Lead Partner of British Tennis: the first three years

AEGON became the first ever Lead Partner of British Tennis in January 2009. Our sponsorship deal with the LTA meant that, for the first time in this country, one company was involved in supporting British tennis at all levels, from grass-roots programmes to talented players and world-class events like the renamed AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club.

Nearly three years on, we look back at some of the highlights and what we’ve helped to achieve during our partnership.

3 great summers of British tennis

The distinctive blue branding of the AEGON Championships, AEGON Classic and AEGON International – the three highest-profile events we sponsor – is now a familiar sight in the British grass-court season.

And the player fields have continued to go from strength to strength: in 2011, many of the world’s top men chose to warm up for Wimbledon at The Queen’s Club, including Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, while the Williams sisters made an appearance at Eastbourne to delight the crowds.

80 tennis tournaments supported by AEGON each year

But it’s not just the big-name events that we’re involved with. Our sponsorship is helping to support tennis tournaments up and down the country, from schools and club competition through AEGON Team Tennis to the first steps on the professional tour in the AEGON GB Pro-Series. Players and coaches tell us that it’s great to have the professional look of a branded event.

Almost 500 talented British players supported through Team AEGON and AEGON FutureStars

We’ve had lots of reasons to celebrate the success of the two LTA talent programmes we support: Team AEGON for 23 elite players selected by the LTA, and AEGON FutureStars for up-and-coming talent. In the last year alone:

• George Morgan won the prestigious Orange Bowl junior championships and followed it up by winning the boys’ doubles title at Wimbledon with Croatian partner Mate Pavic
• Oliver Golding won the US Open Junior boys’ single title, while Kyle Edmund and George Morgan also reached the semi-finals
• Great Britain’s under 16 boys team of Evan Hoyt, Kyle Edmund and Luke Bambridge won the Junior Davis Cup for the first time ever
• James Ward had a sensational run to the semi-finals of the AEGON Championships, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka and Sam Querrey on the way
• Three British women are currently ranked in the world’s top 100: Heather Watson, Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha, the British no.1 and world no.50.

Over 190 AEGON Parks Tennis sites launched

We understand that the grass roots are the life blood of any sport. So we’re supporting two great initiatives to help more people of all ages to play tennis. Through AEGON Parks Tennis, we’ve helped to make accessible and affordable tennis facilities available to local communities. In the last year, the number of sites has more than doubled to nearly 200.

Over 12,500 AEGON Schools Tennis kits distributed

AEGON Schools Tennis, the second major grass-roots initiative we support, helps to overcome barriers to teaching tennis in schools through the supply of free equipment and unique training materials – including a pupil-facing DVD. The programme, which is delivered by the LTA and the Tennis Foundation, has now reached over 1.5 million children, with over 12,500 kits distributed.

A long-term commitment to tennis

We’re proud to be one of Britain’s biggest sponsors of tennis and to work with the LTA to make a real difference to the sport.
In our type of business, we know it’s important to invest for the long term. That’s why our partnership with the LTA runs for five years and why we’re focused on what we can support now to help bring more benefits for tennis in future.

To find out more about any of these programmes, browse this website or visit the LTA website. Or you can find out more about AEGON and what we do on our company website

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