Tennis SA appoints new chief
TENNIS SA (TSA) have announced the appointment of Richard Glover as CEO of the organisation from October 1.
Glover has a wealth of experience in the sports industry‚ both domestically and internationally‚ having spent time at both Arsenal Football Club in London and Cricket SA.
While living in the UK he completed his MBA at Kingston University Business School.
Glover is MD of Frontiers Sport and Entertainment‚ a sports marketing agency‚ which he helped launch in 2012.
Frontiers have offices in Johannesburg‚ Cape Town and Nairobi, and their clients include the Sharks‚ the Comrades Marathon‚ South African Hockey Association‚ EFC Worldwide‚ Kenyan Premier League and the Kenya Rugby Union.
“Richard brings a wealth of commercial experience to South African tennis‚” said Tennis SA president Gavin Crookes. “He has a deep understanding of sport marketing‚ locally and internationally‚ and I believe he will help uplift South African tennis and bring some of the glory days back to the sport.”
Glover has spent the past few weeks speaking to people involved in the sport‚ in order to understand where tennis is currently positioned in SA.
“Like every sports federation in this country‚ Tennis SA has its share of challenges‚ but there are a lot of positive things happening in the sport – including a growing junior programme and strong corporate governance‚” Glover said. “Tennis is also a unique sport in that it appeals to both men and women and is played by people from the age of eight to 80. These are strong foundations from which to build.”
Glover’s top priority‚ he said‚ was to raise the profile of Tennis SA. “We must give key stakeholders — whether it be players‚ fans‚ or potential sponsors — reasons to believe in tennis. We need to tell our story better.”
The new CEO has strong views on transformation and development.
“TSA must embrace transformation at all levels. It is critical for the sport both from a moral and sustainability perspective.
“However‚ the fan base is a lot more transformed than people may think‚” Glover said.
“According to recent research data I saw‚ the number one tennis fans in SA are black women based in Gauteng. That is an incredibly exciting insight and is something we can leverage in the future.”
Glover worked with Arsenal’s media department and was GM of Arsenal Broadband‚ which administers the London football club’s website.