Cliff Kicked In The Teeth

The Lawn Tennis Association is in danger of losing both the fund raising and the motivational skills of two of the highest-profile supporters of the sport in Britain. Sue Barker and Cliff Richard, who between them have introduced more than 300,000 children to the game through The Cliff Richard Tennis Trail are both at their wits' end and on the verge of backing out of the scheme altogether. The reason for their dissatisfaction is the LTA's decision to withdraw funding from the scheme. Each year, the initiative puts 350,000 worth of new facilities into schools, encourages children to take up the game, funds coaching and gives youngsters who would not normally get access to tennis courts the chance to discover the game and improve their skills.

For the last five years, the LTA has given 75,000 each year and, more importantly, its affiliation to the scheme while Barker and Richard have raised the rest of the money and have promoted it. "Both Cliff and I feel it's a kick in the teeth," Barker told me. "We both give our time for nothing and have done so for the last 20 years. "We've been a registered charity for the past 10 years and have had LTA backing for the last five. "We are so disappointed that having introduced so many kids to tennis over that time, some of whom have gone on to become full-time coaches, the LTA seems to think that we've not done a good job. "It has taken away our funding without giving us a chance to change anything it didn't like or didn't approve of. I know how I was discovered and what made me tick as a youngster and I should know how to communicate that to the children today." As a former French Open champion, Wimbledon semi-finalist and now presenter of the BBC's coverage of the Championships, Barker is arguably the bestknown female face in British tennis while Cliff Richard is, well - he's Cliff isn't he? To lose the support of two huge names would be more than careless. As for the LTA, its argument is that the central funding has changed so that each county is now responsible for its own funds under a scheme known as "Club Vision". An LTA press officer told me that it is down to the Cliff Richard Tennis Trail to make individual approaches to the counties and "if it is deemed suitable for that area, it will be treated on its merits". While I accept that the LTA is investing huge amounts in grassroots tennis, especially in mini tennis, it seems crazy to have alienated two such powerful magnets for the game. "Both Cliff and I are devastated," said Barker. "To be honest I feel so gutted that I'm thinking of pulling out of it altogether and if that happened, they would lose over 300,000. We felt we were helping the LTA, not acting in opposition to it and I can't believe it didn't give us the opportunity to change before taking the funding away completely." Sue Barker is not a woman given to meaningless outbursts or publicity-seeking bouts of controversy. She is genuinely upset and British tennis is in danger of losing a valuable motivator and supporter. Were the game in this country in a healthier state it might be able to afford that luxury but it is not and it cannot.

Copyright Evening Standard 2003