country and it's my honest and genuine opinion that they are useless."

The LTA published details of Draper's salary for the first time last week. He received a basic wage of £394,000, a bonus of £201,000 and a pension contribution of £45,000.

This was a £42,000 increase on his package of £598,000 in 2011. Prime Minister David Cameron earns £142,000 a year.

The figures were released by the LTA days before Sport England announced its decision to withhold three years' funding from the LTA for grassroots tennis.

The number of people playing tennis once a week has fallen from 487,500 in 2008 to 445,100 in 2012, and Sport England decided to give the LTA just one year's funding of £7.1m.

"This report from Sport England means what the LTA is doing, or failing to do, is absolutely unacceptable," added Baroness Billingham, who is urging sports minister Hugh Robertson to demand a meeting with Draper so he can explain himself.

"The people who can hire and fire are the board of the LTA, but I see no sign whatsoever that they are moving to even chastise Roger Draper."

Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said a further £10.3m could be available to the LTA if it proves it has credible plans for how to improve participation in the sport.

"We need to give them a year to step up their game and prove they can deliver it," she said.
Salaries

On Monday, LTA chief commercial officer Simon Long said: "£17.4m is a substantial potential award for British tennis and we are working closely with Sport England to ensure that we develop the best tennis offers to increase participation, whilst continuing to deliver a leading talent programme."

A spokesman for the LTA added that Draper's salary had been decided by the LTA's remuneration committee after careful consideration. He would not give reasons for the £201,000 bonus awarded to Draper.

The LTA received 92% of the "net surplus" of the Wimbledon Championships in 2012, which came to £37.8m.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Cuts at the LTA result in a big change to this years announcement.

www.lta.org.uk/players-parents/Performance-players/Player-funding/Funding-Strategy-/

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

There's a huge Q&A section about the new system too:

www.lta.org.uk/players-parents/Performance-players/Player-funding/Funding-Strategy-/FAQs/

Just wondering why the new players selected are not to be announced publicly?

"Those players receiving funding agreements in 2014 will be selected for this support in a Funding Selection meeting on Friday 15 November 2013. They will be informed the following week. There will be no public announcement of these selections. "