The deal includes the rebranding of the Queen's Club event - previously the Artois Championships - which runs before Wimbledon. Under the plans the tournament will be known as the AEGON Championships, while the Eastbourne and Edgbaston events which also run in June will be renamed. AEGON will also be involved in all aspects of developing the sport including the parks and schools programmes and supporting junior elite athletes.
AEGON UK Chief Executive, Otto Thoresen, said: “British Tennis is at a breakthrough stage in its development and it is a very exciting time to be involved in the sport. AEGON is delighted to become the Lead Partner of British Tennis and our investment over the next five years will enable the sport to grow from grassroots level, encouraging more young people to take up the sport, through to elite performance level, where we can support our leading athletes as they seek to make an impression on the world stage.”
The announcement follows a period of redefining the LTA’s assets and a re-launch of the commercial strategy in May 2008, which made it clear that the LTA was seeking a Lead Partner underpinned by Supporter and Supplier sponsors.
