LTA And Barclays Team Up To Drive Grassroots Tennis
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has inked a purpose-driven partnership with Barclays in order to make the sport more accessible.
The five-year pact will aim to encourage 150,000 people to take up tennis ‘more regularly’ in the UK by the end of 2024.
Barclays will launch three initiatives as part of the agreement, the first of which will be the ‘Barclays Free Park Tennis’ campaign, offering free tennis lessons across 100 UK parks by the end of the year.
These hour-long sessions will be led by LTA-trained volunteers, and will take place on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the country. The national tennis body says 175 volunteers have already been trained for the programme.
The multinational bank is doubling down on its investment in tennis, after becoming the official banking sponsor of Wimbledon last year.
Since 2019, Barclays has also served as the title sponsor of elite domestic women’s football competition the WSL.
Scott Lloyd, CEO of the LTA, said, “We want tennis to be welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone. This means taking tennis into as many communities across Britain as possible.
“Barclays Free Parks Tennis will be like a ‘Park Run’ for tennis, with free equipment, court space and instruction for players of all ages.
“We’re also excited to be partnering with Barclays on Big Tennis Weekends and Local Tennis Leagues to grow participation even further.”
Tom Corbett, Head of Sponsorship at Barclays, added, “Sport enriches lives and communities like nothing else. It brings people together and has the power to boost confidence and wellbeing and build life skills for participants.
“We’ve seen this impact through our grassroot football programmes, and I’m delighted we are now bringing our experience to the world of grassroots tennis through our new partnership with the LTA.
“Whether your goal is getting fit, getting closer to your community, or picking up a new sport – it’s going to be fun, free and open to all.”
Stay up to date with the world of sports business by subscribing to the Sport Industry Daily.
