Roger Draper to "step down"

korriban · Challenger level

Roger Draper to "step down"

korriban · Challenger level

http://www.lta.org.uk/News/2013/March/2013-03-11/LTA-Chief-Executive-Roger-Draper-to-step-down-in-September/

Gutted!

daisy · County player

Ahh - we must have been posting at the same time!
I've put on my post on the discussion thread about Drapers salary though with a nudge to Petch to apply!
;)

indiana · Tennis legend

A very necessary step, which I so hope helps lead to a real change of culture from that which seemingly exists within the LTA just now. And also that it can help improve relationships and understandings between the LTA and other sporting bodies and also the media.

That all said and meant, I was going to try and desist from one final comment, but realise I can't, so sorry but..

YESSSSSS !!!!!

korriban · Challenger level

Indy. How childish!

I have analysed and cogitated long and hard to come up with a more appropriate commentary than, and I quote, "YESSSSSS !!!!!"

I was more thinking along the lines of "Get In!" or "You're not Spinning any more!"

Seriously, though, time for reflection and let's hope a good next appointment. I wonder if this might have just a little to do with the recent appointment of a former private equity businessman to the LTA and his ongoing review of overall performance and direction. I know the private equity world very well, and the successful leaders amongst them can sense BS a mile away, in fact they absolutely HATE it (only facts, agreed actions and delivery of required performance matters)......and they never shy away from difficult decisions......

philwrig · Hall of fame

You guys and the media are very harsh, just about an impossible job to be successful at and IMO didn't do a bad job.

I suspect in 7 years time you'll be saying the same things about the next guy.

korriban · Challenger level

Phil. I don't agree.

Difficult, yes but having the biggest Grand Slam, a huge Wimbledon surplus to underpin your budget, and the financial and people resources that most other tennis loving nations would envy, certainly helps.......as does a huge salary and bonus with which you can choose from the cream of the business world.

Impossible, absolutely not.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Why wasn't David Felgate successful at the job ? He's been successful in every other job he has undertaken.

philwrig · Hall of fame

Ok Felgate wasn't the previous incumbent but still played an important role. I wonder who was ?

korriban · Challenger level

Phil. David never ran the LTA.

He was Men's Coach, then Performance Director. And I'm sure David is an excellent Coach and Performance Director: his record speaks for itself. I suspect David probably did as well as anyone could expect him to do with the talent which was provided to him to polish.....

The biggest LTA challenge is to step-change the volumes of young people (an in particular very good athletes) being exposed to the sport and giving it a go regularly from the widest range of people possible; then providing a grassroots coaching and talent selection structure which can cope with this huge increase in volumes, and which does so in a completely unbiased way.....to channel the very best young athletes in very large numbers into the performance programme without bias/interference from the traditional middle class tennis club strongholds.....

In my opinion, that isn't happening fast enough, or in sufficient volume (Sport England would agree). Which means we simply don't have the volume of talent we need for the (most probably) excellent performance set-up to polish and refine.....which I suspect was David Felgate's biggest challenge, and something he wasn't responsible for trying to change.

I'd argue that Mr Draper has probably done a good job on the Commercial side of things, and I suspect the NTC and the performance set-up is probably very good as well (I'm not an expert, but it seems state of the art) albeit centralisation may or may not be the correct approach. But he hasn't tackled the biggest issue.......how to attract young sporting athletes in much much bigger volumes from all walks of society into the game and into the system.......and he or his successor needs to do this as priority 1.......and it will mean upsetting some very determined people and clubs who'd prefer things were left just as they are.

That's a difficult task, but not impossible. And probably not one for a coach.

philwrig · Hall of fame

A very good balanced post Mr Korri, I'm not saying Draper was a big success but did a much better job than most people gave him credit for in what is a very diificult task.