Aroundtown Magazine March/April 2022 edition

SPORT
Barnsley
serves the
world
When you think of Wimbledon,
your mind probably jumps
straight to strawberries and
cream, the royal patronage,
and its strict dress code. But
what about its connection to
Barnsley?
For over 50 years, workers at the Slazenger
factory in Barnsley made the balls used at the
prestigious tennis tournament that would be hit by
the likes of Bjorn Borg, Billie Jean King, Martina
Navratilova and Roy Laver.
The factory would become a major employer
in the town, serving as an important part of
Barnsley’s social history. Hundreds of people
worked at the Doncaster Road factory during its
‘‘When it first opened, there
were around 200 workers
who made everything
from crash helmets to
shuttlecocks and hockey
sticks.’’
heyday, helping ensure the tens of thousands
of balls were all pitch perfect before they were
shipped off to Wimbledon.
Lots of people will have a connection to the
Slazenger factory, either as a former employee,
having a relative who worked there, or ex-
Kendray school pupils who remember having
tennis balls thrown over the adjoining fence.
In recognition of its importance to Barnsley
and the wider population, a new exhibition at
Experience Barnsley is set to bring the former
Slazenger employees centre-court. Barnsley
Serves the World launches at the museum on
Saturday 9th April and will run for six months until
October. The retro-inspired sporting exhibition
focuses on the factory during the height of
production in the 1970s and ‘80s. Where social
history meets art, the fun and interactive exhibition
includes lots of old photographs and quotes
of workers, a documentary made by Barnsley
filmmaker James Lockie, and some wacky
installations involving tennis balls, nets and
umpire stands.
Barnsley Serves the World follows on from
the success of 2019’s Tins! Tins! Tins! which
looked at the former Tin ‘Oyl factory at Barnsley
Canister Company and really resonated with
people in the town. The newest exhibition
tells the story of how Barnsley once produced
something all the world wanted.
Slazenger is one of the longest established
sporting goods brands in the world, having been
founded by brothers Ralph and Albert Slazenger
in 1881. The brothers ran factories in London, but
during World War II the manufacturing of sporting
equipment was deemed non-essential and they
shifted to making military supplies. Then their
factories were bombed in The Blitz which sparked
a move of production up north.
First came the acquisition of competitor William
Sykes which had a factory in Horbury near Ossett.
Then a few years later the Barnsley factory opened
in 1945, its central location an advantage, with
the bulk of the world’s sporting equipment being
solely produced in Yorkshire.
Barnsley employed about a third of the
Slazenger factory workforce, with the rest working
30 aroundtownmagazine.co.uk