Obituary: Cathie Sabin
The ITF is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cathie Sabin, the former President of the Lawn Tennis Association and ITF Olympic Committee member, who has passed away at the age of 73.
In 2013, Sabin became the first female figurehead in the 125-year history of Great Britain’s national governing body, a position she held until 2016. While her tenure coincided with Great Britain’s 2015 Davis Cup triumph and Grand Slam victories for Andy and Jamie Murray, it was a lifetime of dedication to the game’s grassroots that saw her honoured with an OBE for Services to Tennis.
Sabin was introduced to tennis at the age of seven, playing through her school years and then at college, when she spent a summer coaching in Newfoundland, Canada. She worked as a teacher in Shropshire, later representing the county both on court and off as an advocate for the sport.
Sabin’s impact on the sporting world stretched beyond tennis. As a physical education teacher at Idsall College, she taught some of the top young English football talent including England internationals Sol Campbell, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Michael Owen, who trained at nearby Lilleshall, then the sport’s national school of excellence.
In 2001, Sabin entered her first official role with the LTA as Councillor representing Shropshire. A member and Chair of numerous committees and groups in the following years, she joined the LTA Board in 2007, became Deputy President in 2011 and served as President from 2013 to 2016. As the first women appointed to the role, she hoped to inspire a new generation of female administrators within the sport.
Sabin was on hand to witness Great Britain defeat Belgium to win the Davis Cup title for the first time since 1936, while her own role in international tennis expanded with her work as part of the ITF Olympic Committee. But she took particular interest in developing the game through clubs, schools and county programs along with initiatives to encourage, support and recognise volunteers, having pledged to look after the future of British tennis. Asked at the end of her time as President which moments had been her highlight, she pointed to the British Tennis Awards she helped launch in 2015 to honour the sport’s unsung heroes.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “It is with great sadness that we learnt of the passing of Cathie Sabin, whose lifelong dedication to tennis made her a role model for women in leadership and a champion for the unseen army of volunteers who form the bedrock of the sport.
“Beyond her commitment to the grass roots of the game in Great Britain, her legacy is the kindness and generosity of spirit known by all who met and worked with her. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficult time.”