Sports icon and social justice pioneer Billie Jean King joined a group of local young athletes and leaders on Friday at The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) to discuss issues of sports, sexuality, empowerment and individuality in a Wimbledon-first ‘Inclusive Leadership’ event ahead of The Championships 2019.
The event was a collaboration between the AELTC, the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative (BJKLI) and Pride Sports, an organisation working to challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in sport and improve access to sport for all LGBT+ people across the world.
“It’s incredible to be with these young leaders today as we celebrate the power of being your authentic self,” Billie Jean King said. “Sports is a microcosm of society and as athletes we need to ensure everyone feels they can bring all of themselves in any arena – sports, business or life. I’m inspired by today’s celebration of inclusive leadership and look forward to this becoming an annual event.”
Young leaders from local organisations and schools attended the day, organised and hosted by journalist and presenter Nick McCarvel, to celebrate June as Pride Month around the globe and highlight the role of sport to encourage diversity and be the ultimate unifier.
The group of more than 30 individuals from Pride Sports, Youth Sport Trust, Sport & Recreation Alliance, The Proud Trust, Educate & Celebrate, London Romans F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Foundation and the Ricards Lodge School received a behind-the-scenes tour of Wimbledon’s famous Grounds before meeting with King, a 20-time Wimbledon champion in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Richard Lewis CBE, AELTC Chief Executive, commented:
“We are proud to be collaborating with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative and Pride Sports to discuss this important topic and to encourage the sports community to embrace the challenge of diversity. We hope that the young leaders have been inspired by their visit to Wimbledon and as always it is a pleasure to welcome Billie Jean King back to The Championships.”
King is a legendary pioneer in women’s sports and social issues. She was one of the Original 9 players who started women’s professional tennis in 1970 and she founded the WTA in 1973. King has also helped lead the fight for equal pay for women in tennis among a host of other issues. She is described as one of the two most important athletes in the 20th Century, along with Jackie Robinson.
In 2014, King co-founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative with her partner, Ilana Kloss. The BJKLI was created to address the critical issues required to achieve inclusive leadership that will lead to significant changes in how women and men operate in the world.
“We’re hugely grateful for this amazing opportunity to bring local young people and young LGBT+ leaders and allies to Wimbledon,” said Lou Englefield, director of Pride Sports. “It’s such a privilege to be able to meet Billie Jean King, an incredible athlete activist and an inspiration to so many. Thanks so much to the AELTC and Nick McCarvel for creating this once in a lifetime opportunity for these young leaders.”
For further information please contact:
Alexandra Willis, AELTC
awillis@aeltc.com
Marjorie Gantman, BJKLI
marjorie@bjkglobal.com
Lou Englefeld, Pride Sports UK
lou@pridesports.uk.org
ABOUT THE AELTC
The Championships, Wimbledon, is the oldest of the four tennis Grand Slams and the only one played on grass. Managed by The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and staged on the AELTC Grounds, Wimbledon has evolved from its origins as a private members’ croquet club in 1868, to one of the world’s biggest annual sporting events and one of the most well-respected brands in sport. Visit www.wimbledon.com and follow us @wimbledon on all major social media platforms.
ABOUT THE BILLIE JEAN KING LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (BJKLI)
The Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative is a non-profit endeavor founded in 2014 by sports icon and social justice pioneer, Billie Jean King, to promote equality and inclusion, inspire future leaders, and motivate those in positions of power to challenge the status quo. Members of the BJKLI Advisory Board include: Billie Jean King, Founder; Ilana Kloss, Co-founder; Paul Keary, Co-founder and COO, Teneo Holdings; Pablo Salame, Former Global Co-Head, Securities Division, Goldman Sachs; Christiane Amanpour, Chief International Correspondent, CNN; Jason Collins, Former NBA Player and Civil Rights Advocate; David Furnish, Chairman, Elton John AIDS Foundation and CEO, Rocket Entertainment Group; Maritza Gomez-Montiel, Former Vice Chairman and Deputy CEO of Deloitte; Sir Elton John; Jonathan Kraft, President, The Kraft Group; Robert McCann, Chairman, UBS Group Americas; Pat Mitchell, Founder and CEO, POW! Strategies and Executive Producer of TEDWomen; Robin Roberts, Anchor, ABC’s Good Morning America; Michael Strautmanis, VP of Civic Engagement for the Obama Foundation; Serena Williams, Professional Athlete; Entrepreneur; Venus Williams, Professional Athlete - Founder/CEO, EleVen and V Starr Interiors.