LTA’s National Tennis Centre awarded ITF’s Gold Level Status

The International Tennis Federation has awarded Gold Level status to the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in south west London, making it the third national association to receive the highest recognition for its facilities.

Following an extensive review process the LTA met the published requirements in six key areas including facility, training and integrity. In particular, they were noted for the quality of services available to athletes ranging in level from U12 right through to the highest level of tennis and wheelchair tennis, and for the system established to ensure the LTA coaching staff (and other development experts) work in both an integrated and collaborative fashion, with the private sector to develop and manage identified talent.

The National Tennis Centre was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in 2007 and is considered the home of British Tennis. The Centre has 20 world class tennis courts on all Grand Slam surfaces to the highest specification, as well as three padel courts. There is a dedicated player lounge, changing facilities, performance gym (state of the art athlete strength & conditioning equipment), medical suite and on-site café. For players or support staff who wish to stay overnight, there are 22 overnight ensuite residential bedrooms. 

ITF President David Haggerty joined LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd at the NTC in London to present the award and unveil the Gold Level plaque which will be in place for the next four years.

LTA CEO Scott Lloyd said: “It's a real honour to receive this award from the ITF and become one of only three National Training Centres in the world to achieve this distinction. It is a testament to all the hard work the entire team on-site have put into making the NTC the best it can possibly be. We take real pride in the fact that our players now consider the Centre to be their home away from home and will continue to strive at making it even better.”

ITF President David Haggerty said: “This recognition is not merely about the bricks and mortar that constitute a facility entitled a National Training Centre, it is more. It is about creating the systems and programmes that enable a nation to focus on producing coaches, players and leaders. The LTA has shown what can be achieved, shown how continually striving for excellence reaps rewards and I am pleased to bestow the Gold Recognition Level for the next four years.”

In 2018, the ITF and several leading tennis nations established the criteria and minimum standards for NTCs to ensure quality standards worldwide.

ITF recognition is based on a series of criteria and minimum standards at Gold, Silver and Bronze levels. Applicant nations are required to provide evidence and undergo an assessment of their NTC that demonstrates the systems and procedures in place in six key areas – facilities and equipment, management, integrity, coaching team, sports science and medicine, and player programmes.

The LTA’s National Tennis Centre is the third NTC to receive Gold level status after the French Tennis Federation’s national training centre in Paris and the USTA National Campus in Florida.

For those developing nations who aspire to achieve such recognition, the ITF offers help in the form of Facility Grants, visits from development officers and ITF experts, and provision of ITF-approved materials on the running of a national tennis centre and effective programmes.