British insurance company Aegon, which is the title sponsor of most of the country's ATP and WTA grass-court events, plans to drop its position as the British LTA's leading partner.
The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) will not look for a sponsor like Aegon, instead opting to go in another direction. It will split the commitment into two smaller parts—the title sponsorship for the ATP 500 event at Queen's Club, and a leading partner sponsorship of the LTA's grassroots programs.
The title sponsorship of Queen's Club is also currently tied to sponsorship of the ATP and WTA events in Nottingham, Birmingham and Eastbourne, in addition to other LTA events. Since the agreement with Aegon, Queen's Club has moved up from a 250 to a 500-level event, which is likely to increase the value of the title sponsorship position.
The LTA will look for another, smaller lead partner to help with its efforts to increase participation.
"This isn't about conventional sponsorship,” LTA commercial director James Mercer said in an interview with PRWeek. “This is about a partnership to get more people to play tennis more often. "...We’re looking for a lead partner who shares in our ambition to inspire people nationwide to be more active, and will embrace the opportunity to grow the game across all places to play, from schools to parks to clubs."
The LTA also has several other smaller sponsorship agreements with other companies.