The number of Futures events in the UK- Parliamentary Question

wolf · Tennis legend

RE: The number of Futures events in the UK- Parliamentary Question

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Great photo in front of the duck pond, I am sure the duck house is due for an upgrade once June's s expenses are in

Sim · County player

Lots of good ideas here. As well as using a bit of arm twisting on the clubs to get them to hold tournaments all British players who get support from the LTA in terms of funding, coaching etc should be obliged to give something back by promoting tennis within the UK so could be going round a few schools prior to a futures tournamen. This obligation should also extend throughout their career so even when no longer getting funding could also have to do some promotions and has more impact if now more widely known.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Sim wrote:
Lots of good ideas here. As well as using a bit of arm twisting on the clubs to get them to hold tournaments all British players who get support from the LTA in terms of funding, coaching etc should be obliged to give something back by promoting tennis within the UK so could be going round a few schools prior to a futures tournamen. This obligation should also extend throughout their career so even when no longer getting funding could also have to do some promotions and has more impact if now more widely known.

One of the ideas I put to Leon last year (which he quite liked) was that if players wanted to be eligible for the performance bonus scheme, they would have to give "X" hours in coaching to kids during the weeks of the futures events, as per my ideas on the previous page.

A1 tennis academy · Satellite level

British players not into giving back they are so focused on taking

indiana · Tennis legend

A1 tennis academy wrote:
British players not into giving back they are so focused on taking

Well that couldn't be said of our men's #1. What he so often takes is a great deal of interest in men's and women's tennis at different levels and tries to help where his own busy schedule allows.

Nor I am sure quite a few others so rather too all encompassing there.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I watched the brief exchange this morning re the number of futures. As suspected, and probably correctly, the Culture Secretary passed the buck to the LTA and said it was a matter for them. At least Toby was able to give Jay, Alex and Marcus a name check, wishing them good luck in their respective FQR matches today.

Spectator · All-time great

Well done to topemp for raising it - and for giving recognition to our three FQR players! Hope it gets some response.

EddietheEagle · County player

indiana wrote:
A1 tennis academy wrote:
British players not into giving back they are so focused on taking
Well that couldn't be said of our men's #1. What he so often takes is a great deal of interest in men's and women's tennis at different levels and tries to help where his own busy schedule allows.
Nor I am sure quite a few others so rather too all encompassing there.

Has the LTA recouped the megabucks coaching fees it wasted on Brad Gilbert? Over £2 million total apparently, according to one account I heard. That's a drop in the ocean now to our Andy.

indiana · Tennis legend

EddietheEagle wrote:
indiana wrote:
A1 tennis academy wrote:
British players not into giving back they are so focused on taking
Well that couldn't be said of our men's #1. What he so often takes is a great deal of interest in men's and women's tennis at different levels and tries to help where his own busy schedule allows.
Nor I am sure quite a few others so rather too all encompassing there.
Has the LTA recouped the megabucks coaching fees it wasted on Brad Gilbert? Over £2 million total apparently, according to one account I heard. That's a drop in the ocean now to our Andy.

I don't know, I am guessing not. Are you saying that Andy should repay this money directly to the LTA and he is in some way at fault if he hasn't / doesn't or what ?

Nix · Futures level

Wow Andy has more than repaid any investment the LTA have put into him. We hadn't won a men's singles grand slam event since 1938 and he's won three and been runner up in a number more. He's also been very encouraging to a number of other British players, including inviting both Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans to his coaching block in Florida.

We also wouldn't have won the Davis Cup without Andy. And he's won Olympics gold medals twice. If the LTA were offered that return on a two million investment before Andy's successes I'm sure they'd have jumped at it. There may be very many legitimate avenues of criticism to level at how the LTA spends their legacy. But investment in Andy should not be one of them in my view.

EddietheEagle · County player

indiana wrote:
I don't know, I am guessing not. Are you saying that Andy should repay this money directly to the LTA and he is in some way at fault if he hasn't / doesn't or what ?

No, I think he should be putting his bill in to the LTA for therapy, having suffered Gilbert for, what was it, the best part of two years?

Spectator · All-time great

Something that picks up on the addict's point about all remaining Futures being September: trying to work out entertainment during the summer holidays ... and this means that the LTA have scheduled things so that there is not one Futures match for men during the entirety of that period. Honestly ... what better time could there be to hold events that might engage/inspire a new generation of players? Great that there are events for women - but why throw everything for men into September when everyone's back in school? (Or is it that they then engage the schools directly? But presumably there could be space for both approaches)

-- Edited by Spectator on Monday 3rd of July 2017 02:46:52 PM

-- Edited by Spectator on Monday 3rd of July 2017 02:47:57 PM

the addict · Tennis legend

The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that the LTA can no longer organise more than one event at a time - two womens in August, three mens in September, two women's in October - can they fill in the gaps ? No, too hard, no willing clubs....whatever.........