British
Tennis Membership
The LTA has announced that it is
offering all members of LTA affiliated clubs the chance to join British
Tennis Membership for FREE in 2008. Membership
commences in March 2008. The current LTA Advantage Club is being discontinued
so any existing members will need to register for the new scheme. Details of
the new scheme are on the LTA website www.lta.org.uk.
There is a link on the home page of the LTA website to click on, to get details,
as well as an application form that can be submitted electronically or printed
off in hard copy to be posted. Full details are not yet available but it is possible
that, from 2009, only LTA members will be able to apply for Wimbledon tickets.
Despite the fact that the new scheme is still developing it can only
be good for individuals and the club for as many members as possible
to register. Please
note if you are a family, every person has to register individually. To encourage
people to register promptly the LTA is entering those who sign up by 31 December
2007 into a free draw to win tickets for a day out at Wimbledon during the Championships.
See www.lta.org.uk/BritishTennisMembership
BRITISH TENNIS MEMBERSHIP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. BENEFITS
What do I receive as an adult member? A variety of benefits will be on offer
as part of your membership package. For £25, or free to affiliated club
members, your membership will entitle you to; Monthly e-newsletter with all the
latest news from British tennis LTA player rating Discounts from our sponsors
and partners like Tennis Gallery and ExSportise
Membership loyalty card E-notifications of competitions taking place
in your area Access to the LTA’s special online members-only are, with easy to
use tools to enter competitions, check your competition profile and find out
how your rivals are doing Top tips from coaches and players Entry into the Wimbledon
ballot, either via your club or the centrally run ballot by the LTA Discounts
on pre-Wimbledon events like Eastbourne, Nottingham Open, Surbiton Entry to prize
draws for Grand Slam Tennis Tour Trips In addition, you can purchase a selection
of add-on packages to tailor your membership programme to your own interests
and needs, for example, subscribe to ACE and British Tennis magazines at a discounted
rate of £35, or sign up to the International Events package for just £30.
More information can be found at www.lta.org.uk/membership What do I receive
as a junior member? All juniors aged eight or under will be offered free membership,
as will children of all ages who belong to an affiliated club.
If you are aged 9-17 years old and don’t belong to an affiliated club,
you can purchase membership for just £5 per year. As well as the benefits
received as part of adult membership, you will enjoy… Juniors website
content A parent guide included in every junior starter pack Winter and summer
tournaments guide available online and by request For the first time, if you
are aged nine or over you can be entered into the Wimbledon ballot. It costs
just an extra £10 (free to affiliated club members) to add this onto your
core package. More information can be found at www.lta.org.uk/membership What
add-on packages are available? a) ACE and British Tennis magazines
For just £35 extra per year, subscribe to ACE and British Tennis magazines….Enjoy
an exclusive 10% discount to ACE and British Tennis magazines. ACE is Britain’s
award winning tennis magazine.
Published 11 times a year, it is packed full of interviews with the biggest names
in tennis, the best coaching advice to improve your own game, the latest products
and equipment, reviews on some of the best tennis resorts around the world, plus
latest tour reports, player rankings and much more! British Tennis Magazine is
the all-you-need-to-know guide about what’s happening in the domestic game
and includes regular British player news, tour reports and regular updates about
the benefits of being a British Tennis member. b) International Events
For an additional £30 per year, adult members can enjoy exclusive access
to discounts on your favourite events around the world through our partner, Grand
Slam Tennis Tours, the world’s leading tennis tour operator.
Members who sign up for the International Events package before April 1, 2008
will be eligible to win a 2008 US Open tour package! A 15% discount on up to
12 international tennis events per year equating to £260 in savings per
trip or over £3,000 if you go on 12 trips Tailor-made packages available
for the Australian, US, Italian and French Opens, Davis Cup, and many more Access
to court side tickets Accommodation in top hotels around the world Opportunity
to play at the Grand Slam Tennis Academy in the USA Entry to a ballot for French
Artois tickets
The chance to dine with top tennis stars Tours of the world’s greatest
tennis facilities Ongoing offers and specials from Grand Slam Tennis Tours How
do the benefits work? Do I have to buy everything at once? British Tennis Membership
and the add-on packages are now available for purchase in preparation for when
the scheme launches in March.
In March, you will receive your membership pack in the post which will
include your membership card and exclusive membership number so that
you can enjoy the benefits on offer and our member-only website. Members
of affiliated clubs: If you are a member of an affiliated club and
sign up for core membership after March 1st, your free core package
will last until 28th February 2009. Any add-on’s
purchased post 1st March will last for 12 months from the date of purchase. If
you are not a member of an affiliated club:
If you purchase your membership and add-on before March, they will all last for
12 months from March 1st. If you purchase membership post March 1st, your membership
will last for 12 months from that date of purchase. Any add-on’s purchased
post March 1st will also last 12 months from date of purchase.
To qualify for the 2008 Wimbledon ballot, you must purchase your core membership
package before March 1st 2008 for your name to be entered into the ballot. Please
note, you are able to purchase your add-on packages at any time, once you have
signed up to your core membership. Simply re-visit the website or call 0845
873 7202.
The benefits are all designed for people who want to compete…what about
those of us who are social players and just enjoy the game, there doesn’t
seem to be much on offer for us? We have designed
British Tennis Membership with a variety of audiences in mind, so there should
be something for everyone, whether you like to play, watch or compete. For the
more social players, the monthly e-newsletter will provide up to date news on
the tennis community so that you feel part of the British Tennis family. You
will be entered into the Wimbledon ballot, club leagues and ladders, as well
as receive information on discounts and offers on pre-Wimbledon events and via
our partners such as Grand Slam Tennis Tours, Tennis Gallery.
2. PACKAGE QUESTIONS
I don’t want a rating/online access/another benefit – can I get a
discount? No, the core package is a set cost with the exception of non affiliated
adult members who are able to opt out of the Wimbledon ballot for a reduced cost
of £15 rather than £25.
Can I buy an add-on package without buying the core package? You firstly need
to buy the core package in order to be able to buy the add-on packages, with
the exception of ACE Magazine which can be purchased on its own if you wish.
For more information about this please contact British Tennis Membership services
on 0845 873 7202.
3. FAMILY RELATED QUESTIONS
What happened to the family membership? In the new scheme all family members
will need to take up their own membership packages. One of the reasons for this
change is that the previous family membership was not working fairly: we found
in our research that 50% of individuals holding a family membership have no children
under 18 in their family. We have designed the British TennisMembership programme
to have a very low price (£5) for children under 18 and free to eights
and under, and will be doing everything we can to bring junior members into the
programme.
Data protection law also requires each individual to give consent directly to
us to enable us to communicate with them in the future. We also need each
individual to agree to the Terms & Conditions of British Tennis Membership.
How do I link myself to a member of my family? If you would like to be linked
on our system to another member of your family, please call our Membership services
on 0845 873 7202 who will be able to record the information. How do I ensure
I get mail or email on behalf of my child? If you would like to receive mail
or email on behalf of your child, please call our Membership Services Department
on 0845 873 7202 who will be able to record the information.
4. FORMER ADVANTAGE CLUB MEMBERS
Why has the Advantage Club changed? The new British Tennis Membership programme
is intended to revitalise the Advantage Club scheme, which had remained largely
unchanged for many years. The membership scheme was not best supporting British
tennis, nor was it helping the LTA to identify emerging talent. Moreover, the
Advantage Club provided the same set of benefits to all individuals, regardless
of their taste and preferences.
We wanted to offer a new membership programme that would provide the gateway
to a winning British tennis game - a programme that allowed individuals to choose
the benefits they wanted; incentivised and facilitated competition; and brought
many more people into the game. In March of 2007, we froze Advantage Club
membership and began to design the new programme. I was a member of the Advantage
Club. Why do I have to sign up again? We need each individual to agree to the
new Terms & Conditions of British Tennis Membership, and so we cannot simply
transfer your membership over. Data protection law also requires each individual
to give consent directly to us to enable us to communicate with them in the future.
5. WIMBLEDON BALLOT
Where are the extra tickets that you say are going to be used to reward
clubs that support British Tennis Membership actually coming from? The
LTA’s
quota of tickets for Wimbledon will be re-allocated to allow those clubs that
support the new membership scheme to be rewarded with additional tickets. Our
research showed that in the past individuals have been winning more than one
set of tickets, i.e. entered into the ballot numerous times. This will no longer
be allowed, meaning additional tickets will be available.
Please note, being entered into the ballot does not guarantee tickets. Ballots
will still run at the same odds. Junior - my club has said they’re not
running the ballot this year through British Tennis Membership, but doing it
as normal, which means that I won’t be included. What can I do about this?
As a junior British Tennis Member you are entitled to be entered into your club’s
Wimbledon ballot as long as you are nine years or older. If your club is refusing
to include you, please contact the Membership services team on 0845 873 7202
or email membership@lta.org.uk.
6. COST
As a former Advantage Club member, I used to get ACE magazine as part of my overall
package, but now I have to pay for them on top of the core package? ACE magazine
was formerly part of the fee paid by Advantage Club members. However, we found
in our research that some people who receive ACE are great fans of the magazine,
while others value other benefits much more highly. We decided therefore to remove
it from the core membership package and instead offer an ACE subscription only
to those who want to receive it.
If you would like to subscribe to Ace and British Tennis magazines you can add
this package to your new basic membership. Why can’t I use direct debit?
We will be introducing direct debit functionality for renewals once the scheme
is up and running. I am not a club member. Am I subsidising club members when
I pay for the scheme? No, the LTA is subsidising club members for year one of
the membership scheme.
Following year one, club members may be charged for their membership package,
but this is still under review and will be analysed once the scheme is up and
running. We will be able to update you on this further in Spring 2008. Is this
a revenue-generating scheme for the LTA? No, to be able to launch the programme
and make it a success, we are heavily subsidising it. Eventually we would like
to break even, if not make a profit. Should we make any profits these will be
put straight back into British tennis. When is my child eligible for a free membership?
He/she turns 9 before March / he/she turns 9 during 2008? Your child must be
aged 8 or under in order to be eligible for free membership.
If he/she is 9 before March, then unfortunately he/she will not qualify for the
offer. If your child qualifies for free membership and then turns 9, he/she will
still receive that year for free, but will be charged the full junior price when
their membership is renewed a year later. When am I eligible for a junior £5
membership? I turn 18 before March/ I turn 18 during 2008. Juniors aged 17 and
under who sign up for membership are eligible for a junior £5 membership.
If you turn 18 before March, then you will need to take up adult membership and
will be charged accordingly. If however you sign up as a 17 year old and turn
18 in March, you will still qualify for your year’s junior membership,
but will be charged the adult fee once you renew your membership.
What is the price going to be next year for affiliated club members? As an affiliated
member, are we going to have to pay the same as non-affiliated in 2009, or will
there be a discount? The cost for affiliated club members is still under review
and will be analysed once the scheme is up and running. We will be able to update
you on this in Spring 2008. 7. DATA I am already providing personal information
to my club. Why do I have to provide it to you? Because of data protection issues
we need each individual to answer the data protection questions individually
so that we can contact you directly with information about your membership.
Will the information be shared with any third parties? From time to time we may
share our data with other third parties. However you do have the option to opt
out of this should you wish. Each member will have been asked this question prior
to signing up and should have ticked the relevant box. 8. GENERAL Why are you
making the change?
British Tennis Membership will help the LTA to provide better services to the
British tennis family as a whole – from clubs to supporters and competitors.
By learning more about the tennis population and establishing a direct relationship
with individuals, we can, for example, direct more tailored benefits to our competing
members and also better identify emerging talent and reward competition. It is
designed to promote competition and in particular, increase the numbers of regularly
competing juniors by giving support to players, parents and coaches so they can
get the most of competitive tennis in their area and beyond. Most of all joining
British Tennis
Membership is about being part of British tennis; contributing to it,
supporting it and feeling part of the tennis family. We will be
communicating far more frequently with all members as well as gathering
information and feedback from them. One of our communications will
be a monthly newsletter which will include coaching tips, special offers,
and up-to-date news about tennis.
Club
Information 
