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Historic sporting venue announced for Liverpool Hope International Tennis Tournament

A new venue for this year’s Liverpool Hope International Tennis Tournament has today been announced.

The Liverpool Cricket Club will this year host the tournament, which is the largest tennis exhibition in Europe. The tournament will run from June 18-22 and provides a unique opportunity to watch ATP and WTA players warming up before Wimbledon.

Founded in 1807, Liverpool Cricket Club is the oldest amateur sporting establishment in Merseyside. The club has a rich and varied history and has in fact played host to legends of tennis – in the 1950s, world class players such as Lew Hoad, Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosvald all graced the centre court in front of the historic Pavilion at the Liverpool Cricket Club.

The last tennis tournament to be held at the club was in 1954, so this year’s tournament sees the sport returning to its original home in Liverpool after sixty years.

The tournament, sponsored by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Hope University, is one of the most popular sporting events in the North West and the 2014 event is expected to attract a record-breaking number of spectators.

The Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson has supported the event, saying: “The Liverpool Hope International Tennis Tournament is a fantastic event for the city. The event not only sees people returning to the city year on year, but is succeeding in attracting new crowds and aficionados of the sport.

“Liverpool’s sporting history is rich and diverse, and the history at the club reflects just that. Sport is a fantastic driver for the city’s economy, and the tennis is playing an increasingly bigger role in this.

“Liverpool Cricket Club is a fantastic venue and I look forward to its successful partnership with the festival over the coming months and years.”

Ian McKenna, Director of Development at Liverpool Hope University, added: “Our ongoing sponsorship of the Liverpool Hope University International Tennis Tournament underlines Hope’s continued commitment to supporting world-class events in the city. It also gives our students the chance to experience international level tennis in the local community.

“Liverpool Cricket Club, which is very close to our residential campus Aigburth Park Student Village, has a wonderful pedigree of sporting excellence and we are looking forward to this year’s event.”

Tournament Director and organiser Anders Borg from Northern Vision summarised by saying: “Thanks to support from our sponsors, in particular Liverpool Hope University and Liverpool City Council, this year’s tournament is set to be bigger and better than ever!

“The Northern Vision team are very excited about the venue change. Calderstones has been a fantastic venue over the past twelve years and the team there have played a vital role in putting tennis on the map in Liverpool.

“However, I feel the event has outgrown the Park and Liverpool Cricket Club have the right foundations to be a lasting home for the tournament, and can comfortably accommodate the ambitious plans we have for the Liverpool Hope International Tennis Tournament over the coming years.”

The tournament has thrived since 2002 and is now Europe’s largest tennis exhibition. This year, tennis legends and aspiring champions will compete in a purpose built centre court stadium at the club located in Aigburth.

Sponsorship and corporate hospitality packages are now available for this year’s tournament. For more information on the event, ticket prices and sponsorship opportunities, please visit: www.liverpooltennis.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .