I loved this comment: err, no, they wouldn't. It was the weekend and no one was there!
The Bank of England declined to comment to Bloomberg on the report, and the All England Club didnt immediately answer an email seeking comment outside normal business hours.
The main reason for buying the neighbouring golf club was widely reported as running qualies on-site. They paid out £75k per golf club member for that privilege.
The main reason for buying the neighbouring golf club was widely reported as running qualies on-site. They paid out £75k per golf club member for that privilege.
I recall that now - which doesnt seem to gel with the other story but heh, the press arent always known for their consistency are they?!
It says in the article that the Bank of England are selling, and the AELTC have a contract to run the qualies there until 2030. Since it will be a few years before the new ground is ready and they can move the qualies, it sort of makes sense I suppose.
Does it make sense, to have this vast concentration of money and management resources being continually poured into a single tournament?
I'd rather have a livlier tennis scene further down the food chain myself. You can't even play tennis in some parts at this time of year. How about addressing that first?
Does it make sense, to have this vast concentration of money and management resources being continually poured into a single tournament?
I'd rather have a livlier tennis scene further down the food chain myself. You can't even play tennis in some parts at this time of year. How about addressing that first?
To my mind, yes it does. Wimbledon is a worldwide premier event, showcasing the cream of the crop, and we are lucky to have it on our shores. It is not run by the governing body and is a self-financing organisation. Indeed, it largely finances the governing body! It is also on terrestrial TV and is a great advert for the sport and features many really inspiring matches that just about anyone can tune in to.
Do the LTA make good use of it? I'm sure they could do more, but they try. Giving clubs a priority ballot gives the tennis playing public a chance to see their heroes; they used to allow coaches to take in a small bunch of juniors on a free ground pass (not sure if they still do this but it was a great scheme - know plenty of youngsters over the years who really upped their tennis after such a trip); when the new Court 2 was built, they used to run a separate ballot for juniors who played more than 6 matches per year so they could see the top juniors towards the end of the tournament (again not sure if this still runs); they get clubs to run free tennis days for all-comers just after the tournament. In general, IMO the LTA is a rather useless organisation in relation to the income it has but I don't think Wimbledon has anything to do with that.
To be fair to Wimbledon the other three grand slams appear to be doing the same, a continued quest of offer better facilities, more prize money etc. Obviously if they buy the Bank of England club this will get them out of their 2030 contract, allowing them to move qualies to the newly developed golf club earlier. Then hopefully they can turn the Bank of England into a community sports venue, a bit like the all England community sports ground, which I have heard very positive things about, courts for £5/hour.
