One year in: visibility, dialogue and Billie Jean King.
When you embark on any new venture, from starting a new job to forming a new relationship, you’re never quite sure of what the journey will be like.
The same can be said about the formation of Pride in Tennis and our formalised partnership with the LTA. A feature on Sky Sports News, an emotional panel discussion and an opportunity to sample Padel Tennis at the National Tennis Centre set the scene at our inaugural event. And then: we were off.
What followed was significant dialogue with the LTA; the centrepiece of which being the formation of the Friday Pride Day initiatives at the four major UK grass court events in Nottingham, Birmingham, Eastbourne, and Queens.
For the first time ever, these prestigious tournaments sported unmissable LGBTQ+ Progress Pride flags and officials wearing rainbow sweatbands and laces.
Such powerful statements at a key part of the global tennis calendar.
And to make things even more special, Pride in Tennis representatives were invited to participate in various off- and on-court activities.
I was very thankful to give an on-court interview about Pride in Tennis and conduct the coin toss between Botic Van de Zandschulp and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on centre court at Queens!
An amazing personal moment and never something I would have never imagined doing.
Ending the year with a bang – and thanks once again to the LTA – volunteers from Pride in Tennis attended the Davis Cup tie in Glasgow where we built important partnership links with Tennis Scotland and Leap Sports Scotland.
And a mere two months later, we were back at Emirates Arena to enjoy the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. This productive and entertaining day ended rather euphorically when a small number of us met the icon herself, Billie Jean King. An incredible moment for me personally and the wider committee who were gifted a sacred 15 minutes with the figure responsible for so many significant milestones in tennis, women’s sport, and wider society. We gave her a personalised Pride in Tennis hoodie and discussed our future ambitions for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in Great Britain.
Countless other achievements have been made over the past 12 months, which is testament to our relationship with the LTA as well as the dedication of our board of volunteers. The Geordie Grand Slammers, based in Northumberland, and Cardiff Baseliners, located in Cardiff, are newly formed LGBTQ+ inclusive tennis clubs, which have benefited from the network Pride in Tennis has cultivated. Find your closest club here.
And we now welcome official Pride in Tennis members to help us shape a more LGBTQ+ inclusive landscape for tennis in this country, after this was ratified at our AGM last month.
Here’s to another successful year with the LTA and amplified change for our community in the sport we love. Specials thanks to the Pride in Tennis communications team for their efforts over the last year: Alfred Wong and Alex Hawkey for their team leadership, Daisy Olyett for amplifying our social media, Simon Wood for building our website, Lara Suarez-Nevez for designing our brand graphics, and all our countless blog contributors!
About the author – James Swanson (he/him) is a former tennis coach, national tennis referee, Stirling University club president and disability tennis programme coordinator. Having spent the last 10 years working across various areas of sports and entertainment, he presently works in the brand marketing team for Arsenal Football Club.