When: 3rd July – 16th July
Where: Wimbledon
Wimbledon Hospitality Packages
The All England Lawn Tennis Championships remain one of the highlights of the tennis world, and as the only Grand Slam event still played on grass, they retain both the speed of action and the sense of history that make them the favourite of many of the top players.
Templeton offer tables within restaurants located in centre and number one courts, and as all tickets provided are genuine Debentures (guaranteed best seats), or are officially allocated by the AELTC, you can be sure of a day of the highest quality at this world famous event.
The All England Lawn Tennis Championships
The present-day All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (originally The All England Croquet Club) is a private club that was founded in 1868, with its first ground off Worple Road in Wimbledon.
The club was renamed The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in 1877 after tennis had been added to its activities the previous year; the game of tennis had been devised by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield as “Sphairistike” a couple of years previously. The club held the first Lawn Tennis Championship in 1877 to mark this change, and a new code of rules was drawn up for the tournament to replace the one administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club. Except for a few details, the rules are pretty much the same to this day.
The first Championship was for Gentlemen’s Singles only, and from twenty-two entrants Spencer Gore emerged as the champion – about two hundred spectators watched the final, at a cost of one shilling each, a tad different from today.
Tennis gradually became the only sport played at the club, and “Croquet” was dropped from the title in 1882. However, it was restored in 1889 for sentimental reasons, and the club became, and still is, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Just to confuse people, in 2011 the “All England Lawn Tennis Club” or AELTC was formed as the club’s subsidiary company to oversee the Championships.
In 1884 Ladies’ Singles and Gentlemen’s Doubles were added to the Championship, with Ladies’ Doubles and Mixed Doubles appearing in 1913.
In 1968 Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam tournaments went Open, allowing professional players to compete alongside the amateurs for the first time – the Players had joined the Gentlemen, and after a few squabbles between different associations representing players, tennis became the unified sport that it is today.
The present club colours of dark green and purple date from 1909, when the early colours of blue, yellow, red and green were thought to be too similar to those of the Royal Marines.
The club moved from Worple Road in 1922 to its present site in Church Road, Wimbledon, as larger grounds were needed to accommodate increased crowds at the Championships, mainly as a consequence of the popularity of the French lady contestant Suzanne Lenglen.
On the Worple Road site, the lawns at the ground had been arranged so that the main court was in the middle, hence the name Centre Court. However, after the move to Church Road, Centre Court was actually at the northern extent of the grounds, by no means in the centre. In 1967 the club purchased some additional land to the north, which was leased to the New Zealand Sports and Social Club and was known as Aorangi Park (Aorangi is “Cloud Piercer” in Maori). However after 1981 the lease was terminated and the club uses the land itself – it is that “Henman Hill” can be found, named after the English tennis player Tim Henman. Various media attempts have been made to change its name, most notably to “Murray Mound”, but to tennis aficionados it remains Henman Hill.
Since 2009 Centre Court has had a retractable roof and floodlights, enabling play to continue even in inclement weather and long into the evening if necessary. This has saved many spectators from the prospect of having Cliff Richard singing to them all afternoon. No 1 Court will have a similar roof fitted in time for the 2019 Championships.
Most people who attend the Championships do so with ballot tickets, so called because they are allocated at random by computer to those members of the general public who applied to the AELTC for them before a set time (usually mid-December) the preceding year. Tennis clubs also run their own ballots for tickets they have received for their members. It is not possible to choose which specific court or which day of the Championship your ticket will be for – nevertheless the ballot is always hugely oversubscribed.
It is very important to understand that these ballot tickets are not transferable – unused ones should be returned to the AELTC for re-allocation or resale – and must not be bought and sold. If you are found with a ballot ticket you have bought, it will be confiscated, and after interview with the police you will be escorted from the grounds.
The only tickets that can be legally traded are Debenture tickets. These are sold over five year periods by the AELTC to raise finance for its various projects, such as the Centre Court roof. The holder of the Debenture is entitled to one ticket per day of the Championship in the court that his Debenture applies to (centre or No 1 Court), which can be used or sold. The Debenture holder does not receive a ticket for the same seat every year, although consideration is given to requests; however, all of the Debenture seats are in the prime positions on both courts. A Debenture ticket also allows access to a private restaurant on either court, called the Debenture Lounge – food and drink must still be paid for, but it is a private area away from most of the crowds, and celebrity spotting there can be quite good fun too.
You can still get tickets for Centre Court and Courts 1 and 2 by queuing; queuing overnight will probably be necessary if you want to get a ticket for one of the show courts, and you should bring a tent and/or sleeping bag – the AELTC provides toilet and water facilities. If you get a tickets, there are storage facilities for items that cannot be brought into the grounds. The stewards are very helpful, and will tell you the correct procedure for queuing. Please not that there is no queuing for the show courts after the completion of the quarter-finals.
At the other end of the scale, if you buy a hospitality package from a reputable company, you will receive a Debenture ticket and also have a comfortable base for the day with excellent food and drink included.
If you are coming by public transport, mainline trains run frequently from London Waterloo to Wimbledon station, from where a shuttle bus operates or you can share a taxi (both for only a couple of pounds or so) – the journey is only about ten minutes.
You can also use London Underground; take a District Line (the green one) tube to Southfields and walk, or you might prefer to go one stop further to Wimbledon Park, and walk through the park down to Church Road.
There is no dress code for spectators at Wimbledon, and it’s usually a good idea to dress for a warm day but also to bring something waterproof just in case. If you are fortunate enough to be a hospitality guest, dress should be smart casual, and jeans would be inappropriate.
During the first week of the Championships, play is scheduled to commence at 11.30 on the outside courts and at 13.00 on Centre and No.1 Courts. Starting from the middle Saturday, some of the outside courts also host the Juniors from 11.00. The Ladies’ and Men’s Finals start at 14.00 on Centre Court on the last Saturday and Sunday respectively. It is however advisable to check on the schedule of play the night before coming to Wimbledon, in case any changes have had to be made. This can be done on the official website for the Championships.
If you need to exit and return to the All England Club during the day you must obtain a pass-out wristband. To re-enter the grounds you will require your ticket and the appropriate wristband. Pass-out wristbands are available at most gates, although at some gates a hand-stamp may be used instead.
Hi, Justin and Robin.
I appreciate your patience in answering our endless questions during the long process of planning and executing my valued clients’ Wimbledon vacation. The XYZ Family returned home yesterday and I just got off the phone with Mrs XYZ. She could not stop raving about what an incredible, amazing vacation this was and how it exceeded all expectations. The seats, as you assured us, were more than perfect. Not only did they have great views of the action, but they got to meet some tennis celebrities and got their autographs. She said they all felt like kids in a candy store.
She reiterated that she had been unduly nervous about the legitimacy of Templeton Hospitality and this whole debenture thing (much to absorb for a newbie) and how all her fears were unfounded. She remarked many times about the wonderful service you provided and she and her husband were particularly impressed that Justin called them twice to see how their Wimbledon experience was going. GREAT service, gentlemen! And of course, I look like a star for having recommended you in the first place.
In the few hours they’ve been home, Mrs XYZ has been nonstop on the phone telling her friends that they shouldn’t consider using anyone but me for their travel planning. And I know in part it’s due to the efforts of your company to provide such a wonderful focal point for an unforgettable vacation.
Thank you so much for your professionalism and true hospitality in making this such a resounding success for all concerned. Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, I’ll definitely be using your services for future needs like this.
With warmest regards,
Anne Rose, President, Celebrate-Travel, Inc
WIMBLEDON DEBENTURE PACKAGE PRICE GUIDE
| Centre Court Debenture Only inc lounge badge | No1 Court Debenture Only inc lounge badge | ||
| Mon 01 July | £1,345 | £ 845 | |
| Tue 02 July | £1,195 | £ 845 | |
| Wed 03 July | £1,245 | £ 845 | |
| Thur 04 July | £1,245 | £ 845 | |
| Fri 05 July | £1,395 | £ 945 | |
| Sat 06 July | £1,395 | £ 945 | |
| Sun 07 July | £1,395 | £ 945 | |
| Mon 08 July | £2,695 | £1,045 | |
| Tue 09 July | £2,395 | £1,095 | Q-Finals |
| Wed 10 July | £2,395 | £1,195 | Q-Finals |
| Thur 11 July | £POA | £ 495 | S-Finals |
| Fri 12 July | £3,595 | S-Finals | |
| Sat 13 July | £1,595 | Ladies’ Final | |
| Sun 14 July | £3,795 | Men’s Final |
Prices are subject to UK VAT at 20%.
Call us to confirm availability on +44 (0)20 7259 0600 or get in touch using the Contact Form
All tickets provided are genuine debentures tickets, the only tickets that can be legally traded.
Debenture tickets are essential to gain access to the Debenture Lounge and the Courtside and Renshaw restaurants where we can reserve your table subject to availability at the time of booking.