In 1877
the club was renamed The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club as it hosted the first Lawn Tennis Championships — a gentlemen's singles event. Spencer Gore was the first champion and 200 spectators each paid a shilling to watch the final round.
Today, Wimbledon attracts an attendance
of around 450,000 people and through press, radio and television,
is followed by hundreds of millions around the world. The Club has been situated in Church Road since 1922, and The Championships remain the only Grand Slam event still played on grass.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Church Road
Wimbledon
London SW19 5AE
Tel: +44 (0)20 8944 1066
Membership
of the Club
The Club has 375 full members plus a number of honorary
members, including past singles champions and people
who have rendered distinguished service to the game. In addition
there are about 100 temporary members who are elected from
year to year. These members are active players who are in a position
to make regular use of the Club and to play in Club matches
during their period of membership.
One reason for the restriction
in numbers is that membership carries with it the right to
purchase two tickets for each day of The Championships and
if the membership were increased it would cut down the allocation
of tickets available to the public.
Club Colours
The present Club colours — dark green and purple — were introduced
in 1909 following the discovery that the previous Club colours
of blue, yellow, red and green were almost identical to those
of the Royal Marines.
The decision as to why dark green and
purple were chosen is not stated in the Club's records.
Club Grounds
The Club grounds consist of 19 grass courts (including the
Centre Court and No. 1 Court), five red shale courts, three
Continental clay courts, one American clay court and five
indoor courts, (two Greenset Velvelux and three Greenset Trophy).
As part of the Club's Long Term Plan the ground is constantly being improved. Court No.12 has been demolished and Court No.11 has been reconstructed for use in this year's Championship.
Also an experimental SoftB hard court
has been laid down.
In Aorangi Park there are 22 grass courts
used for practice before and during The Championships and two acrylic
courts. The total area, including the Club's car parks, covers
over 42 acres.
Use of Courts
Apart from the Centre and No. 1 Courts, the courts are used
year round by Club members and LTA sponsored players. The
grass courts are in play from May to September, except Centre
Court and No. 1 Courtm, which are used only for The Championships.
The courts are occasionally used by a number of clubs and
organisations for the staging of various events and tournaments.
Davis Cup ties take place at the
Club occasionally, the last contest was between Great Britain
and Austria on No. 1 Court in September 2008.
The Wightman
Cup — a team tennis tournament for women contested between 1923 and 1989 — was held at the Club for the final time in 1972.
Croquet
Croquet was not provided for when the Club moved to its present
Church Road ground. It was next played in September 1953 when
a match was arranged with the Croquet Association to mark
Coronation Year. In 1957 the present lawn was laid down but
this is not full-size. Competitive play is restricted to Club
tournaments.
Club Staff
The permanent members of the office staff consist of the Chief
Executive, Championships Director, Financial Director, Marketing
Director, Director of Television, Information Technology Director,
Club Secretary and 41 other administrative staff.
Including
the Head Groundsman, there are 15 permanent members of the
ground staff and a team of 32 maintenance staff including
the Buildings and Services Manager. The Dressing Rooms have
a staff of four while 13 full- and part-time staff are assigned
to the Members' Dining Room.
There are four members of staff at the Club's Raynes Park
sports ground. A staff of four, including a Project Co-ordinator
and Head of Projects and Development, are engaged in the Long
Term Plan.
A number of temporary staff support the Club in the busiest
periods.
THE ALL ENGLAND LAWN TENNIS & CROQUET
CLUB
Patron
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
President
H.R.H. THE DUKE OF KENT, K.G., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., A.D.C.
Vice-Presidents
AIR CHIEF MARSHAL SIR BRIAN K. BURNETT, G.C.B.,
D.F.C., A.F.C., R.A.F. (Ret’d.), J.E. BARRETT M.B.E., THE RT. HON. LORD CARR OF HADLEY,
P.C., J.A.H. CURRY, C.B.E., AIR VICE-MARSHAL, E.L. FRITH, C.B., R.A.F.
(Ret’d.), SIR RONALD HAMPEL, M.P. HANN, P. JACKSON, C.B.E., PROFESSOR
B.G. NEAL, B.N.A. WEATHERILL, C.B.E.
Chairman
T.D. PHILLIPS, C.B.E.
Committee
P.G.H. Brook, J.S. Dunningham, R.M. Gradon,
I.L. Hewitt, Miss D.A. Jevans, Mrs. A.S. Jones M.B.E., Professor M.A
King, Mr. T.H. Henman O.B.E., G.W. Newton, J.C. Tatum,
K.F. Weatherley.
Trustees
P.H.C. Moys, B.N.A. Weatherill C.B.E. |
