The LTA Pledgeball League sees record engagement in its third year
• 2 MINUTE READ
For the third consecutive year, the LTA partnered with the BBC award-winning charity, Pledgeball, to deliver the LTA Pledgeball League, working with tennis and padel venues across Britain to inspire local community action against the climate crisis, galvanising both participants and clubs to take climate action, accelerating both individual and systemic change.
The LTA Pledgeball League told in numbers:
- Over 3 years 144 different clubs have participated in the LTA Pledgeball League.
- More than 90 different clubs engaged in the 2025 league, a 133% increase on 2024.
- Since beginning in 2023, more than 700 members of LTA registered venues have, together, made nearly 10,000 pledges, with a total of 1,801,319kgCO2 being pledged to be saved.
- The total of CO2 emissions pledged to be saved in the 2025 LTA Pledgeball League is more than twice the total amount pledged in 2023, with the total increasing from 376,739kg CO2 to 756,576kg CO2, which is the equivalent to keeping a court floodlit continuously for more than 43 years!
- The first round of this year’s league saw greater engagement than the entirety of the 2024 LTA Pledgeball League.
The top venue in each of the league’s four rounds received a £250 grant from the LTA, with second place receiving £150 and third place, £100. These grants are to be used for on-site sustainability projects. This could be to support installation of court-side water fountains, a bike rack or energy efficient lighting - anything that helps make venues greener!
One venue who have been greatly involved this year is Ilminster Bowling & Tennis Club, who have secured a grant in each round, including 3 first place finishes!
Thanks to the grant scheme, Ilminster have been able to accelerate the additions of water butts around the site, LED lights in the tennis pavilion, a bug hotel, and provide reusable bottles to their junior members.
In July, Gill Dunn, the Tennis Club chair, said “The £250 from the June win is already being put to good use as work starts soon to replace the car park lighting with LEDs thus providing energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting for both Club users and local residents."
Other stand out venues this year include; Greenwood Park LTC, Redland Green, Victoria Park (Bristol), Elms Lawn Tennis Club.
You can read more about the individual rounds themselves here.
LTA Coaches Pledgeball League
Alongside the LTA Pledgeball League, in 2025 we have also piloted the first LTA Coaches Pledgeball League, specifically designed to engage coaches of the sport and inspire them to take positive action and share the messaging with their players.
For Sophie Butland, an LTA Level 3 Accredited+ coach from Devon, being involved was not a one-off click but the start of a sustained campaign of influence: sharing the message with peers, changing daily habits and bringing sustainability into both her coaching practice and personal life. Her story shows how a single commitment can ripple outward, reshaping culture on court and beyond.
Sophie’s enthusiasm was immediate and contagious, “I thought the LTA Pledgeball initiative was really great and I made sure to share my link with my club members and fellow coaching friends to spread the word and help make them more environmentally aware as well.” That simple act of sharing became a conversation starter, turning a digital pledge into real‑world momentum. When a respected coach like Sophie models change, others notice, discuss and follow, generating a cultural shift.
The coach league engaged more than 20 coaches from across Britain, a powerful result given the position of trust and influence coaches hold in their clubs and communities. When coaches adopt sustainable behaviours, they do more than reduce footprints - they normalise those behaviours for the players and parents who look to them for guidance. Sophie’s leadership in this space was recognised in her claiming first place as well as securing a £350 voucher for ProDirect.
When discussing the influence the LTA Pledgeball Coaches League has had on her, Sophie said, “Personally, it has made me more aware of the environmental impact of my everyday decisions allowing me to become more conscious of how small changes can make a big difference, for example walking to work when possible, choosing to car share or use public transport, recycling at home and always using a reusable water bottle.”
Each choice reduces waste or emissions a little, and together they add up to a meaningful reduction in footprint. Sophie’s example shows that sustainability need not be dramatic to be effective - it simply needs to be consistent.
The initiative has made me more aware of my own decisions but also how everyone’s individual consistent changes can add up to make a big positive impact.
Sophie has also woven sustainability into the fabric of her coaching business, which she started earlier this year. “I made a conscious effort to purchase secondhand equipment to reduce waste. I also make sure to recycle old tennis balls.” Sophie also carshared to multiple coaching courses in Nottingham with a fellow coach from the southwest, cutting travel emissions while strengthening professional ties.
Sophie has not only become more environmentally conscious in her work life but also in her personal life. “I’ve recently joined a local volunteer led community garden where we grow our own fruit and vegetables for the community which has allowed me to learn more about sustainable food growing and its impact.” Sophie’s involvement illustrates how sporting leaders can become civic leaders, translating lessons from coaching into community action that benefits many
Sophie encapsulated the heart of the LTA Pledgeball League’s ambition when she said, “The initiative has made me more aware of my own decisions but also how everyone’s individual consistent changes can add up to make a big positive impact. So spreading the word to ensure others around you are making those changes is also important.”
Venue Project
Engaging closely with venues over the last three years has led to a more intimate project group being developed with some of the most sustainability-enthusiastic LTA registered venues. One of those venues being Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society (EALTS), the oldest surviving lawn tennis club in the world.
Through the support of Pledgeball and the LTA, the team at EALTS have applied for Sport England funding in order to develop their sustainability plans which include; planting up the site to promote biodiversity and make it more climate resilient, potentially in collaboration with Birmingham botanical garden and are also in talks with Circularball, in order to facilitate the recycling of tennis balls both within the club itself and a large number of other venues which they have lined up.
- Other venues involved with the project are Redland Green and Ilminster and Sutton Churches, who are focusing on developing their operational sustainability with the support of both the LTA and Pledgeball.
- The 2025 LTA Pledgeball League was recognized for shortlisted for a BASIS Award.
- The 2026 LTA Pledgeball League will go live in May, play your part and together we can rally for tomorrow.
