4 - FIFA/CIES International University Network

ANATOMY OF AN EVENT:
WIMBLEDON
required to get the grass courts in
first-rate condition for the start of
the Championships.
“We are the only professional
tennis tournament in the world
to insist on white clothing - in
business terms it’s a classic
unique differentiator. You know
automatically it is Wimbledon,”
says Ritchie. “The ground staff’s
absolute priority is the two weeks
of The Championships. We also
have turf consultants who look at
the condition of the courts. When
you have the eyes of the world
upon you the most important thing
is to get that (the courts) right.”
A matter of safety
Security has become one of
Wimbledon’s biggest tasks and
for the past 20 years its long-time
partner has been G4S. The UK’s
largest firm in the field. employs 750
staff during the Championships.
“Even before 9/11 there was a
recognition that Wimbledon was
an event that needed an increased
level of security due to its global
profile,” explains G4S managing
director Mark Hamilton. “It’s a
two-week period but we start the
debriefing process during the
Championships.
“If I’m asked [by specators] for
directions I use it to my advantage by
asking them about their experience -
how have they found getting around?
How have they found access to
the grounds? It’s a really valuable
process. We have to think years
ahead - will there be any changes
required due to building works?
What does the All England Club
want to be implemented? At the
end of The Championships we
consolidate the relevant points and
are part of the formal de-brief in
August and September.”
G4S and the All England
Club liaise closely with London’s
Metropolitan Police, meeting
every couple of months to discuss
accreditation of staff and searching
procedures. This year had the added
pressure of a visit from The Queen.
“Over the course of the
Championships I meet the Police
twice per day,” says Ritchie.
“You are relieved when nothing
happens. You always worry, but
with 400 people from the armed
LONDON 2012 CHALLENGE
The players have praised
the decision to stage the
2012 Olympic tournament at
Wimbledon, but it does cause
some logistical headaches.
The event will officially be run
by LOCOG, but Ritchie and his
team face a number of hurdles
to cross, not least getting
the courts ready for topclass
action again just three
weeks after the close of the
Championships.
“As an event, the Olympics
are about half the size of the
Championships so we can
rotate the courts a little bit
more,” explains Ritchie. “We
did some tests this year and
we are confident we can get
the courts back in that length
of time. We will do some more
tests next year.”
The Olympics present the
conundrum for Ritchie of
wanting not to interfere
in another organisation’s
event but to also make sure
it is staged perfectly: “Our
management team spend a
lot of time with LOCOG - there
is extra work, and pressure.
However, I will have no
responsibility for the running of
the Olympic tennis apart from
providing the facilities and
personnel, if required.
“That said, because it’s here at
Wimbledon, we have a vested
interest in making the event an
enormous success.”
forces here in addition to the police
and G4S you know that you have a
group of people who know how to
deal with particular situations.”
“At Wimbledon we believe that
the key is evolution not revolution,”
adds Grahame Muir, Managing
Director of Arena Structures.
Arena provides temporary seating,
scaffolding and furniture for the
Championships and in 2010
installed peaked roof retail outlets
and the hospitality village. It also
supplies the trademark green
seating around the outside courts.
“Arena has become much more
involved in the design element
of the clients interiors giving
an opportunity for a company
to stamp their own mark on the
Championships.”
Muir adds that Wimbledon’s
infrastructure has changed
almost every year since Arena
became associated with the
Championships, athough a variety
of factors determine how far
infrastructure changes can go:
“The AELTC is a club and therefore
we must work around the needs
of the members, be cognisant of
the residents in terms of noise
and hours of work and also the
requirements of the building
contractors who work year-onyear
providing new permanent
infrastructure and who generally
start immediately after the end of
the Championships.”
For all the diverse ingredients
of the Wimbledon recipe, the
Championships are about the
players and Ritchie is unequivocal
Back-to-back winner Serena Williams - Getty Images Sport
that the happiness of the racketwielders
is one of his most crucial
tasks. He employs a team of
liaison officers who care for their
every need, from theatre tickets to
clothing and accommodation, with
many of the top performers having
houses or flats close to the complex
organised for them.
“You want this to be the event
they want to win, but you also
want them to feel they have been
well treated,” states Ritchie. “We
want to improve their facilities yet
further - create more space and
develop quieter areas for them to
have a break. They are the stars, it’s
hugely important that the players
feel it’s special.
“Roger [Federer] has apparently
been spotted coming out of Tesco
with a carrier bag. For someone
who spends much of his life in a
hotel suite, to be able to pop out and
come back to have cornflakes sitting
in a kitchen is just nice.”
Five years into the role, Ritchie
shows no signs of tiring from
his objective of upholding the
standards set at the All England
Club: “The beauty of what happens
here is that there is a focus and
it’s that focus that makes it works
well. Our aim is to have a great
Championships, and we work yearround
to achieve that.
“It’s a serious business but it’s
good fun...The volunteers come
back here year after year because
they enjoy it as well and I think
that’s crucial; if you have a lot of
grumpy people that’s not going to
translate into a successful event.”
68 SportBusiness International • No. 160 • 09.10