Queen's Club facts for kids
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| Formation | 1886 |
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| Type | Private members' club |
| Purpose | Sport |
| Location |
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Chief executive
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Ross Niland (as of 2019[update]) |
The Queen's Club is a special private sports club in West Kensington, London, England. It is famous for hosting the annual Queen's Club Championships, a big grass-court tennis tournament. The club has many courts, including 28 outdoor and 10 indoor tennis courts. It is also the main place for "real tennis" in the UK, hosting the British Open every year. Besides tennis, you can play rackets and squash here. The Queen's Club became the main home for rackets and squash after another club, the Prince's Club, closed in 1940.
Contents
The Queen's Club Story
How the Club Started
The Queen's Club began on August 19, 1886. It was founded by Evan Charteris, George Francis, and Algernon Grosvener. This club was the second multi-sport complex in the world. It became the only one after the Prince's Club moved and lost its outdoor sports areas. The club is named after Queen Victoria, who was its first special supporter.
Early Days of Sport
The first grass tennis courts opened on May 19, 1887. The very first sports event happened on July 1 and 2, 1887, when teams from Oxford and Cambridge universities played. The club buildings, which took about 18 months to build, opened in January 1888. William Marshall, a finalist from the first 1877 Wimbledon Championships, was the architect.
Many sports were played at the club from the start. These included real tennis, Eton Fives, rackets, and lawn tennis. Football, rugby, and athletics were also popular. Even cricket was played, but not in an organized way. The big university sports meeting between Cambridge and Oxford was held at the Queen's Club from 1888 to 1928.
Olympic Games Host
The Queen's Club was a special venue for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the indoor tennis, jeu de paume (which is another name for real tennis), and rackets events. On March 7, 1914, King George V watched a rugby match between the Navy and the Army here. The Army team won that day.
Football History
Until 1922, the club was the main ground for the Corinthian F.C. football team. One international football match was also played here. On March 18, 1895, England played against Wales, and the game ended in a 1–1 draw.
Changes at the Club
Selling the Queen's Club
On September 13, 2005, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) decided to sell the Queen's Club. The LTA, which is in charge of British tennis, had owned the club since 1953. They wanted to make sure the rackets club and the Queen's Club Championships would still continue.
On March 8, 2006, the LTA announced they would sell the club to its members for £45 million. This ended a lot of worry about the club's future. However, some members thought the LTA didn't have the right to sell it. They believed the LTA was just holding the club for them. These members started to raise money to challenge the sale in court. In December 2006, both sides agreed to a deal outside of court. The sale price was lowered to £35 million.
New Headquarters
In February 2007, the LTA moved its main office from Queen's Club. They moved to the new National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The Cinch Championships, held at Queen's Club, is still one of the six most popular grass-court tournaments for men's professional tennis players. Other big grass tournaments include the Halle Open in Germany and Wimbledon.
The ball girls for the tournament are chosen from students in years 8, 9, and 10. They come from St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls in South London and Nonsuch High School for Girls in Surrey.
See also
- All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club — London's other famous tennis club
- British Covered Court Championships
- Queen's Club Covered Court Championship
- The "Pioneer Exhibition Game" in London (1916)
- List of tennis stadiums by capacity
