County Cup Review
County Cup has a special place within British tennis. It has been running for 130 years and is valued by players and supporters alike. Across England, Scotland and Wales, up to 44 counties compete, bringing together individuals who proudly represent their county and forge a lifelong connection to the sport, as well as long lasting friendships.
Whilst County Cup competition isn’t unique to tennis, LTA’s County Cup stands out within UK sport for its scale, breadth and continuity and is an important part of the heritage of the sport in this country. It provides a high level of competition that is the pinnacle of sporting achievement for some, and for others it is recognised as part of the journey to becoming an elite player.
However, it is important that County Cup evolves and modernises to ensure that it reaches more players, including juniors, and the collective resources of the LTA and National, County and Island Associations can continue to have the greatest impact. The LTA have undertaken a review to help determine how County Cup Competition can be improved and strengthened for the long term, ensuring more players of different ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to represent their County.
The review was a collaborative process to agree on an approach that supports County Cup tennis in all its forms for many years to come. The full scope of the review can be read here.
As part of the review an independent research agency was commissioned to design and run a survey to understand views about County Cup. We welcomed the views of past and present county cup players, those who currently do not play County Cup, and the wider county tennis community. We also heard the views of both players and parents of junior players, who regularly compete and aspire to play County Cup in the future.
We captured the opinions of not just the players, but those who support the delivery of County Cup – from referees, coaches and volunteers to LTA County Cup host venues and National, County & Island Association officials and representatives.
The survey is now closed.
September 8th 2026
County Cup Review Progress Update
Following the independent review that was commissioned before the Summer, we are pleased to provide an update on our progress toward strengthening and protecting the County Cup for the long term.
There has been a very high level of engagement from across the tennis community. The survey captured insights from 1,147 players, 853 parents of junior players, and 470 organisers, including referees, coaches, and volunteers. To ensure further depth of feedback alongside this quantitative data, the agency also conducted 11 focus groups and a number of one-to-one interviews, involving players, parents and organisers including captains, county volunteers, and County Cup stakeholders.
In line with the original project timescales, at the end of September, the research agency will share the key findings and themes from the consultation with the LTA. A summary of these findings will be shared with Councillors in October. The LTA will then analyse the findings with the aim of developing a set of recommendations and proposals which will be shared back with County Cup stakeholders prior to taking forward for future implementation in 2027 and beyond.