Tony Hawks adds to pressure on LTA's Roger Draper
Date published :
13 Mar 2010 - 18:15:34
Hawks, who will address the all-party parliamentary tennis group at the House of Commons, has written of his frustrations with Draper, including alleging that the chief executive once ordered him out of a meeting.
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Hawks has given a flavour of what he will say when he addresses the panel of MPs and peers. Hawks has written that, in March 2008, he attended a meeting with Draper, with the sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe and with one other MP, at which Draper is said to have promised to help 'Tennis for free'.
Related ArticlesLTA spending to be investigatedRafael Nadal to play QueensHenman can't solve shamblesHenman can't solve shamblesRafael Nadal in trainingSport on televisionAccording to Hawks, Draper did not follow through on the promises that he had made to him and to the sports minister. When Hawks met Draper during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, Draper is said to have ended the meeting abruptly, telling him: "Get out of my office now."
Less than a week after the humiliation of Great Britain's Davis Cup defeat by Lithuania it emerged that Sutcliffe had asked the all-party group to examine the LTA's activities to ensure that the governing body were making the best use of public money.
In a written response to The Sunday Telegraph about Hawks's allegations, Draper said: "Getting more people into tennis isn't about personalities. It's about identifying the barriers, and then working to remove them.
"If you look at the facts, joining a tennis club is relatively cheap. On average it costs just £2.50 a month for adults to play, and less than £1 for children, and that's usually for unlimited court time. But not everyone has a local club that's easily accessible, which is why the Tennis Foundation is working closely with local authorities to encourage them to provide more free tennis.
"Projects like 'Tennis for free' are also doing a useful job, and we are currently in discussions with them about funding five pilot projects across the country. Next month, we'll have details of every park court, and every club in the country, available on the LTA website. That map will soon identify which courts are free of charge, and when."
