I think, over the long term, it has to be a lot broader.

Although, in the short term, the solutions offered are possible interim measures.

But putting on lots of ITFs, say, doesn't suddenly 'create' a host of top players. Just invites a lot of foreigners. And the cash is very small (unless the Brits do very well, which is unlikely as their level will not essentially have gone up).

They need to get thousands/hundreds of thousands more people playing, by making the clubs an integral part of the system and working together (unlike the moment where all the Presidents says they never hear from the LTA, one year to the next, unless the LTA want to push some particular initiative for media purposes).

Then there will be coaching jobs. And sponsorships. And a huger base to create more top players. Which will become part of a virtuous cycle of getting more people in, hence more sponsorship, more coaching, etc. etc.

Coup Droit wrote:

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I think, over the long term, it has to be a lot broader.

Although, in the short term, the solutions offered are possible interim measures.

But putting on lots of ITFs, say, doesn't suddenly 'create' a host of top players. Just invites a lot of foreigners. And the cash is very small (unless the Brits do very well, which is unlikely as their level will not essentially have gone up).

They need to get thousands/hundreds of thousands more people playing, by making the clubs an integral part of the system and working together (unlike the moment where all the Presidents says they never hear from the LTA, one year to the next, unless the LTA want to push some particular initiative for media purposes).

Then there will be coaching jobs. And sponsorships. And a huger base to create more top players. Which will become part of a virtuous cycle of getting more people in, hence more sponsorship, more coaching, etc. etc.

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 I don't know much about tennis clubs; so about this time last year, in an attempt to write something semi-informed about summat on here, I went to the website of one that had been mentioned on here, because I was trying to find out how much the subs might be; I had the idea they might be prohibitive for inner city kids. I didn't find out, because I had to be recommended by a member before they would tell me. I think it may have been Surbiton, and it would help if I were more interested in golf.

The impression I got is that there is probably a big cultural difference between a French and UK tennis club. A French club Pres is doing his job well if he gets hundreds more members, and the courts are fully booked. A UK club Pres just needs the local Tory MP to turn up once a year for a mixed doubles to reassure the members that the hoi-polloi are fenced out, and the club is properly 'exclusive', which in the UK, is desirable.

(Just been off to read the first post in this thread, which is excellent. I disagree only with the idea that players training abroad should be defunded.)

We need in the UK "more people playing more professional tennis more often". If, Otto, you ever find yourself discussing this with any emissary of Roehampton, those should be the magic words.

If not, it has occurred to me several times that, if you can provide 40 or so hours of webcastable quality sporting action in a week, for US$10k, in Asian evening primetime, with a convenient ad-break at change of ends every 5 mins, then also...

Several of the Med tournaments seem to be making more money from players in accomodation costs than they pay out in prize money...

The overall branding rights to a, say, "Virgin Tennis" programme of say 20 UK ITFs could easily cover all costs for much, much less than it would cost Mr Branson, say, to sponsor, say, Basingstoke Town, FC..

There's at least £1M in AELTC profits that they aren't committed to automatically give to the LTA.

If I worked in the tennis industry, I might have researched this further, and not posted the results on the internet.

Otto wrote:

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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.

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Equally frustrating is the perceived view that the LTA should provide a social security net for wannabees and pay for all the tournaments. 

What the LTA largely does, tokenism aside, is act in cahoots with the All England club to protect the interests of the latter by shoring up the grass court season. That's actually a very narrow remit. Until that axis of control is broken and the paradigm shifts to the LTA acting as genuine enabler of a truly national game, i.e implement the kind of mass competitive opportunities you advocate, then I don't see how anything fundamental will change. All Keen could do was just mess around at the fringes with whatever players he had.

How do you get the LTA to listen? I don't know. In my opinion, it's issues to do with governance, politics and control, rather than tennis. 

Were I in David Lloyd's shoes (had he got the job!) one of the first things I'd have done is sell off all the ATP/WTA tournament rights, Queens etc, back to the venue clubs. I don't think the LTA resources and money should focus primarily on acting as a lap dog for Wimbledon. 

  

 

  

the lta Great British Tennis Weekend is on this weekend clashing with the Davis Cup ! maybe the weekend before the Davis Cup would have been better.

oops my mistake but that is why communication is important. perhaps they just don't communicate at the lta.

any weekend where no tennis is being played in GB would have been better.

the addict wrote:

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indiana wrote:

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Yes more events is no sort of solution in itself but the number outwith the grass season has got ridiculously low and seemingly unnecessary stingy.

I think I read that women's grass 50Ks are being upgraded to 100Ks next year but a few more morsels can't be flung the way of lower ranked Brits trying to make their way. And more futures say certainly don't need just to be invitations to foreign players. Just a couple of years ago we had some futures, 15Ks indeed, that were almost exclusively British, certainly re the points and prize money distribution. Timed right a few more events could be a great help. Really what gives with having soooo few ?!

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I might be posting this in the wrong thread because I can't remember where it was discussed. Anyway, it is good to see on the ITF calendar that for the women there are two outdoor 10k's in September, with 4 further indoor events later in the year. But still only three 10k futures for the men.

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Yes. The next one for the men is the end of October which is 8 months since the previous one.  Scandalous if you ask me.