Looking forward to seeing you at our annual Queen’s Club festive lunch next week!
New TIA report due out next week!
Our Industry Report for 25/26 is due to be published next week. The report includes insight into the tennis, padel and pickleball market with an update from the LTA on its participation statistics. The report also includes a directory of all TIA members
Copies of the report will be sent to members and key contacts and a digital version of the report will be available to download via the TIA website in the new year
International tennis week is worth £5m to Eastbourne
The LTA’s Lexus Eastbourne Open bought in £5m of economic benefit to the town in 2025, representing an increase of 3.5% on the previous year. The revelation comes in a report using the industry gold standard methodology “EventImpacts” to calculate the total amount of new money injected into the local economy of a city or town by visitors (spectators, players and event staff) attending an event.
Some of the benefits identified include:
43% of tournament spectators stay overnight, which is by far the biggest percentage of visitors to one of the LTA’s summer grass court events. Total nights (39,301) for people attending or working the event is worth £3.6m to the local accommodation sector.
There was a 3% increase in spectators staying in the hotel sector: 24% of total spectators and attendees, compared to 21% in 2024.
14,446 spectators visited Eastbourne just for the day (representing a 2.6% increase year on year).
This year saw more than 46,283 total spectators watched in person – making it globally one of the best attended in its category on both the ATP and WTA Tour
Non-spectators (event staff / players / those on site who were not ‘spectating’) had a total non-accommodation spend of £448,010 (which was a 45% increase on 2024).
Curtesy Sussex World
Wimbledon to get exemption from ticket resale crackdown
Wimbledon will be given an exemption from the clampdown on ticket resales for its “debenture” tickets, in what would be a victory for the organisers of the annual tennis tournament.
The championship organisers, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), had previously said ministers’ proposed ban on reselling tickets for more than face value would prevent it from being able to reinvest debenture proceeds in maintenance of its facilities.
Recently, the government officially confirmed the ban on for-profit resale of tickets.
However, in response to a consultation on the issue, it recommended “narrow” exemptions for charity resales and debentures.
Debentures guarantee the ticket holder a seat on either Centre Court or No 1 Court for every day of the tournament for five years, along with the use of certain restaurants and bars. The holder is allowed to sell or transfer the ticket if they are unable to attend Wimbledon, allowing them to recover some of the cost, which can be as high as £116,000.
Almost 3,800 debenture seats are available across Centre Court and No 1Court for the five-year period starting next year, and these can be bought and sold privately or via a stockbroker.
The championships’ organiser has said its debenture programme is always oversubscribed and allows Wimbledon to have a general admission price lower than those of other international tournaments. In 2025, a daily grounds pass cost £30, giving access to lower courts and public viewing areas.
The AELTC received £61.7m for the first instalment in its issue of 2,520 debentures for the 2026-30 period, with further instalments due in February 2025 and February 2026, according to its most recent annual report. It said it would use debenture proceeds to pay off part of a loan.
Under the government’s proposals, reselling tickets for profit on the secondary market is to be outlawed, as part of a long-awaited crackdown on touts and resale platforms such as Viagogo and StubHub.
Curtesy: The Guardian
Padel and Pickleball News
Peterborough
Plans to make an empty warehouse into a padel centre have been approved by Peterborough City Council. Smash Haus Padel Ltd was given permission on 4 November to construct four padel courts in an empty warehouse.
The venue will have a reception area, toilets and a storage area for nets and kit on the ground floor, as well as a small refreshment area for drinks and light snacks. It is the third padel development to be approved in Peterborough over the past few months, with others in the process of being built in Stanground and the Peterborough One Retail Park.
Smash Haus Padel’s planning application stated: “Given the identified shortfall in provision within the city, the proposal will improve the range of leisure facilities potentially creating the first padel courts available to use within Peterborough.
“This will assist in promoting the image of the city given the high demand for courts and to attract visitors to the city who wish to play.”