How Wimbledon is Funded
Wimbledon, or The All England Tennis & Croquet Club (ALTEC), is a highly prestigious and exclusive tennis club with only 500 full, life, and honorary members, so it’s fair to question how The Club funds the tournament.
According to Forbes, the tournament generates money from sponsorships, broadcasting rights, tickets, concessions, and merchandise. In 2017, here’s how their $289 million in revenue broke down roughly.

- $160m broadcasting rights (55.4%)
- $47m ticket sales (16.3%)
- $47m sponsorships (16.3%)
- $35m concessions and merchandise (12.1%)
- $289m total (100%)
The Championships use these funds to pay staff, maintain the Club and its impeccable grounds, and pay players prize money.
If there’s a surplus in funds, 90% of it goes to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to invest in British tennis.
It’s worth noting that Wimbledon earns less than some of the Grand Slam tournaments due to its dedication to a “clean court philosophy” where they don’t place advertisements throughout the grounds as is common at nearly all sporting events these days.
As a result, prize money isn’t as high as it could be. Here’s a look at the 2019 prize money for all four of the tournaments:
Tournament | Prize Money | US Dollars |
Australian Open | $62,500,000 | $44,902,812 |
French Open | €42,661,000 | $45,460,414 |
Wimbledon | £38,000,000 | $47,461,430 |
US Open | $57,238,700 | $57,238,700 |
For years Wimbledon has focused on a select few partners, like Slazenger, that appreciate the Club’s dedication to maintaining a signage-free environment that focuses on the Wimbledon brand while reducing distraction for the players.