Annual General Meeting 2025
The TIA UK Limited AGM took place at The National Tennis Centre on July 3rd. As per the Rules of the Association, delegates voted for the current Directors to serve for a further year, together with the Chairman and the Company Secretary.
It was agreed to increase the fees for all membership categories for next year (1st February 2026 to 31 January 2027) by approximately 3% to keep up with the increased costs of running the Association.
Following the AGM, an insightful presentation was given by Stuart Maidment, LTA Support Lead for the Parks Investment Programme.
Download a copy of his presentation slides.
LTA Advantage Wimbledon Ballot 2026
If you are an LTA Advantage member, the Opt In window for the 2026 Wimbledon ballot is now open and closes on Sunday 31 August. Opt In is available exclusively for the LTA’s Fan+, Play+ and Compete Advantage members, Accredited+ coaches, venue volunteers and LTA licenced officials.
This is your chance to get tickets for the 2026 Championships. The ballot is centralised so everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful. If successful, you can choose the date, court and tickets you want – subject to availability – and you’ll be able to buy one pair of tickets.
To Opt In to the LTA Advantage Wimbledon Ballots, you’ll need to be a Fan+, Play+ or Compete Advantage member.
Opt In for your chance to buy tickets
Market intelligence for the UK’s fitness and swimming industries
Leisure DB has published its independent reports into the UK’s Fitness and Swimming Industries and these insightful documents can now be accessed free of charge
In the 12 months to 31 March 2025, the Fitness sector has shown strong growth across the board:
- Total gym numbers rose by 2.8%, reaching 7,202, just shy of the pre-pandemic peak.
- Membership, market value, and penetration all hit record highs, surpassing even last year’s benchmarks.
Woven throughout this year’s report are operator and thought leader interviews, for insight into the story behind the statistics.
In the Swimming Industry, the UK’s pool stock has shrunk again this year, with the decline more marked in the public than the private sector.
Interviewing operators and experts for the report, it is clear this year’s slower rate of decline fails to alleviate concerns over the bigger trend. This is the concerning headline of the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2025.
With expert commentary, interviews and advice throughout – plus a full breakdown of pool numbers and locations, openings and closures, public and private sector leaders, fees, facilities and more – the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report 2025 makes for a fascinating read.
Roehampton Club’s drinking water problem solved
As part of the Roehampton Club’s sustainability drive, the club has recently undertaken work to replace its four ageing outdoor drinking water systems, located at three tennis court areas and the halfway house on the golf course. Members were regularly complaining about the poor taste and questionable quality of the water. The units were difficult to keep clean, aesthetically outdated, and ultimately unfit for a club of this standard.
The Club worked with UK based company ‘Pure Hydration’ to procure a solution that didn’t just replace the old system, it redefined what a modern hydration experience could look like. The stations are crafted from marine-grade stainless steel, built to withstand the elements while housing sophisticated internal filtration and contactless dispensing technology. They also incorporate the ‘H2O intelligent smart telemetry system’.
This proprietary technology tracks every drop of water dispensed, every single-use plastic bottle avoided, and even the weight of CO₂ emissions saved—down to the gram. This live data not only informs the Club’s sustainability reporting but also gives members confidence in the quality of what they’re drinking.
Confidence in water quality has returned and through the H2O telemetry portal, both the Club and Pure Hydration now monitor in real time the environmental impact being made, hundreds of plastic bottles saved each week, 11,700 single use P.E.T. bottles avoided/saved since installation in Sept 2024 and measurable CO₂ reductions proudly logged and displayed. The Club’s Environmental Committee is pleased not only with the results but the sustainable impact in its quest to have the Club carbon neutral by 2030.
Read further insight on the Roehampton Club’s wider sustainability drive.
David Lloyd positions itself as the UK’s largest operator of padel
With interest in padel skyrocketing, David Lloyd Clubs is extending its padel programme, positioning itself as the UK’s largest operator of the sport. The health and wellness operator has seen demand for the sport building from 3,300 monthly players at its facilities in April 2023 to more 18,100 in April 2025 and it’s still growing.
David Lloyd Clubs currently operates 166 padel courts across 47 Clubs, including 31 UK locations and 16 across Europe and plans to have more than 220 courts by the end of the year, adding a further 19 clubs to its padel programme. When the rollout completes, more than 100 clubs will be offering padel.
Simon Pearson, group racquets manager at David Lloyd Clubs says: “As racquet sports sit at the heart of our heritage, and with the club environment offering so much more than just a game, we’re perfectly placed to grow padel in the UK and beyond. We see padel not only as a sport but as an extension of our broader lifestyle offering – fun, inclusive, and social.”
The majority of courts are outdoors played on all-weather courts, and accompanied by dedicated outdoor clubroom areas to enhance the communal and social feel of the sport.
The company has more than 800,000 members across its 105 UK clubs and 29 in mainland Europe, comprising three brands: David Lloyd Clubs, Harbour Clubs and David Lloyd Meridian Spa and Fitness in Germany.
Courtesy Health Club Management
New address for SAPCA
SAPCA has completed its move from Stoneleigh Park into new premises. Stoneleigh Park has served as the “home” of SAPCA ever since the association’s foundation in 1997, having its base first in a shared building, until the move to The Hexangle building in 2015.
The new address is:
The Sports and Play Construction Association
Units 115-119
Fort Dunlop
Fort Parkway
Birmingham
B24 9FE
The telephone number is: 0121 698 2187
Padel and Pickleball News
Rocks Lane Sports Centre in Barnes SW London has submitted a planning application for three new padel courts to compliment its existing four courts. Due to a “deteriorated” and “underutilised” artificial grass pitch, Rocks Lane Padel wants to repurpose the area to accommodate the new courts.
South Tyneside Council has given the go ahead for five floodlit padel courts to replace half of the South Shields Tennis Club, also known as Westoe Lawn Tennis Club. Padel Project UK Ltd will install the hard courts on the north of site, with the remainder of the site continuing its current use for caravan parking.
Birmingham is about to have two new Padel clubs in the city. Connect Padel Birmingham is opening its flagship site of four canopied courts at Moseley Rugby Club, a location evolving into a larger sports village. Also in July Core Padel is opening five indoor doubles courts plus a singles court in Tyseley. According to the Bandeja, Birmingham has a long history with padel, with one of the first (if not the first) UK indoor padel centres – Padel Nation – opening in the city’s Yardley district in the mid 2000s. It now has almost a dozen padel facilities.