LTA collaborates with Deloitte to open up tennis through digital innovation

The LTA and Deloitte today announced the launch of a collaboration to put digital transformation at the heart of the governing body’s work to grow tennis in Great Britain.

The organisations will work together to devise new digital initiatives to support the LTA’s vision of ‘Tennis Opened Up’, encouraging anyone of any age, background or level of fitness to pick-up a racket, with the ultimate aim of growing participation and attracting a new generation of tennis fans.

Deloitte will help to develop and improve the LTA’s digital platforms to ensure that tennis players, coaches, volunteers and fans are easily able to access personalised information on the facilities available, as well as the governing body’s latest content and upcoming events.

The business advisory firm will also run a development programme for LTA Accredited Coaches across Great Britain who wish to further enhance their business skills, supporting them to grow resilient businesses with digital capabilities, while making it easier for coaches to manage their accreditation and access online training modules based on their career objectives.

The organisations will work together to devise new methods of audience engagement during live tennis events, exploring the potential for emerging technologies such as virtual reality to enhance the experience of fans during live tournaments.

Additionally, Deloitte will be working with the LTA to drive inclusivity through web design, constructing and coding existing and new web pages to make the LTA’s website accessible to all. Finally, the LTA and Deloitte will also explore digital solutions to improve the sustainability of the governing body, for instance by making membership cards, tickets and other material available digitally.

Chris Pollard, LTA Head of Strategy & Innovation said: “We are excited to announce this collaboration with Deloitte and will work with them to boost engagement with tennis through new technologies, learning from their expertise in digital transformation.

“For too long, tennis participation numbers have suffered as a result of how difficult it can be to find a court, a coach or someone to play with. Through the launch of these new digital tools, we aim to make booking a tennis court as simple as ordering a takeaway.

“Communication between coaches, parents, schools, volunteers and players will also be as seamless as connecting on social media. As a result, we hope this will open the game up for new players and new communities to experience the benefits of tennis, allowing us to grow the number of people enjoying our sport and its physical and mental health benefits.”

Mark Lillie, global technology strategy and transformation leader at Deloitte, said: "Growing participation in sport will help our society overcome significant challenges, including by improving physical and mental health, building new skills and creating new social opportunities. Tennis is a sport with a fantastic history and we’re looking forward to working with the LTA to ensure that more people can enjoy the benefits of the game in the future. Digital platforms will create new ways for tennis players, coaches and fans to engage with the sport and benefit from the opportunities it brings.”

Tim Bridge, director in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, added: “Through this collaboration, the LTA has the opportunity to act as a pioneer for digital disruption within sport as emerging technologies haven’t yet made a significant impact on the sector. Encouraging a new generation to the tennis court will require more support of clubs, businesses and players themselves to make the most of new technologies available. Working closely with the LTA, we can ensure that new technologies are developed using insight and expertise on the wants, needs and aspirations of the tennis community in mind, boosting adoption and ensuring these tools support the growth of the sport for decades to come.”

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ABOUT THE LTA:

The LTA is the National Governing Body of tennis in Great Britain. We are here to govern and grow tennis, from grassroots participation through to the professional game. Our vision is “Tennis Opened Up” and we’re on a mission to grow tennis by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable. We work with schools, with volunteers, with coaches and with venues across the whole country. We also represent the interests of over 685,000 Members, men and women, girls and boys, playing on more than 23,000 courts. The LTA runs and supports a network of 11,500 approved tournaments for players of all ages, the four corner-stones of which are the premier grass-court events leading up to The Championships, Wimbledon: the Nature Valley Open (at Nottingham), the Nature Valley Classic (at Birmingham), the Fever-Tree Championships (at The Queen’s Club, London) and the Nature Valley International (at Eastbourne). For further information about the LTA and tennis in Britain, visit www.lta.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @the_LTA

About Deloitte
In this press release references to “Deloitte” are references to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”) a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity.

Please see deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.

Deloitte LLP is a subsidiary of Deloitte NSE LLP, which is a member firm of DTTL, and is among the UK's leading professional services firms.

The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.

For more information, please visit www.deloitte.co.uk

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