Copper Box Arena to host historic Great Britain Fed Cup
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced today that East London will host an international team tennis tie for the first ever time.
The announcement was made at a visit to Clapton Girls Academy in Hackney by LTA Chief Executive Scott Lloyd and GB Fed Cup Captain Anne Keothavong, who herself grew up in Hackney.
The Copper Box Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park will be the venue for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II Play-Off.
Taking the tie to the East London venue is a key part of the LTA’s new strategy to open up tennis to new audiences and areas, through showcasing the GB women’s team and bringing world-class tennis to new and existing British fans.
The tie will see Great Britain battling it out against Kazakhstan from 20-21 April, with GB aiming to return to the World Group for the first time since 1993.
It is only the fourth time in 24 home ties that a Fed Cup or Davis Cup has been staged in the capital, and never before in East London.
The pair played tennis and took questions from Year Nine Pupils at the school. The tennis programme at Clapton Girls Academy is part of an East London schools project supported by a partnership between the LTA and charity Greenhouse Sports, using tennis coaching and mentoring to empower young people who are facing disadvantage and help them unlock their full potential.
We are very proud to bring our Fed Cup tie against Kazakhstan to East London. Building on the success of the 2012 Olympic Games, we are hoping the backdrop of an iconic venue like the copper Box will spur our team onto victory. We want to enable as many fans as possible to attend and give new audiences the opportunity to experience the thrill of live tennis and support our GB team’s bid to reach the world group level of the fed cup for the first time since 1993.
This will be a unique opportunity to see Great Britain battle it out over two days playing two singles matches on Saturday, with the reverse singles and doubles on Easter Sunday.
Tickets will go on general sale next week and the venue capacity is expected to be at 5,800. As part of the LTA’s strategy to make tennis more accessible, ticket prices start from £6 for children under 16 and £12 for adults.
For further information on the GB Fed Cup team please go to www.lta.org.uk/FedCup.