2 April 2009

The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc (“AELTG”), owner of the grounds at which the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships are staged, has announced that it is issuing up to 2,500 Centre Court debentures at a price of £27,750 each for the five years 2011-2015 inclusive.  The issue is expected to raise net proceeds of approximately £59.5 million.

The 2009 Championships will be the first with a retractable roof over Centre Court.  When in use, the roof is designed to ensure that tennis can be played and viewed in adverse weather during the summer.  The AELTG has invested significantly in the restaurant and bar areas exclusively for the use of Centre Court debenture holders.  The redevelopment of Centre Court has enabled the AELTG to improve the quality of the seating with the installation of wider, upholstered seats and, since 2006, the seating capacity has increased to approximately 15,000.

Debentures were first introduced in 1920 to finance the purchase of part of the company’s present grounds and buildings and the construction of Centre Court.  Since then, proceeds from subsequent debenture issues have provided funding for many significant improvements to the facilities at the grounds. 

A Centre Court debenture confers the right to one reserved seat on Centre Court for every day of The Championships for the five-year period covered.

Picture shows: Wimbledon's new Centre Court retractable roof nears completion (12 March 2009)

Click here for high resolution image (7mb). Please credit AELTC.

This is an advertisement, not a prospectus. Investors should not subscribe for any Debentures referred to in this advertisement, except on the basis of the information published in the prospectus issued in connection with the Debenture Issue dated 31 March 2009 (the “Prospectus”). This advertisement is issued by The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc (the “Company”) and approved solely for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by Hawkpoint Partners Limited (“Hawkpoint”), authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and financial adviser to the Company.  Hawkpoint is acting exclusively for the Company in connection with the Debenture Issue and no one else, and will not regard any other person as its customer or be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to customers of Hawkpoint or for advising any such person in relation to the Debenture Issue. Application should only be made on the basis of the Prospectus. No application is to be made for the Debentures to be admitted to the Official List of the London Stock Exchange plc or to the Alternative Investment Market. Investment in an unquoted Debenture of this nature, being an illiquid investment, is speculative, involving a degree of risk. It may be difficult to sell or realise Debentures or to obtain reliable information about their value or the risks to which they are exposed. The Debentures are an unsecured debt of the Company and their value may increase or decrease. The Debentures do not carry the right to any income. If you sell a Debenture, you may receive less than you paid for it. The Debentures may not be a suitable investment for all recipients of this document. If you are in any doubt as to the action you should take, you should consult an independent financial adviser authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 who specialises in advising on the acquisition of shares and other securities.  Neither this letter nor the Prospectus constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, Debentures in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful and such documents are not being mailed or otherwise distributed or sent in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan.

Click here to view the prospectus