Preloved racquets

Inspired by success of British tennis players, the UK has seen a surge in young people playing tennis.

British tennis coach and David Lloyd Clubs Tennis Stars ambassador Judy Murray, shares insights on the mental and physical benefits for children

New donation initiative aims to support and improve the health, fitness and wellness of young people in local communities.

July 2023: As the tennis Grand Slam season reaches its climax this month, David Lloyd Clubs, the UK’s largest health, fitness, wellness and racquets group is calling on tennis fans to donate their pre-loved tennis racquets to enable more young people and children to take up the sport. Teaming up with Haier, the No.1 global major appliance brand*, David Lloyd Clubs have launched collection points at Clubs around the country, where members and non-members can donate their preloved tennis racquets. This equipment will then be refurbished and given to local community initiatives and schools.

With David Lloyd Clubs across the UK** participating in the scheme, the aim is to encourage more children and young adults across the country to take up the sport. The initiative is the latest in an ongoing series of projects supported by David Lloyd Clubs which aim to improve the health, fitness and wellness of local communities. Over £1.7m has been raised for good causes by the company in the last year at both a local and a national level.

The programme launches as the UK sees a surge in interest from young people and children who are taking up tennis. In the past year alone, there has been a 48%* jump in young adults (16-34 year olds) playing the sport; the biggest increase in any age category. Additionally, 3.63m children** aged 4-15 are now playing tennis, which represents an increase of nearly 12% since 2022.

Judy Murray comments: “I am a huge believer in the power of sport not just in the physical skills it develops but in the life skills you gain from being part of a sport. I’m so pleased to see David Lloyd Clubs getting behind an initiative to recycle tennis equipment because it’s so important to make our sports as accessible and affordable to as many people as possible.”

Simon Pearson, Group Racquets Manager at David Lloyd Clubs commented: “We are calling on the nation to look under the stairs and in the back of their wardrobes to see if they have any abandoned racquets gathering dust, which could be recycled to inspire youngsters in their local community to take up tennis. Simply bring them into any of our clubs participating in the scheme and we will make sure they will go to someone who will give them a new lease of life.

As the leading racquets club in the country, we know that tennis is not only beneficial for mental and physical health, its fantastic at bringing communities together, helping to combat loneliness and boost self-esteem. We want to see more children and young adults across UK communities have the opportunity to play tennis. And you never know, your old racquet may inspire the next British tennis superstar to take up the sport.”

Anyone can donate by simply dropping their racquets into special collection bins which will be in selected David Lloyd Clubs until Monday 17th July.

David Lloyd Clubs Tennis Stars programme offers professional coaching for children and teenagers of all levels from aged 3, providing young people with progressive and structured tennis skills.

To locate your nearest David Lloyd Club where you can donate your preloved racquets – please head to: https://blog.davidlloyd.co.uk/participating-clubs-tennis-racquet-donation

For more information on David Lloyd Clubs Tennis Stars programme, please head to: https://blog.davidlloyd.co.uk/what-is-david-lloyd-all-stars/.

*Source Euromonitor International Limited; Consumer Appliances 2023ed, % unit share, 2022 volume sales data. Major Appliances category is the sum of dishwashers, home laundry appliances, large cooking appliances, microwaves and refrigeration appliances.

*/ ** Stats according to LTA press release focused on adult and children tennis participation in 2022: https://www.lta.org.uk/492440/siteassets/about-lta/press-releases/2023/2023-british-tennis-sees-big-surge-in-both-adult-and-childrens-participation-during-2022.pdf

Press Enquiries

For more information on the campaign please contact the M&C Saatchi Talk press office team: [email protected].

Notes to Editors:

About David Lloyd Leisure Group

David Lloyd Leisure helps members to live life better with a focus on physical and mental wellbeing and a sense of belonging. We are Europe’s largest health and fitness group operating 130 clubs - 101 clubs in the UK and a further 29 clubs across mainland Europe, comprising three brands David Lloyd Clubs, Harbour Clubs and David Lloyd Meridian Spa and Fitness in Germany.

We continually innovate to offer the best products and services for families and individuals in welcoming surroundings including state-of-the-art gyms, heated indoor and outdoor pools, top-class racquet facilities, well-equipped group exercise studios, luxurious spas, kids club facilities and crèches. Our Clubrooms offer a place to spend time with friends and family or enjoy a bite to eat, our clubs also feature large and inviting spaces to work, relax and socialise.

Our 730,000+ members and over 10,000 team members make a positive impact on the communities and environment in which we operate. We have an expert health and fitness team of over 2000 and more than 680 tennis professionals work with us. David Lloyd Clubs’ racquet facilities are unparalleled with over 1080 tennis courts as well as over 400 badminton and squash courts.