Wimbledon remains virtually the only major UK sporting event for which one can still buy premium tickets on the day.
Each day approximately 500 Centre (not the last 4 days), No.1 and No.2 Court tickets, which could be sold out in advance, are specifically reserved for sale at the turnstiles, along with ground tickets. Wimbledon tickets can be legitimately obtained in the following ways:
In advance
The main proportion of Centre, No.1 and No.2 Court tickets is available to the general and tennis-playing public via the annual public ballot and the various allocations administered by the LTA. Owing to huge demand for Wimbledon tickets, the public ballot (introduced in 1924) is still regarded as the fairest way to distribute show court tickets. It is open to everyone and has always been substantially oversubscribed.
Public ballot (including the ballot for Wheelchair spaces on Centre and No.1 Courts)
To obtain an application form, applicants should send a stamped addressed envelope to The All England Lawn Tennis Club, PO Box 98, London SW19 5AE (from 1 August but before 15 December 2007). Requests for forms postmarked after 15 December will not be processed. Applicants should specify if they require a form for the Wheelchair Ballot.
Completed forms must be returned to the Ticket Office before 31 December 2007. Applications postmarked after this date will not be included in the ballot.
On the day
Daily tickets and admission
All on-day sales are through the turnstiles at Gate 3 in Church Road.
Approximately 500 tickets for Centre Court reserved seats are available each day for purchase at the turnstiles, EXCEPT for the last four days on Centre Court which are pre-sold. Tickets are not sold on the day for the last four days because of the inherent control and safety problems associated with very large crowds in multiple queues in a residential area for that length of time. This policy was introduced (1982) at the local residents' request when a Sunday finish was first scheduled.
Approximately 500 No.1 Court seat tickets are available each day at the turnstiles.
Approximately 500 No.2 Court seat tickets are available each day at the turnstiles only for as many days as a full programme of matches can be maintained.
Approximately 6000 ground tickets are available each day for purchase at the turnstiles. The actual number sold each day will depend on factors such as the number of people already in the grounds, the number of courts in play and the weather. Ground tickets entitle use of the free-standing enclosure on No. 2 Court and unreserved seating and standing round Courts 3-19.
Hospitality: Individual, corporate, Club and official licensed agents
Less than 10% of Centre and No.1 Court tickets are allocated to all forms of hospitality.
These tickets are available only through the Club and its official licensed agents Keith Prowse plc (for all territories including North America) and Sportsworld Group.
The money generated by such hospitality is a valuable element of the annual surplus that is reinvested in tennis by the LTA and helps to subsidise other tickets.
Other allocations
Tickets are also allocated amongst others to the British Schools Tennis Association, the LTA Advantage membership scheme, overseas tennis federations/associations for distribution to their affiliated clubs etc and other organisations with special claims, eg the two player associations. Club members and LTA councillors are able to purchase a limited number of tickets.
There are 2300 Debenture seats on Centre Court and 850 on No.1 Court. These Debenture Holders receive their tickets as of right (see separate Media Information Sheet on Debentures).
Anti-tout measures
In September 1990 measures were introduced to minimise the black market sale of tickets:
To prevent tickets destined for genuine tennis fans from being redirected to the highest bidder.
To curb the black market in Wimbledon tickets, particularly with regard to unofficial corporate hospitality companies who acquire tickets from this source.
Under these conditions all Wimbledon tickets, apart from Debentures Holders' that are clearly marked, will only be valid if sold either by The All England Lawn Tennis Club or by one of its licensed and authorised agents. Unauthorised sale or transfer of tickets immediately invalidates them.
The Club takes active steps to monitor and control sales including those made via shops and more recently, internet sites (such as eBay). Sellers of non-Debenture tickets will be contacted and injunctions taken out against those who do not cooperate and act contrary to the Club's ticket policy.
Where the details of tickets being advertised for sale are known, the tickets are cancelled meaning that the purchasers will not gain entry to The Championships.
Resale of used tickets
Every effort is made to ensure that seat tickets that are no longer needed are made available for resale to people already within the grounds. Original ticket holders are asked to put unwanted tickets in special red boxes for collection by the Honorary Stewards or, if wishing to retain them as souvenirs, to have the bar codes scanned on leaving the grounds so that a new ticket may be generated.
Since 1954, money raised from returned tickets has been donated to charity. In the last 10 years over £1/2 million has been raised, including the total of £81,615 (net of VAT) raised in 2006. The charities benefiting in the 2007 Championships are SPARKS (Sport Aiding medical Research for Kids), The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust and local charities as decided by the Mayors of Merton and Wandsworth.
Distribution
Demand for Wimbledon tickets has exceeded supply for much of The Championships' history.
Wimbledon's policy has always been to ensure that in allocating tickets a fair and equitable balance is achieved between all elements. Current policy is based on the following principles:
The number of tickets allocated to the public should be protected to ensure access for genuine tennis and Wimbledon fans.
Even though all tickets could be sold in advance, a number of prime tickets should be reserved from the public allocation and made available for sale on the day (making Wimbledon one of the last remaining major sporting events in the UK to offer on-day sales).
Debentures should continue to be offered so as to fund the continual upgrading of the facilities.
An allocation of less than 10% of Centre and No.1 Court seats should be reserved for the official hospitality market.
Money raised from all ticket sales contributes to the surplus that is passed annually to The Lawn Tennis Association for investment in the British game.
Wimbledon believes that the existing allocations represent a fair balance of all interests. In 2006, these were:
Allocation
Information
Centre Court
No.1 Court
Public
Includes the annual public ballot, tennis players/members in LTA-affiliated tennis clubs across Great Britain, and on-day sales.
52%
71%
Debentures
Introduced in 1922 to finance the purchase of the new ground in Church Road. The money raised from Debentures has enabled facilities at The Championships to be improved without reducing the annual surplus passed to the LTA. Recent projects such as the Millennium Building, new No.1 Court, the Broadcast Centre and the Aorangi Picnic terrace have transformed the grounds for the benefit of all visitors.
17%
7%
Hospitality
Hospitality, both private and corporate, is provided by the Club and its official licensed agents. The money generated by such hospitality is a valuable element of the annual surplus, which is reinvested in tennis by the LTA and helps to subsidise other tickets.
9%
7%
Others
Includes schools, players, press, photographers and television, the Royal Box, officials, All England Club members, representatives of domestic and overseas tennis associations, etc.
22%
15%
100%
100%
Ticket allocations for other courts
Ground tickets bought at the turnstiles allow spectators access to top class action on courts 2-19. In 2006, 99,617 were sold representing around 22% of Wimbledon's total gate of 447,126.
Cancellation of Play due to Rain - Ticket Refund Policy
Applies to all 13 scheduled days of The Championships, including the final Sunday.
If there is less than one hour's play because of rain on the court for which tickets have been bought, the original purchasers of the tickets for that court on that day will be refunded with the amount which they paid for those tickets - the maximum refund payable will be the face value of the tickets for the day concerned.
Purchasers of ground passes at the turnstiles (except those purchased after 5 p.m.) will be eligible for a full refund if there is less than one hour's play on any of Courts 2-19 inclusive.
If there is more than one hour's play, but less than two hours' play, refunds will be limited to half the amount paid.
The Referee's decision on how much play has taken place will be final.
Only the original purchasers are eligible for refunds under this policy. Refunds will be paid out automatically for tickets bought in advance, but tickets bought at the Club's turnstiles (prior to 5pm only) should be returned to: The Ticket Office, The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, "Raincheck", PO Box 98, London SW19 5AE.
In view of the numbers that could be involved, spectators are asked not to call at the Club's Ticket Office or to telephone the Club.
Tickets bought at the Ticket Resale kiosk are not covered by this policy as the money is passed to charity.
Separate terms and conditions apply a) to Debenture Holders as notified by The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc and b) to any extra days of play.
SEAT TICKET PRICES
CENTRE COURT
NO.1 COURT
NO.2 COURT
£
£
£
1st Week
Monday
36
34
27
Tuesday
36
34
27
Wednesday
45
42
32
Thursday
45
42
32
Friday
54
50
36
Saturday
54
50
36
2nd Week
Monday
62
57
40
Tuesday
62
57
31
Wednesday
72
65
28
Thursday
72
43
-
Friday
80
29
-
Saturday
80
27
-
Sunday
87
24
-
ON THE DAY GROUND TICKET PRICES
To 5pm (£)
After 5pm (£)
Days 1-5
18
12
Day 6 - middle Saturday
18
12
Day 7
18
12
Days 8 & 9
16
11
Day 10
15
11
Days 11 & 12
14
10
Day 13
8
5
Ticket Resales: Resale tickets will be sold for charity at £5.00. Not before 3.00pm and subject to availability.
Provisional match schedule for the 2007 Championships
The provisional schedule of matches for the second week of the 2007 Championships is as follows: