ITF Identifies Strategic Priorities For Long-Term Sustainable Growth

The ITF announced the creation of a long-term plan for sustainable growth under a new agenda, ITF 2024, at its Annual Conference and AGM in Zagreb, Croatia on Wednesday.

ITF President David Haggerty outlined the ITF’s mission to develop, grow and promote tennis around the world through good governance, integrity and trust, inclusiveness, innovation, ambition and collaboration.

President Haggerty confirmed that the ITF’s priorities are growing and leading the game by inspiring more people to play, follow and watch tennis and by upholding the sport’s values and integrity. The ITF has identified the following eight strategic priorities in order to achieve these goals:

Leadership

Integrity – Uphold the highest levels of Integrity, Governance and Transparency
Investment – Strengthen the financial position of ITF and its member nations
Development – Increase ITF development funding and expertise to grow tennis around the world

Management

Davis Cup and Fed Cup – Create more revenue for investment in Tennis Development
Olympics – Elevate tennis in the Olympics
Opportunity – Provide opportunities to play at all levels of the game

Collaboration

Partnership – Increase cooperation and collaboration with all partners
Communication – Engage, listen to, understand and work more closely with our National and Regional Associations

The ITF 2024 agenda follows on from the restructure of the ITF at the start of the year to create two expanded departments including the activities of the former Development department. The ITF Integrity and Development department is now responsible for Development, Rules of Tennis, Governance, Anti-Doping, Anti-Corruption, Science and Technical. The ITF Circuits and Professional Tennis Events department now includes all ITF Circuits, Live Scoring, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, Olympic Tennis and Officiating.

David Haggerty

ITF President David Haggerty said: “It has been important to create a structure to allow us to become a more efficient and effective organisation, and give us more opportunity to realise our primary goal of developing, growing and promoting tennis around the world. ITF 2024 will provide the framework for strategic and sustainable growth over the next eight years, as we work together to strengthen our sport.”

Botswana Tennis Federation President Nelson Amanze said: “What I have seen this year is extremely different and the changes are extremely good because now as a member nation you get to experience and see everything in detail, you get to ask more questions, the format is extremely good and it’s more interactive and more engaging so you get to see how the different Commissions and Committees operate, which is excellent.

“ITF 2024 is talking about Development, which for us as Africans is the key because we want tennis to be developed on the continent, we want more players to play and make more money out of it.”

Philippines Tennis Association Vice President Randy Villanueva said: “There’s more communication between the Board and the rest of the delegates. I am very honoured that on behalf of the Asian delegates I was able to present to the Board about the Davis Cup needs and the difficulties in the region. I think that was the first time that the Board had guests in its meetings and it was my pleasure to discuss that.”

Vanuatu Tennis Federation President and Oceania Tennis Federation Vice President Cyrille Mainguy said: “We thought maybe it was time to come to show the new President and the new leadership that we are behind him and I thought his opening speech was very inspiring. I’m very optimistic and I think change is always good. Tennis is an old sport but I believe that we should all, every nation, have a say.

“In the presentations there was always in the background ‘Working for Nations’ and I think now we have a President who is ready to listen to nations, ready to listen to the challenges in our regions and to try to treat regions by regions and nations by nations because we are all different. I am very happy I came because the atmosphere was great and open-minded.”

Federación Colombiana de Tenis President Gabriel Sanchez Sierra said: “The big difference is participation because now we have the opportunity to share ideas. I liked very much David Haggerty’s presentation because his presentation was concentrated on achievements. He has achieved a lot in a very short amount of time.”