Wimbledon chairman Ian Hewitt makes diversity pledge

Wimbledon have stopped short of guaranteeing moves to extend minority representation in their club hierarchy, amid a series of changes at the top.

The All England Club recently appointed Sally Bolton as their first female chief executive, but have few BAME members and none on their main management committees.

In a conference call this week new chairman Ian Hewitt pledged to examine the matter, but did not stipulate that any quotas would be brought in.

An issue for Wimbledon is that they have fewer than 400 full members at the private club

‘We certainly look to ensure that we have diverse skills and experience in all senses of the word diverse as we can,’ he said. ‘I think it would be wrong to commit to proportional representation but we look to see who has the appropriate skills and experience across the board.

‘That will certainly be my aim in making recommendations for the future. I would like to think that we are as welcoming for all players, members and fans without any form of discrimination and I would just like to treat everyone equally.’

The All England are a private club, and have to draw their committees from what remains an exclusive membership.

One issue for Wimbledon is that they have fewer than 400 full members, and a significant number of those, such as past champions, are not especially active. Sir Trevor McDonald is one of the few BAME members.