Modern Slavery Act 2015

Yearly statement by The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Limited

Introduction

This is the second statement issued by The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club Limited (the ‘Club’) and its subsidiaries (together, the ‘AELTC’) pursuant to Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The AELTC is committed to policies designed to combat slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking (collectively referred to as ‘modern slavery’).

We recognise that risks still exist in certain areas, and this statement sets out the steps taken in the last financial year to reduce the risk of modern slavery in our organisation’s operations and supply chains.

Business summary and operational structure

The AELTC operates both a private members’ Club and The Championships, Wimbledon, one of the four annual Grand Slams of professional tennis.

The Championships are organised by a wholly-owned subsidiary The All England Lawn Tennis Club (Championships) Limited (ChampCo) which also runs The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. To facilitate the AELTC’s Master Plan for development of its premises, major construction work is undertaken by a wholly-owned subsidiary The All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc (GroundCo).

As part of staging The Championships, ChampCo operates in numerous business areas including: ticketing; broadcast and digital production and distribution; retail; merchandise; hospitality; food and beverage provision; transport; technology; and facilities management. The All England Lawn Tennis Museum is open throughout the year, and GroundCo construction work takes place for approximately ten months of the year.

In total, the AELTC welcomes over 500,000 visitors annually, and its work is made possible by many thousands of people – from permanent and temporary staff to specialist contractors, including those working in the UK and in international supply chains.

Vision and values

The AELTC’s vision is to be recognised throughout the world as the pinnacle of sport of tennis, and to pursue this in a manner that respects the Club’s traditions and values. Those values include the fundamental principles of integrity and respect, which we strive to be observed by all members, visitors, employees, contractors and suppliers, and ultimately by all of those who work directly or indirectly for our suppliers. We recognise that this presents a significant challenge but are committed to taking all practical steps in pursuit of our corporate vision.

Ongoing – policy and staff engagement

The AELTC’s standard contractual terms for third party suppliers and contractors include provisions against slavery, servitude, forced labour and human trafficking.

The AELTC (through ChampCo which employs the AELTC staff) has an internal policy on modern slavery, reflecting our commitment to act ethically and with integrity in our all business relationships, and implementing effective systems and controls aiming to ensure that there are no instances of modern slavery in our operation and supply chains.

It includes a requirement for all staff to be aware of the risks, to communicate the AELTC policy to its suppliers, and to report any suspected or potential incidence of modern slavery in the supply chains for which they have responsibility.

The policy includes a clear statement on whistle-blowing, emphasising that the AELTC encourages openness, and will support anyone who raises genuine concern in good faith, even if those concerns turn out to be mistaken. The policy has been approved by the Board of Directors of ChampCo and the Club.

Ongoing – risk assessment and due diligence

The AELTC undertakes an ongoing assessment of the relative risks of modern slavery in different areas of its business and supply chains, aiming to:

Identify and assess potential risk areas;
Mitigate the risk of modern slavery occurring;
Monitor new and continuing potential risk areas; and
Protect whistleblowers.

In assessing each area, we take account of the nature of the work involved and the location in which the work takes place. For example, we consider certain onsite activities, such as host broadcast production and specialist IT services, to be relatively low risk. In contrast, we consider international supply chains for retail and merchandising to be of higher risk.

For counterparties in higher risk supply chains we have identified specific measures to mitigate risk, requiring such counterparties to confirm they have appropriate policies and procedures in place. We also undertake a rolling programme of visits, wherever practical, to those counterparties’ premises to evaluate compliance with those policies and procedures.

Progress and activities undertaken in last financial year

During the last financial year, 1 August 2016 to 31 July 2017, the AELTC has provided key members of senior staff with in-depth training. In addition, all senior managers have been informed about the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act, the responsibility it entails, and the implications for the organisation.

For the 2017 Championships, a statement on the Modern Slavery Act was included for the first time in the annual ‘Guide of Working at the AELTC and The Championships’. The guide is issued to, and applies to, all staff and businesses who work at the AELTC or within the AELTC during The Championships. From now on it will be a standard statement in the Guide.

Ongoing improvement

The AELTC will continue to improve its work in this area and will ensure that our annual statement and internal policy are updated regularly to reflect those improvements.

This publication is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the modern slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the AELTC’s statement under that Act for the financial year ending 31 July 2017.

Philip Brook

Director, AELTC

31/01/2018

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