We are extremely proud to have become partner members of the Tennis Industry Association (TIA). We join the likes of The LTA, The All England Club, Wilson and TigerTurf UK in wearing this badge of honour and are excited to start building new relationships, as well as nurturing existing ones, with key organisations in the world of tennis so we are well-positioned to be an integral part of the sport’s growth.
As well as hopefully creating business opportunities, membership will provide us with valuable insights on tennis activity and trends, which will enable more informed decision-making. Certainly, we came away from the recent spring forum armed with up-to-the-minute stats and innovative ideas that are fuelling our motivation. There were very interesting perspectives on how the industry can come together to drive participation further, encourage investment in facilities, particularly indoor, help clubs to evolve and push tennis to the forefront of sport in the UK.
Sport England’s most recent Active Lives report showed tennis was one of the very few sports to record higher participation numbers in 2022 than pre-pandemic. The number of adults reported to have played tennis at some point during the year increased by 43% and more than two million play monthly, which is the highest level recorded since the LTA started tracking this. Annual participation amongst 16-34 year-olds jumped 48% in a year but the biggest playing increase was recorded among lower socio-economic groups, showing that the sport is becoming more accessible. This is all extremely positive and we hope that it will drive further investment in the facilities to ensure this growth is sustainable.
Another development that was discussed regarding the current tennis landscape and its upward trajectory is the uptake of padel, which is continuing at a pace. We’ve been harping on about it for a while now, but the two are not mutually exclusive and existing tennis clubs that are introducing padel are reaping the rewards!
