What should the LTA change to be more effective?

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

What should the LTA change to be more effective?

Born2WinTennis · Club Coach

Good point. I think it would be a good move from the LTA to target 18-35 football players or even younger. Football dominates the UK's sporting landscape, but their season breaks from May to August...a perfect time to play some tennis. I know some players that do, but not enough. Instead tennis only picks these players up, generally, after they finish playing football or rugby, aged 35+

EddietheEagle · County player

Keen not interested in staying.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/may/16/lta-peter-keen-performance-director-not-apply

I think his point about funding being a privilege and not a right, is spot on.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Cheers, Eddie. I also like his proposal to scrap the Talent ID programme which I think is fundamentally flawed

wimdledont · Challenger level

EddietheEagle wrote:
Keen not interested in staying.

www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/may/16/lta-peter-keen-performance-director-not-apply

I think his point about funding being a privilege and not a right, is spot on.

I doubt that Mr Keen also regards his salary as a privilege, not a right, and that he'll see out his tenure as a volunteer.

Or, to set an example to the ITF players, he could at least agree that, as ITF prize money has not increased since 1984, he'll recommend his replacement is paid at 1984 levels.

Our new leading ITF lady's prize money for the YTD is listed by the WTA as US$6,677 (Amanda Carreras), or about £4,000; which would be the weekly salary of somebody earning £208,000 p.a., or the monthly salary for £52,000 p.a., in a role with the following attractive benefits...

https://jobs.lta.org.uk/templates/LTA/benefits.

The irony of him resigning due to being unable to contemplate even national travel, when the lack of any UK tournaments now commits all of our players to weekly intenational travel is beyond words.

EddietheEagle · County player

I'm afraid tennis at that level is a hobby. If you're not good enough, do something else.

wimdledont · Challenger level

English football is still a professional game in the Conference, now called the national league...

onefootballforum.co.uk/index.php

... with players earning about US$1,000 per week.

Above that, there are 92 league clubs in England, with between 40 and 80 professional players at each. So Conference players should be ranked somewhere around 4,000-5,000th in the UK.

In Europe, there is a similar depth in the Italian, German, Spanish and French leagues. The top couple of divisions in Scotland, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Russia, and the top leagues in virtually every European country, plus the US, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, China, several Gulf States, will all have better, better paid players. So Conference players might be somewhere ranked 20,000 to 30,000 internationally.

If Mr Keen thinks that tennis players are privileged, with WR284 Carreras earning approximately 1/4 of the income of the WR28,400th footballer, he is clearly the ideal man for the LTA to employ to conceal the fact that, of the £50+million annual LTA budget, approximately nothing goes to support professional tennis players.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

But Mr Keene is not saying tennis players are privileged. He is just saying that funding shouldn't be seen as an automatic for a player. And I agree. Many could do with some well targeted support, but over the Draper years when a significant number of juniors and young adults got a significant meal ticket, a fair proportion didn't really progress hugely, getting fairly comfy instead being paid to pursue their sport. I'm not saying they didn't work hard but they knew they were covered unless some disaster happened.

Take track and field or cycling or rowing. Selection for funding is ruthless. It really has to be earned in those sports. Athletes in those sports do feel privileged to be on funding, they know they've earned their place in the funded squad. (It helps of course that the funding system in those sports is clear and public.). I think this is what he has in mind when he talks about funding being a privilege and not a right. It's about the attitude of the athletes.

I'm not saying what we've got at the moment is anywhere near right but saying lower grade tennis players are not paid as much as lower grade footballer's is plain daft and fairly pointless. Lower grade tennis players are paid the same the world over (And yes, I agree, they are paid badly). Few will have access to a national association as wealthy as the LTA. Instead they go to college, or play European leagues. Maybe not ideal but it does show that having any funding to play sport really is a privilege and not a right.

wrote this hours ago but somehow it didn't post!!

indiana · Tennis legend

"Access" to a national association as wealthy as the LTA? ...

.... that seems to find much fewer players, does put on many fewer tournaments particularly outside the higher grade grass ones, has cut the money available for British tour events and has no really developed money leagues.

Not saying at all that many more pro players have some 'right' to more funding support, and yes it did appear far too comfy in the past, but failing to see much benefit that the majority of GB pros see from the wealthy LTA. What is this access?

Strongbow · All-time great

Why aren't they doing anything to publicise the lower levels. Given that terrestrial TV can't afford ATP/WTA coverage? Why haven't they pitched a program to BBC, ITV or free to air channels covering ITF/Domestic tennis. It might raise the profile of the sport. It probably wouldn't raise much, but anything would help those who are paying money to play tennis and it would improve their chances of commercial sponsorship.

Otto · Social player

What I find hugely frustrating, and distances people like me increasingly from British tennis, is the idea that Peter Keen's views are somehow revolutionary. We have been saying these things for the last 30 years. The LTA continues to ignore the views of people in their own sport.
I am reminded of a well written article by Eric Butorac, who talked about how the French tournament structure allowed him to pursue a career in professional tennis.
The point being that there is no need to hand out money if you create opportunity.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Otto, spot on.

Direct funding, as the key strategy, is not the way forward - too narrow, too limiting, becomes self-serving....

Create a thriving industry and then you've taken care of most of it.

But that involves not only some money (which we've got) but some willingness to change (which we haven't)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Comment re Keen's decision from the head coach of Liverpool Tennis Club:

"Hugely disappointing but I can't say I'm surprised. Would have rattled a few cages. Let the shambles continue...#LTA"

wimdledont · Challenger level

I'd prefer to see the LTA make life possible for our players to continue to pursue careers by putting on about triple the amount of UK ITF level tournaments. That would largely fix the problem, for a trivial cost.

Otherwise, less preferable, but no cost to the LTA, 100% full UK MD and Qs wildcards (minus 1 for Junior Champion) for Wimbledon.

Less preferable again, a commitment to fully subsidise all players between WR100 and WR1000 to play up to a full season of overseas tournaments. About £40,000 each should do it.

I strongly suspect that none of the above will be the chosen option; and our tennis players will continue to give up after 3-4 years, many to pursue 30-40 year careers in the tennis industry, whether in coaching, administration, marketing, journalism. And we go on with the current ratio of 10 well paid chiefs for every 1 skint Indian.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

wimdledont wrote:
I'd prefer to see the LTA make life possible for our players to continue to pursue careers by putting on about triple the amount of UK ITF level tournaments. That would largely fix the problem, for a trivial cost.

Otherwise, less preferable, but no cost to the LTA, 100% full UK MD and Qs wildcards (minus 1 for Junior Champion) for Wimbledon.

Less preferable again, a commitment to fully subsidise all players between WR100 and WR1000 to play up to a full season of overseas tournaments. About £40,000 each should do it.

I strongly suspect that none of the above will be the chosen option; and our tennis players will continue to give up after 3-4 years, many to pursue 30-40 year careers in the tennis industry, whether in coaching, administration, marketing, journalism. And we go on with the current ratio of 10 well paid chiefs for every 1 skint Indian.

I would definitely go with the 1st one and I would bring back the Performance Bonus scheme as well. If you are not going to give players money, at least give them the chance to earn it.

-- Edited by Bob in Spain on Wednesday 18th of May 2016 02:44:45 PM