THE LAWN TENNIS ASSOCIATION: QUICK ACCESS LOANS
Interest-free loans starting at £25,000, are available to Lawn Tennis Association affiliated organisations in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man to enable as many people as possible to have the opportunity to play and enjoy tennis by making facilities relevant, accessible and welcoming.
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o Application deadline: none – an Expression of Interest form may be submitted at any time.
o Funder: The Lawn Tennis Association (The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), founded in 1988, is the national governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, supporting tennis from grassroots participation through to the professional game).
o Who can apply: organisations in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
o Key words: Capital, Sport, Tennis, Widening Participation, Improving Accessibility, Developing Facilities, Great Britain, Channel Islands, Isle of Man.
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With Wimbledon due to start very shortly and its anticipated increase in people playing tennis across the UK, the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) interest-free loan scheme could represent a useful source of funding for organisations to improve their tennis facilities and widen participation (for all applications, applicants will be expected to show how the wider community will benefit from the investment). Venues must be LTA-registered upon completion of their project, indicating that affiliation is not essential at the start of a project.
The aims of the scheme are to:
o Grow the numbers of adults and juniors on the coaching programme.
o Offer and increase non-member pay and play usage and coaching opportunities.
o Provide indoor, floodlit and-year-round playing facilities to encourage community accessible opportunities to play tennis throughout the year.
o Provide a seamless booking of tennis courts and lessons through an online booking system, and
o Retain and increase the number of participants at a venue offering people the chance to play tennis.
Loans are interest-free for capital projects and start at £25,000 for:
o Covered outdoor padel courts to provide players with protection from the elements, especially from wind, while still being in contact with the outside air.
o Covering for tennis courts.
o Lighting upgrades to LED (outdoor and indoor).
o New tennis courts, and
o New floodlights.
Please note that applicants will be expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their project. This is likely to vary according to each initiative.
Funding is not available for:
o Clubhouse construction or renovations.
o Companies limited by shares.
o Like-for-like court resurfacing.
o New venues.
o Organisations without at least two years of accounts.
o Purchase of land for a venue.
o Retrospective funding for work that has already been started or completed, or
o Routine maintenance.
An Expression of Interest Form may be submitted at any time. It normally takes the LTA up to 2 months to respond.
Further information, guidance and the online Expression of Interest Form is available on the LTA website.