Latest news with #AELTC
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Wimbledon expansion faces fierce resistance as campaigners raise £200000 for legal fight
Wimbledon expansion faces fierce resistance as campaigners raise £200000 for legal fight (Image via Getty) Opposing the plans of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which presents the Wimbledon tennis event, a local campaign group of Londoners has raised £200,000. Approved in September 2023, the strategy is to construct an 8,000-seat stadium and 39 tennis courts on designated ground at Wimbledon Park. Not everyone is on board. Trees being cut, possible flooding, and damage to the environment worry several local citizens. Now, a court will decide if the approval process was fair. The review will happen in early July. Wimbledon campaigners ignite major protest after raising £200000 to stop stadium project In London, a group called Save Wimbledon Park has raised £200,000 for a legal battle. They want to stop AELTC's expansion in Wimbledon Park. This money will be used for a judicial review, which is set to happen in July 2025. It will check if the decision to approve the plan was done correctly by Merton Council and the Greater London Authority. The land where AELTC wants to build was once a private golf course. The club bought it for £65 million in 2018. Plans for the new courts and stadium were submitted in 2021. Though Merton Council approved, Wandsworth Council denied them. The Greater London Authority also gave the green light later in September 2023. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Campaigner Christopher Coombe said, 'We have massive public support. Over 22,000 people signed a petition. This land should stay green and open for everyone.' Simon Wright and Susan Cusack warn about pollution and tree loss Campaign members Simon Wright and Susan Cusack say the plans could harm the environment. They are worried about 300 trees being cut and 500 more being moved. Cusack said the digging work would release large amounts of carbon into the air. 'Each court uses 105 tonnes of concrete,' she said. Wright added, 'Over the next 8 to 10 years, about 44,000 lorries will pass by local schools. This will hurt air quality and children's health.' AELTC chair Debbie Jevans said they are taking care to reduce the impact. She also said, 'Most of the park will be open to the public forever. This project is good for the sport and the community.' Also Read: Wimbledon Prize Money Increased To Record 44.7 Million Pounds Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Campaigners raise £200k to fight Wimbledon tennis expansion plans
A campaign group fighting plans to expand the home of Wimbledon tennis has raised £200,000 for an upcoming judicial were approved last September for the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) - which runs the world-famous tournament - to build 39 tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on protected open land on Wimbledon which owns the land, argues its development will open up a part of the park that it says was "inaccessible to the public for almost a century" however Save Wimbledon Park has concerns around the environmental impact. The judicial review, set to be held early in July, is to rule on if the way the decision was made was procedurally unfair or irrational. 'Pinnacle of the sport' AELTC leased the land to a private golf club until 2018. The tennis club wants to build the courts on land opposite its current site so that qualifying matches for the tournament can be played there. Currently, those matches take place about three-and-a-half miles (5.6km) away at Roehampton's Community Sports Centre. That site can cater for about 2,000 spectators a day, whereas the new development could host up to 10,000 meaning the grounds as a whole could see up to 50,000 visitors per other three Grand Slams - the Australian, French, and US Opens - all hold qualifying matches on site alongside the main development would also represent an upgrade in facilities for the Jevans, chair of the AELTC, said: "We are already very tight of space. "We want to be able to match what other Grand Slams do to maintain Wimbledon at the pinnacle of the sport."She added: "We always talk about history and tradition with Wimbledon but we need to evolve and embrace this area, which was a private golf course, and deliver economic benefits both locally and nationally." 'Public want us to fight this' Plans to expand the site were first put forward in December 2018, when AELTC's £65m bid to buy the land was approved by the Wimbledon Park Golf Club members, who used to play on the site. In 2021, a planning application for the scheme was sent to both Merton and Wandsworth councils. It was refused by Wandsworth but accepted by case then went to the Greater London Authority (GLA), which approved it last September."We have massive public support, who really want us to fight this," said Christopher Coombe from Save Wimbledon Park."The Supreme Court has now made it clear that local authorities need to look after public land like this and do the right thing, in the right way. Merton failed to do that."He added: "We all love the tennis. They do a great job across the road - they don't need to be here as well. We have had 22,000 petitioners, 1,100 separate donations to our fighting fund and serious local support from all the councillors and the MPs."But Ms Jevans said she was confident with the plans it put to the GLA. "When the court assesses them, they'll be able to see the due diligence we've gone through," she said. AELTC said it recently conducted a survey of about 10,000 residents in Merton and Wandsworth which found support had increased from 50% to 62% in the last six said the strongest support was among residents aged under 44, with 74% in this group in favour of the plans. The strongest reasons cited for supporting the project was its "commitment to protecting and enhancing local green spaces", it added. "The environmental impact is to the benefit, the biodiversity gain is 10%," she said. But many are concerned the project would cause an increase in flood risk as well as the loss of wildlife, trees and open spaces."If the plans go through, there is still the possibility this entire 73 acres would be dug up to a depth between one and nine metres, 300 trees would be felled, 500 further trees uprooted, releasing 500,000kg of carbon into the atmosphere," said Susan Cusack from Save Wimbledon Park."Every single grass tennis court takes 105 tonnes of concrete and eight millimeters of heavily pesticised grass on top. It's about 5% organic material, so the only "green" thing about a tennis court is the colour."Simon Wright, also a member of Save Wimbledon Park, said: "We are looking at about 44,000 lorry movements over eight to 10 years. The results on air quality are going to be disastrous. "We've already done the work that shows the routes the lorries will take will be going past primary schools and nurseries at a time when we are much more aware of how air pollution affects young lungs."But Ms Jevans said that they would be "bringing a lot of the equipment necessary on site, so there is less back and forth - there are more 493 buses going up and down the road than there will be lorries." The AELTC made a covenant - a formal agreement - when they bought the land in Wimbledon Park in 1993 that they would not build on Jevans insists that covenant should not prevent their planned development."A covenant is fundamentally to protect the public interest and what we are now doing is very much in the public interest," said Ms Jevans. "We are able to demonstrate ably the benefits to the community and environment in repurposing the land."Mr Wright disagrees."This case has huge significance. AELTC are trying to build on Metropolitan Open Land (MOL), that is the same as green belt. "If they are allowed to build, that sets a really bad precedent for the other 50 MOL sites in the London area." Mr Wright added he had further concerns regarding the use of the park."AELTC are talking about creating a new park, but the majority of this land is going to be permissive access. It will only be open when AELTC permit it to be open."This is the only Grand Slam which is run by a private members' club. There is no public scrutiny, there is no governance. We think it's wrong that a private members' club is allowed to have such a negative effect on so many people's lives for two weeks a year."Responding, Ms Jevans said: "Most of the park will be open in perpetuity to the public."There will be no hotel, no railway station, just a 23-acre public park."She added: "I don't dismiss people's concerns and respect their point of view. I want to ensure the basis of their concerns is based on facts." Aside from the judicial review, a separate court case is scheduled for January which will determine whether the land is protected by a statutory trust for public court action has been brought by AELTC which believes no such protection the court finds against them it's unlikely they could proceed with their current plans.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Man who displayed ‘fixated behavior' toward Emma Raducanu applied for Wimbledon tickets
The man who was given a restraining order for displaying fixated behavior toward Emma Raducanu attempted to buy tickets for this year's Wimbledon. Raducanu was reduced to tears mid-match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, having been stopped by the man at a coffee shop the previous day, where he gave her a letter and asked for a photo. She had also seen him at numerous other events in the preceding few weeks. Advertisement The same man has since tried to get tickets for Wimbledon through the public ballot, as first reported by the BBC. But following the incident in Dubai, tournament organizers did a sweep of applicants and his application was removed. The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts Wimbledon, works with a range of organizations to keep players safe. They include the Metropolitan Police Service, National Counter Terrorism Security Office, National Protective Security Authority, and tennis organizations like the WTA and ATP tours. It also works with Theseus Fixated Risk Management, which specializes in identifying and dealing with obsessive individuals; there are former Metropolitan Police officers in the Wimbledon security team. In addition, the tournament employs behavioral detection officers, who specialize in picking up on crowd members acting suspiciously. Following the Raducanu incident in Dubai and Iga Świątek being confronted during a practice session at the Miami Open in March, player safety has been front of mind in tennis — especially on the WTA Tour. At the pre-Wimbledon media briefing last week, AELTC chief executive Sally Bolton said that 'the safety and wellbeing of all the players is our absolute top priority. 'The recent incidents coming to light have certainly been recognized, the concern that's been generated by that. But we have in place and have had for many years processes for ensuring the safety of our players and that's in liaison with law enforcement agencies, specialist security teams. We liaise with both tours. And that is year round, that's not just in preparation for the championships. 'And it's a bit like the broader security for the grounds. We are putting in place measures that are reflective of the threat and risk profile at the time, but it's absolutely a top priority for us. We probably wouldn't at this point comment on any details in respect of any individual athlete, but that intelligence is being gathered working with those other parties throughout the year to make sure that we've got the right measures in place come the championships.' Raducanu welcomed this commitment and said in a news conference last week: 'I think feeling safe, feeling secure is extremely important. I think, you know, playing at home, there is heightened tension. But for me, whenever I played at Wimbledon, I felt very well protected, very safe. I'm looking forward to going there, and I don't think, yeah, I will feel much of a difference.' Advertisement Another man was given a five-year restraining order three years ago, after he walked 23 miles to Raducanu's family home. A couple of weeks after the Dubai incident, Raducanu told reporters that: 'In England it's pretty difficult for me to go out and about. Sometimes I've had neck pain from looking at the floor so much with a cap on.' Raducanu is not competing this week as she looks to shake off an ongoing back issue that hampered her during last week's quarterfinal defeat to Zheng Qinwen at the HSBC Championships. She is confident of being fit to play in next week's Lexus Eastbourne Open, ahead of Wimbledon, which starts Mon. June 30. Raducanu, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, reached the fourth round at the All England Club last year.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon lifts prize pot to £53.5m but tells players more money is no quick fix
The All England Club has insisted that it has listened to the complaints of leading tennis players regarding prize money but it believes the solution to player issues lies in greater changes to the structure of the sport. The prize money fund for the 2025 championships, which begin on 30 June, will rise to £53.5m, a 7% increase on last year and double the amount awarded in 2015. The men's and women's champions will receive £3m at this year's edition, while players who lose in the first round will earn £66,000. Advertisement Related: Top 750 WTA players to receive protected ranking for fertility procedures 'If you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year,' said Debbie Jevans, the chair of the All England Club (AELTC), speaking at Wimbledon's annual pre-event media briefing. 'We have listened to the players. We have engaged with the players.' In April, the vast majority of the top 20 men's and women's players sent a letter to the grand slam tournaments requesting an increase in prize money and arguing they should be entitled to a greater share of the significant revenues generated by the events. 'Sally [Bolton, the AELTC chief executive] had a meeting in Paris, as did I, with a number of them,' Jevans said. 'What I think is important, which of course has been discussed with them, the focus on just the prize money at the four events, ie grand slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is for tennis. The challenge with tennis is the fact that players don't have an off-season, which they want, they have increasing injuries that they are speaking about. We have always said that we as Wimbledon are willing to engage and talk with the tours to try and find solutions and that door remains open.' Advertisement According to Jevans, the players left their meetings with an understanding of the perspective of the All England Club. 'I think as a player, having been one, I know you always look at what the prize money is,' she said. 'But when you sit down and have the time to talk to them and explain, they do understand that the opportunities that will flow if we're able to change the whole structure of the calendar, there is a bigger picture out there.' The Wimbledon organisers also defended the decision to move the starts of the men's and women's singles finals two hours later to 4pm despite the potential for a late finish in the former. On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz's sensational five-set win over Jannik Sinner in the French Open final on Sunday took five hours and 29 minutes. 'As we thought about the reasons why we want to do it, it's about ensuring an improved experience for all involved,' said Bolton. 'Whether that's the doubles finalists having greater certainty over their schedule, whether it's the fans having the opportunity to experience a day which builds to the crescendo of the singles finals or ensuring that we have our champions crowned in front of the widest possible audience.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon increases prize money after players called for improvements in revenue distribution
Wimbledon is raising its prize money by 7% for this year's championship, bumping the total up to 53.5 million pounds ($72.59 million). On Thursday, the All England Lawn Tennis Club announced a significant increase, which has nearly doubled the $40.60 million prize money from 2015. Singles champions will see an 11.1% increase from last year, when Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova won the men's and women's singles titles. This year's victors of the individual tournaments will receive the highest prize across all Grand Slam competitions, a staggering 3 million pounds ($4.07 million). Advertisement Players who are eliminated in the first round of singles competition will see a 10% increase from last year, while doubles prize money goes up 4.4%, mixed doubles 4.3% and wheelchair and quad wheelchair 5.6%. Wimbledon made the adjustments after athletes campaigned for improvements in the Grand Slam prize money to ensure a more impartial revenue distribution. AELTC chair Deborah Jevans said, per ESPN, that the club "Listened to the players. We have engaged with the players. "But the focus on just the prize money at the four events, the Grand Slams, does not get to the heart of what the challenge is with tennis," Jevans added. "The challenge with tennis is the fact that the players don't have an offseason, which they want; they have increasing injuries that they're speaking about." Jevans also noted how Wimbledon is willing to work with the tours to continue working toward better compensation for the athletes. Advertisement The Wimbledon Championships will start on June 30 and run through July 13. Apart from paying the players more, AELTC is taking more steps to improve the Wimbledon experience this year. First, the tournament is moving when finals games are played. The club said the doubles finals on July 12 and 13 would start at 1 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET), while the singles finals begin at 4 p.m. local time. Additionally, this year's tournament will be the first to feature the electronic line-calling system over line judges. According to AELTC CEO Sally Bolton, "the time is right to move on" from the old system and join other tournaments using modern technology. "They're extra eyes and ears, the assistant to the chair umpire. We've got about 80 of those across the Championships," Bolton said, per ESPN. "They'll also provide one of the parts of our resilience in the event that the electronic line calling system goes down at any point in time."
