Tennis Gives Economy £400m Boost
The British economy will stand to benefit from a £400m boost that can be attributed directly to the ‘tennis economy’, and the sport’s growing popularity could see more than 200,000 people take up tennis in 2009, according to a new report from Barclays.
The Barclays Net Gains report looks at the economic and social impact of a unique combination of tennis-related events this year on the UK, to mark the inaugural Barclays ATP World Tour Finals being staged at The 02 in London, 22-29 November.
World number two Andy Murray’s success this season, which has included five wins on the ATP World Tour as well as a Wimbledon semi-final, and the introduction of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals are set to boost the ‘tennis economy’ to unprecedented levels.
Professor of Strategic Development at the University of Liverpool, Tom Cannon, who conducted the research, suggests that tennis is closing the gap on golf as the third biggest ‘sport economy’ in the UK, with football and horse racing leading the pack.
The Barclays Net Gains report shows that the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals alone could generate £225m for the UK economy, made up of £150m from commercial rights sales, advertising and media value with £35m boost for the travel industry and £30m for hotels and catering firms.
