Wimbledon under pressure to drop Barclays sponsorship with SW19 protests planned

Wimbledon has come under pressure once again to drop its sponsorship deal with Barclays due to the bank’s support for fossil fuels.

Celebrities including Richard Curtis, Emma Thompson and Deborah Meaden led calls for the tournament to reconsider the deal in 2023. But despite the criticism making a splash, Barclays will still adorn the famous tournament in SW19 over the next few weeks, with the All England Lawn Tennis Club choosing not to take action.

Barclays’ five-year sponsorship of Live Nation festivals, including Download, Latitude and the Isle of Wight, was cancelled earlier this month after artists and fans protested. Campaigners are now calling for something similar to happen at Wimbledon, which earns £20million per year from Barclays yet regularly trumpets its own sustainability initiatives.

“Instead of addressing the health harms, Barclays is covering it up with sponsorships like Wimbledon, which acts as a cheap and shiny distraction for the damage it’s causing through funding the poisoning of our communities and beyond,” wrote Tonyehn Verkitus, director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, in a letter to Wimbledon.

Tony Burdon, chief executive of Make My Money Matter, said: "Wimbledon says it is proud of its partnership with Barclays. But Barclays was Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuels in 2023 – the hottest year on record.

“Barclays is the new Shell, and is using Wimbledon’s great reputation to cover up its role in financing the climate crisis. No decent organisation should be sponsored by Barclays, and if Wimbledon is serious about its legacy, and its commitment to the environment, then it must drop them.”

Wimbledon

Fossil Free London will be protesting against the Barclays sponsorship during the tournament, which runs from July 1 to July 14 at the All England Club. “Wimbledon, our national treasure, can do so much better than Barclays, which is hijacking the tournament’s sustainability efforts to hide its multitude of sins,” said Joanna Warrington of Fossil Free London. “The sponsorship deal is now untenable given public trust in Barclays is plummeting. It’s time for Barclays to stop leeching off Wimbledon.”

Addressing the backlash last year, an AELTC spokesperson said: “Barclays’ commitment to creating access to sport for all is something that we are passionate about and, thanks to their generous support of the Wimbledon Foundation, will be a central theme of our partnership.

“We believe that Wimbledon, along with other major sporting bodies and events, has a meaningful role to play in helping to protect the environment, today and for the future. Our ambition to have a positive impact on the environment is central to our day-to-day operations and is a core part of putting on a successful championships.”