Everyone for tennis

Once deemed a sport only for the posh middle classes, tennis is now more accessible to youngsters than many other popular sports.

As the World Cup draws to a close and attention switches to Brit tennis hopefuls Tim Henman, Andy Murray and Greg Rusedski to secure a British Wimbledon victory, research by Privilege Insurance reveals the old perception of tennis is disappearing. 

Only one in ten (12 per cent) parents with children under the age of sixteen thinks tennis is a sport for posh people.  And less than a quarter (23 per cent) think tennis costs a lot of money, while just seven per cent say they are not wealthy enough to play tennis.

However, when compared with other popular sports, tennis is still perceived to be less accessible.  Football came top in accessibility ranking, followed closely by swimming and dancing.  Only horse riding and sailing were ranked as less accessible than tennis.

But the privilege research shows parents of a child who plays tennis spend less money than those of a child who plays cricket or rugby or who goes swimming and dancing.  And they drive half as many miles a week than parents who take their child to football practice, and three times less than those parents who drive kids to rugby or cricket matches.

Ian Parker, Managing Director of Privilege Insurance, commented: 
“You don’t have to be posh to play tennis in this day and age.  Sports with the lowest economic barriers are most often those with mass participation, which is how sports like football have become so popular.  But our findings clearly show that tennis is now just as accessible to youngsters as the more popular sports, and the traditional perception is fast becoming obsolete.” 

And Privilege Insurance is proving you don’t even have to be posh to enjoy Wimbledon in style.  At this year’s event Bentleys will chauffeur visitors from the tube stations to the event, and canapés will be served by butlers to those waiting in the queue.  A competition is currently running on website www.privilege.com where a VIP tennis package, including a trip for two to London and lessons with a top tennis professional at the exclusive Regent’s Park Tennis School is up for grabs. 

Patrick McGuirk, spokesperson for the Lawn Tennis Association said:
“The LTA has worked hard over recent years to make tennis available to everyone, whatever their background and wherever they live. One example are City Tennis Clubs which were launched by the LTA in 2001 to take tennis to new areas of the community, to make the sport more accessible and to increase participation.”

The research also revealed that while football is the sport children participate in most frequently, a higher number of children do not participate in any sport at all. 

Privilege specialises in offering highly competitive insurance for safe drivers, with a guarantee to beat renewal quotes for any driver with 4 years + no claims discount. For a competitive Privilege quote, telephone 0845 246 8336 or visit www.privilege.com.

Money, miles and time parents spend on children involved in sports:

Monthly spend Distance driven (per week) Time spent (per week)
Martial Arts £31.89 6 miles 88 minutes
Dancing £20.05 7 miles 80 minutes
Rugby £17.67 12 miles 117 minutes
Cricket £15.65 6 miles 104 minutes
Swimming £14.05 6 miles 78 minutes
Tennis £12.38 3 miles 35 minutes
Football £12.25 9 miles 91 minutes
Cycling £6.68 1 mile  40 minutes
Athletics £4.50 1 mile 35 minutes
Hockey £3.94 6 miles 51 minutes

Perceptions of sport

(rated on a scale of 1 = accessible to all; 5 = only for posh people)
Sport Accessibility rating
Football 1.19
Swimming 1.35
Athletics 1.94
Dancing 1.98
Rugby 2.06
Cricket 2.3
Gymnastics 2.39
Tennis 2.44
Horse riding 3.64
Sailing 4.11

Percentage of people that perceive tennis as a “posh” sport

Scotland 19%
West England & Wales 17%
Yorkshire 16%
North East  15%
Midlands 15%
South West 12%
North West 10%
London and the South East 9%
East Anglia 5%
South of England 4%
-Ends-

For more information, contact:
Jill Dallas, 0207 419 6980 jill@ijack.com
Sarah Davidson, 0207 419 7346 sarah.davidson@ijack.com
Simon Francis, 0207 419 7340 simon.francis@ijack.com 

Privilege Insurance is underwritten by Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.  Calls may be recorded.  Conditions apply.

YouGov interviewed a sample of 2023 individuals in GB. The survey was carried out online. Results were weighted to be representative of the known profile of the GB adult population from the 2001 Census. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.