LTA shortlisted for three Sport Industry Awards 2021

Making our sector-leading LTA Youth educational resources available to both parents and teachers, we supported children’s education at home via free, innovative content designed to develop children mentally and physically. The resources were then officially recognised by the Department of Education and were placed on the Government’s official list of online education resources for home learning for primary school children.

In addition to this, we also utilised members of the LTA’s performance team to film at-home fitness content (including yoga, stretching & interval training) to encourage new and existing audiences to stay active and organised free virtual live inclusive coaching sessions for families.

We promoted our ‘Tennis at Home’ resources on our high-profile coronavirus web page, reaching over 1 million page views and over 1.2 million people via LTA social channels, including Facebook and TikTok.

Campaign of the Year: LTA – Play Your Way

As part of our commitment to open tennis up to the nation, our campaign – ‘Play Your Way’ was launched. We needed to face the misconceptions of tennis head on with a brand platform that challenged stereotypes and re-wrote the rules. To inspire, invite and celebrate people of all abilities/ages/genders/locations to pick up a racket and play – any time, place or way.

We set out to create something entirely different from what people had come to expect– with a look and feel, energy and personality that warmed new people to the sport and directly resonated with those who might have normally dismissed it. By heroing diverse talent and embracing humour, we showed tennis is an inclusive, stimulating sport for everyone.

Through bold and provocative OOH and social in a vibrant new visual identity, not only did the campaign shift the dial in people’s perceptions of the sport, it helped increase the number of tennis participants by 300,000 – putting tennis firmly back on the nation’s radar.

From script to shoot in just 12 days, the campaign’s playful 30 second brand film reached over 33 million people, achieving a view-through rate 211% higher than industry benchmarks – all in the midst of a global pandemic. Crucially, the campaign reached and resonated with under-represented groups, helping to create greater inclusion and diversity within tennis.

Event of the Year: LTA & Jamie Murray – Battle of the Brits Team Tennis

Last summer’s St James’ Place ‘Battle of the Brits Team Tennis’ event, staged at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in collaboration with Jamie Murray saw Britain’s top male and female tennis players compete equally across two teams and featured over 60 matches in just seven days.

Taking place from 27 July to 2 August 2020, the unique team competition format provided Brtain’s top players with crucial match-play practice during a year which saw high profile tournaments and grand slams postponed and cancelled due to Covid-19.

The event featured two mixed teams selected by team captains (Judy Murray & Greg Rusedski (Union Jacks) and Anne Keothavong & Leon Smith (British Bulldogs), with eight matches - singles, doubles and mixed, across two show courts every day, with a player entry list including the likes of Andy Murray, Jamie Murray, Johanna Konta and Heather Watson, as well as some of the up and coming names in the sport, helping to keep fans across the country entertained throughout the week.

With Jamie Murray as Tournament Director, each team comprised of six women and six men, who looked to rack up points for their respective teams across the week-long event, with the overall winner to be crowned at the end of seven days of play. Final standings saw the British Bulldogs take the win, with 63 points vs 56 for the Union Jacks.

Live streamed on LTA channels and the BBC website, the event reached over 5.6 million people on the LTA’s Facebook page and received over 1.5 million streams across the BBC. The LTA also saw a 585% increase in Instagram interactions, a 530% increase in Facebook interactions and a 2,380% increase in own channel video views as a direct result of the event. In addition to that, the event also raised vital funds for a worthy cause, with over £30,000 being donated to NHS Charities Together by sponsors St James’ Place, based on £100 per ace served during the event.