LTA establishes ‘IDEA’ group to help drive inclusion and diversity in tennis

Called the IDEA Group, standing for inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, it brings together LTA colleagues with diverse representatives from across the tennis community, including players, coaches, officials, volunteers and fans. The group includes people who have had a wide range of lived experiences, positive and negative, around inclusion and diversity in tennis, and who want to contribute their voice and their views to help the sport continue its progress.

Putting in place the actions needed to effect real change

The formation of the group is the latest in a series of actions we are implementing ahead of our publication of our new inclusion and diversity strategy for tennis later this year. It follows the open letters published by LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd last year that made clear our commitment as the national governing body for tennis to firstly listen, and then to put in place the actions needed to effect real change as part of our drive to open tennis up. The majority of IDEA Group members were among those who responded to the open invite in those letters to get in touch and share their views.

Alongside the formation of the IDEA Group, the LTA has already announced steps to enhance its governance and leadership, with processes currently underway to recruit new members of both the LTA Council and LTA Board who can positively contribute to the diversity of our thoughts, ideas and approaches to achieving our vision of Tennis Opened Up.

Meanwhile, members of the new IDEA Group have already come together through a series of three focus groups held before and after Christmas, with the output of these sessions and the views and thoughts raised by members being used by the LTA to help shape the new inclusion and diversity strategy for tennis.

Going forward, the group will have the opportunity to play a role in helping to ensure inclusion and diversity is kept at the heart of our sport, in line with our vision and work to open up tennis so it can be played by anyone, no matter their age, background or ability. The group will also act as a vehicle for change, helping to shape and drive forward the implementation of the LTA’s forthcoming strategy, and checking and challenging our work in this area.

'If we are striving to make change within our society, our sports need to follow suit'

IDEA Group Member, Kate Maurici, said: “I put my name forward for the IDEA group because I saw it as an opportunity to use my experience of delivering Community Tennis to make a difference to a wider group across the country and ask difficult questions, challenging the current status quo. I would like to see the group help to implement some innovative and effective changes to tennis, opening it up further to under-represented groups.”

Fellow group member, Miles Daley, said: “I decided to put my name forward as a member of the group because I want to help create a more diverse tennis culture within the UK. The BLM movement highlighted the reality of the struggles that many ethnic minorities face in everyday life, and if we are striving to make change within our society, our sports need to follow suit. I feel as though through my experiences as a player and coach, I could be a voice within a group of people to help move tennis in Britain forward, and towards making positive changes that benefit more people.”