Friday Pride Days return for the LTA’s 2026 grass court tennis season
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The LTA’s grass court tennis events are set to host Friday Pride Days again throughout June, as the sport marks LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
Launched in 2022 with the help of Pride in Tennis, the LGBTQ+ network for tennis in Britain, Friday Pride Days are now in their fifth year and have become a key fixture of the LTA’s event calendar, promoting tennis as a safe, welcoming and inclusive space for all.
Starting today at the Lexus Birmingham Open and running through to the Lexus British Open Roehampton, Friday Pride Days will continue to enhance the visibility of LGBTQ+ people, through Pride branding across tournament sites, officials, ball crews and staff wristbands; and the LGBTQ+ Progress flag flying above centre courts across the summer. Volunteers from Pride in Tennis will be working on the LTA Tennis Foundation stands across the Lexus Nottingham Open, the HSBC Championships at the Queen’s Club in London, and the Lexus Eastbourne Open, selling LGBTQ+ Pride merchandise, to raise funds for the Foundation’s mission to improve lives through tennis.
The LTA’s continued relationship with Pride in Tennis and other such groups is vital in enabling a culture of inclusion and belonging, and forms part of LTA’s ‘Tennis Opened Up’ strategy to make the sport more welcoming, enjoyable and accessible to everyone. Over the last three years, the partnership, supported by funding from the LTA Foundation, has seen over 150 venues across the country take part in the Rally Allies programme. Designed to help Member Associations and tennis and padel venues embed LGBTQ+ inclusion into everyday practice, the programme has led to a roll out of Pride events up and down the country.
Kent Tennis, undertook the Rally Allies training last year, and as a result has committed to a stronger focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion. This year they are supporting local clubs with small grants to run local Pride events. On the eve of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Margate Lawn Tennis Club ran a LGBTQ+ evening, and there are also plans to support a new intergenerational Pride event in Sheepey that will bring together over 60s and youth groups. Nigel Jordan, Chair of Kent Tennis commented: “This is Tennis Opened Up in action and ensures people from LGBTQ+ communities can be their authentic selves at our clubs.”
Warwickshire Tennis are part funding Birmingham’s Cannon Hill Park Open Court LGTBQ+ “safe sessions” throughout LGBTQ+ Pride Month: inclusive and welcoming beginner and improver tennis sessions for LGBTQ+ players and allies focussed on fun, confidence and community.
Sussex Tennis are supporting Fairlight, a new electro pop musical based around lawn tennis history and queer invisibility that is touring the UK, opening at Hove Park Tennis Club on Friday 31st July as part of Brighton Pride. They are also supporting BLAGSS (Brighton’s LGTBQ+ Sports Society) who are entering the Pride Parade on Saturday 1st August.
Dave Hardman, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy Manager at the LTA, said, “Since starting Friday Pride Days in 2022, our goal has been to ensure LGBTQ+ Pride touchpoints are as visible as possible across our events, in order to show members of LGBTQ+ communities in Britain that tennis is a sport where they can be their authentic selves, whether as a player or a fan, and we’re proud to be continuing that work this year and to see tennis clubs in the counties follow suit.”
James Swanson, Chair of the Pride in Tennis Network, said, “As the LTA’s Friday Pride Days return for their fifth year, it’s important to recognise how far LGBTQ+ visibility has come, while acknowledging the work that still lies ahead. These events are central to LTA’s wider work to change LGBTQ+ people’s perception and experience of tennis, and by maintaining this commitment the LTA is signalling its broader commitment to enabling a culture of inclusion – an effort we are proudly driving down to a grassroots level through our joint Rally Allies programme, funded by LTA Tennis Foundation, and our annual Pride in Tennis Cup competition.”
Away from grass court events, the LTA will continue to shine a spotlight on LGBTQ+ Pride activities that are happening across the month.
The Rally Allies programme is helping to deliver positive change in British tennis clubs and venues across the country, with more venues continuing to sign up.
To find out more and to sign your club or venue up for training find out more here.
