LTA and AELTC to provide support for Wimbledon officials

The cancellation of this year’s Wimbledon caused disappointment for many tennis fans and players around the world, but one group it has had a significant impact on is the officiating community, without whom the event could not be staged each year.

As an extension of the LTA’s support packages for tennis in Britain during the coronavirus outbreak, the LTA and The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) have worked together in order to support officials who had been selected to work at this year’s Championships.

‘Recognising the lost opportunity to work across the summer grass court season’

There are approximately 500 officials who work at The Championships in any given year, all of who are highly skilled and experienced individuals at the top of the officiating profession. The vast majority of them also work at the LTA’s pre-Wimbledon grass court events throughout June, and the support is therefore also in recognition of this and the lost opportunity for work for these officials across the entirety of the summer grass court season.

As part of the work the LTA does to support the staging of The Championships each year, it is responsible for appointing the officials selected to work at Wimbledon.

In lieu of the income those officials selected to officiate would normally receive from The Championships, the LTA and AELTC will be providing support to those officials in the form of an amount equivalent to 50% of the fee that they would otherwise have received for officiating in both the Main Draw and the Qualifying Event. Eligible officials are being contacted directly with further details.

Many of those that work at The Championships are part-time, and so this further significant investment by the LTA and AELTC is intended to help ensure the officiating community for tennis in Britain is supported as far as possible during these challenging times.

‘Officials are often the unsung heroes of tennis’

Scott Lloyd, LTA CEO, said: “We know that officials are often the unsung heroes of tennis events and competitions, but the contribution that they collectively make to both tennis in Britain and The Championships is vital. In providing this financial support it reflects our acknowledgment of how important officials are to the successful staging of The Championships and our wider series of grass court events each year, and we would like to thank all these officials for their continued support of tennis in Britain, The Championships, and everything they do for our sport.”

Richard Lewis CBE, AELTC CEO, commented: “Immediately following the cancellation of The Championships, we turned our attention to how we could assist those who help make Wimbledon happen. We know these months of uncertainty have been very worrying for many of our stakeholders, including the officiating community, without whom we could not stage The Championships. We are pleased to have worked with the LTA to be able to provide a payment in lieu of the usual income from this year’s Championships in order to support these highly skilled individuals.”

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