Wimbledon debentures are scheduled to be offered again next year, likely for more than the £50,000 cost of those issued in '14.GETTY IMAGES
One of the "hottest tickets of any sporting summer is a seat at Centre Court during the Wimbledon tennis championships," according to Murad Ahmed of the FINANCIAL TIMES. But to watch the world's best players, "fans must first navigate the tournament's ticketing policies." The "hoi polloi must take their chances," either by entering a public ballot each year or queueing for up to two days outside the grounds "to get hold of tickets." The "only way of ensuring entry is to spend thousands of pounds on debentures," which guarantee a seat for at least the first 10 days of the tournament. The wealthy few willing to pay "steep up-front prices" will get "more than just a great view of the action." Wimbledon debentures are a "unique and valuable investment that could make the owner money over the long run." Holders are also given other privileges, such as access to an exclusive lounge and restaurant and the opportunity to buy tickets for the final days of the tournament. The All England Lawn Tennis Club issues debentures through a subsidiary, the All England Lawn Tennis Ground, "to finance improvements and renovations." Next year, it is "due to issue its latest batch of debentures for seats at Centre Court." Though a decision on pricing is yet to be made, the tournament organizers admit that the cost of debentures is "likely to increase compared to the last batch" that was issued in '14 and covers the five tournaments from '16-20. Those cost £50,000 each, helping to raise £100M, "which was spent in renovating and improving the grounds." However, debentures are also "the only Wimbledon tickets that can be legally resold." This makes them "fully tradable instruments." On the secondary market, debentures have consistently traded "significantly over their issue price." Alice Poutney, a corporate broker at Dowgate, the official Wimbledon debenture market-maker, said, "We get the very keen sports fans who just want the debentures purely for the enjoyment of watching tennis. We also get those that see it as an investment." Wimbledon Centre Court debenture sales have offered returns that "outstrip more mainstream investments." In '17, on average, debentures were resold for £114,500, "well more than double their issue price of £50,000 just three years previously" (FT, 6/19).
