Dispute over expansion plans

Great resistance! A battle for Wimbledon’s future

Novak Djokovic has won the Wimbledon tournament seven times so far.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Adrian DENNIS)

The organizers at Wimbledon want to expand and are planning to spend the equivalent of 250 million euros on extending the tennis facility. In addition to a covered stadium and 38 additional grass courts, a park open to the public is also to be built on the site of the former golf club. But the green light for the construction has not been given, there is fierce opposition! 

The "Krone" reports from Wimbledon

Wimbledon, where traditions are lived and loved, where tennis heroes are born. For many, it is considered the Mecca of sport that moves the masses. The tournament is sold out every day with almost 42,000 spectators, and people spend their nights in the queue outside the grounds trying to get their hands on tickets. The previous year set a new attendance record with 530,000 spectators. Great figures, but they lag far behind the other Grand Slams.

Around 42,000 spectators flock to the tennis facility on Church Road every day.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Australian Open broke the million mark this year, 900,000 came to the last US Open and 675,000 to the French Open in Paris this year. "We must not lose touch with the biggest tournaments in the world," warns Sally Bolton, head of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which has been organizing the tournament since 1877.

Golf club bought out of contract

There have been plans for expansion for years, but these have met with great resistance. In 2018, the tournament organizers bought the adjacent golf club, which was actually the leaseholder of the area until 2041, out of the contract for 76 million euros, with each member of the golf club receiving around 100,000 euros. A new 8,000-seater stadium with a roof and 38 additional grass courts are now to be built on this site in Wimbledon Park, which is located on the other side of the road from the tennis facility, as well as a park that is freely accessible to the public.

In red: the planned expansion of the tennis club.

(Bild: AELTC/KroneKreativ)

The area of the tennis club would almost triple from 17 to 46 hectares in one fell swoop. This would mean that the qualifiers would no longer have to take place in Roehampton, five kilometers away, the spectator capacity could be increased to over 50,000 per day and the confined area could be expanded. "An exciting project that would take the tournament to a new level," says seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic.

The expansion would enhance the experience for players and fans. The most important thing is that a large part of the former golf club will be converted into a public park and people will have access to it - that is very positive.

Novak Djokovic ist ein Befürworter des Ausbaus

However, not everyone in the population shares this opinion: around 20,000 have started a petition and politicians are also opposing the construction. The main accusations: the felling of old trees, environmental pollution, the park is a listed building - and if the tennis club's plan goes through, it could set a "dangerous precedent" for the rest of London.

"Not a Done Deal" - protesters around the tennis facility draw attention to themselves.

(Bild: Philipp Scheichl)

Decision likely this summer

To make matters worse, Wimbledon Park is the responsibility of two local authorities. Merton council approved the expansion plans, while that of neighboring Wandsworth rejected them. This puts the ball in the court of the government in London. A decision is due to be made this summer, with Mayor Sadiq Khan considered a supporter. The project is expected to cost up to 250 million euros and take eight years to build.