LTA helping clubs to save thousands of pounds and combat cost of living crisis

The LTA Buying Group, launched in 2020, is aimed at supporting clubs to access the best value from a broad range of approved suppliers. It’s completely free and is another one of the great perks provided through LTA Venue Registration.

We are working in partnership with GMG, specialists in establishing buying-groups within the sports sector, to harness the purchasing power of over 3000 LTA Registered Venues in a bid to win big savings for goods and services needed by tennis and padel clubs.

Iain Lancaster, LTA Club and County Support Manager, who has been working hard to promote the benefit, said, “We know that many tennis clubs are under significant financial pressure, and rather than always trying to generate new revenues, this service looks at ways of easing some of the financial outgoings.  

“GMG have saved grassroots community sports clubs thousands of pounds through their buying group services, and we are working with them to deliver similar cost-savings to tennis clubs.’’

He added, “Your club will be able to access GMG’s network of specialists, who will benchmark your core areas of expenditure against their negotiated rates from their network of approved suppliers providing details of any savings the club could make. GMG will then assist your club in identifying the savings your club wishes to realise and support you in making this happen.’’

Clubs will also be able to access the LTA Buying Group Contracts Manager, which is an easy to use online management tool designed to manage all your service and utility contracts. This tool is a cloud-based portal (online filing cabinet) that enables you to de-clutter and reduce paperwork by storing an unlimited number of contracts, invoices and other pertinent documents securely.

You can drag and drop documents from your desktop, log the contract start and end dates, and – crucially – log the notice period required should you wish to terminate service.

Contracts Manager then gives you a simple ‘traffic light’ system which enables you to see which contracts are approaching a critical date, at a glance. As and when any contract approaches a critical date, the system will send an alert, whereupon the buying group can assist you as to whether to renew, renegotiate, or look elsewhere in the market.

The National Tennis Centre has made huge savings using the tool. It has clawed back in excess of £5,000 on waste for an identical service and bagged nearly £1,000 on the washrooms without even having to switch provider.

Craig Douglas, Operations Manager at the National Tennis Centre said, “The LTA Buying Group have been so helpful over the past year, firstly by getting us a better deal on our washroom service contract, giving us a 20% annual saving.

“They’ve also helped the NTC find and install new electric vehicle charging points and we intend to roll out more.

“Lastly, they have provided us with a competitive quotation for solar panelling which we are seriously considering.’’

Swansea Tennis & Squash Club have projected savings of more than £30,000 thousand pounds on their gas and electricity bills for the coming year. Previously the club spent £20,000 on gas, which after switching to a new supplier six months ago, is now estimated to fall to £9,000 - a saving of 56% - while their electricity bill will hopefully plumet from £33,000 to circa £13,000.

Howard Jones, one of the Club Directors said, “Our club is run by the members and volunteers, so everything relies on them giving up their time. This tool makes it a lot easier for us and cuts down on the effort they have to spend on shopping around and sorting things like bills.

“It was very easy. The LTA Buying Group did all the negotiations, once we had the paperwork in line. We are now looking at using them to save money on other things.’’

Esher Tennis & Padel Club is a friendly community tennis and padel club offering courts and coaching for players of all ages and abilities. This year, the club has made significant savings on their gas and electricity bills by using the new system.

Susannah Maynard, from Esher Tennis Club, said: “The whole process was very easy and efficient. It took a fraction of the time to supply the information needed by the buying team, compared to the time it would have taken to search the market ourselves.

“It was then a matter of a few days before everything was confirmed. The saving across three years is over £11,000. I would highly recommend contacting the buying team if you have any similar requirements.”

Windsor Lawn Tennis Club has made huge savings too – clawing back just over £12,000 on gas and electricity and saving around £800 on their waste collection.  

“We’ve benefitted hugely from the LTA buyers group service; we are delighted to have been offered assistance with finding better deals for the club. We certainly hope to keep receiving this service going forward and look forward to more savings for the club.” said Club Manager, Jack Allen.

The LTA Buying Group can help with expenditure items such as:  

We have also added a Tennis Services page to highlight our commercial partnerships that can help you save money on things like defibrillators, ball machines and our latest partner Tennis Point.