Concerns over funding for grassroots tennis emerge as Wimbledon revenue soars

With bumper crowds reveling in glorious weather on these seemingly endless summer days Wimbledon is booming, yet youngsters seeking to emulate the current British players who have enjoyed a record-breaking Championships, may not all feel the benefit. While Wimbledon’s revenue and prize money has more than doubled over the past decade, the All England Club’s funding of the next generation and the grassroots game has not increased by the same proportion, leading to some quiet grumbling at the Lawn Tennis Association that they could do with more financial assistance. Having helped deliver 10 Brits to the second round this week, and with seven British men and women ranked inside the world’s top 200 for the first time this century, the money they are receiving appears to be being spent wisely. Other than the world number 733 Ollie Tarvet, the University of San Diego student who came through qualifying before reaching the second round where he lost in straight sets to Carlos Alcaraz, the other Brits have all benefitted from the LTA’s support at various points in their careers. With annual income from the Championships of £406.5million last year Wimbledon are by far the biggest funders of British tennis, providing around half of the LTA’s revenue, which is topped up by gate receipts and broadcast deals from their own tournaments such as Queen’s and Eastbourne, as well as their commercial deals. Under the terms of the Championships Agreement signed by the All England Club and the LTA in 2013, 90 per cent of Wimbledon’s profits will go to the governing body until 2053, at which point their contribution will drop to a minimum of 70 per cent. On the eve of this year’s Championships All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton spoke proudly of Wimbledon doubling their revenues over the last decade - “We’ve gone from a £170m business 11 years ago to a circa £400m business now,” she said – but the fruits of that financial harvest are not being fully felt at the LTA. Having received £38.1m from Wimbledon’s surplus in 2014 the payment had only risen to £49.8m last year, a significant increase, but one far below the growth in the Championships’ income. “If you give away 90 per cent of your profits there’s not much incentive to be profitable,” admitted one source at Wimbledon. As their income has grown the All England Club have significantly boosted the prize money on offer, from £26.5m in 2015 to £53.5m this year, an increase of seven per cent in the last 12 months. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive £3m, more than at any of the other Grand Slams, and an 11 per cent increase on 12 months ago. As The Observer reported last week Wimbledon are facing demands from leading players to increase prize money further still so there are no complaints from the LTA about the players cashing in, although there is a strong feeling that the tournament could be run more efficiently. No expense is spared in ensuring Wimbledon remains a premium event, which All England Club officials like to compare to the Masters in terms of global prestige. Officials from Augusta were among those lavishly entertained in the Royal Box this week. In another example of Wimbledon’s high presentational standards, a team of 20 gardeners preside over the installation of 27,000 extra plants just for the Championships, to complement the 25,000 on site. All year round. And in addition to prize money, which begins at £66,000 for first-round losers, all players are given a £250 voucher to spend in the club shop. Wimbledon officials point out that their payment to the LTA has continued to rise, and that their costs have risen significantly over the last five years in particular, while they have also tried to keep prices down for spectators. A spokesperson for the All England Club commented, “Maintaining The Championships as one of the world’s greatest sporting events requires sustained investment across all areas whether that’s in players’ prize money, which has doubled in the last 10 years, or in our extensive facilities and services.