Allaster Named New WTA Tour Chairwoman and CEO
Canadian, Stacey Allaster, who has been President of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour since 2006, was named the new Chairwoman and CEO of the Tour succeeding Larry Scott who moved on to become Commissioner of the Pac-10 on July 1st. Stacey is the first woman to hold the post since Anne Worcester was CEO in the 1990s. As President of the Tour, Allaster was responsible for the Tour’s operations, business development, television,
new media and tournament and player relations.
Allaster, who worked for Tennis Canada as Vice President and Tournament Director of the Canadian Open prior to the WTA Tour, faces many challenges. For example, Sony Ericcson’s multi-year $88 million deal with the Tour is set to expire at the end of 2010 and they’ve said that they’d expect more for the same amount of money in the negotiations. The ATP Tour's sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz expired at the end of 2008 and the ATP has not yet found a new sponsor. Tournaments on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have seen a slight drop in corporate hospitality. Attendance at events has been flat so far this year, but only one Tour event has lost a title sponsor. In addition to the financial pressures facing the Tour and its tournaments around the world, there has been "instability" at the top of the women's game since Justine Henin retired in May, 2008. Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina have all held the Number One ranking in the past year. At the same time, Serena Williams, who has won three of the past four Grand Slams, but struggled at times in the smaller tournaments, does not currently hold the Number One ranking to the surprise of many.
Unlike the ATP World Tour which chose its second successive "outsider" in naming Adam Helfant to succeed Etienne de Villiers in January, 2009, Allaster can clearly be labeled a "tennis insider." Is that a good point or a bad quality? The ATP World Tour is in a slightly stronger position than the women's Tour in terms of prize money, tournaments and strength at the very top of the men's game with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as well as Federer’s record fifteen Grand Slam titles have also generated a lot of positive publicity for men’s tennis in the past year. Given the financial pressures and instability at the top of the women's game, it's probably a good thing to have someone at the helm who is familiar with the scene. The bigger issues will be whether Allaster can be a successful dealmaker in terms of securing sponsorship and TV deals in the next few years. In addition, it will be critical for Allaster to have the support of the key players at the top of women's tennis. Professional tennis has withstood the rumblings in the marketplace a little better than some other sports because of its global footprint and long-term sponsorship deals. Nonetheless, navigating the turbulent waters will require a shrewd captain. Continuity will hopefully help Allaster and the WTA Tour weather the storms over the next couple years.
Allaster, who worked for Tennis Canada as Vice President and Tournament Director of the Canadian Open prior to the WTA Tour, faces many challenges. For example, Sony Ericcson’s multi-year $88 million deal with the Tour is set to expire at the end of 2010 and they’ve said that they’d expect more for the same amount of money in the negotiations. The ATP Tour's sponsorship deal with Mercedes-Benz expired at the end of 2008 and the ATP has not yet found a new sponsor. Tournaments on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have seen a slight drop in corporate hospitality. Attendance at events has been flat so far this year, but only one Tour event has lost a title sponsor. In addition to the financial pressures facing the Tour and its tournaments around the world, there has been "instability" at the top of the women's game since Justine Henin retired in May, 2008. Maria Sharapova, Jelena Jankovic, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Dinara Safina have all held the Number One ranking in the past year. At the same time, Serena Williams, who has won three of the past four Grand Slams, but struggled at times in the smaller tournaments, does not currently hold the Number One ranking to the surprise of many.
Unlike the ATP World Tour which chose its second successive "outsider" in naming Adam Helfant to succeed Etienne de Villiers in January, 2009, Allaster can clearly be labeled a "tennis insider." Is that a good point or a bad quality? The ATP World Tour is in a slightly stronger position than the women's Tour in terms of prize money, tournaments and strength at the very top of the men's game with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as well as Federer’s record fifteen Grand Slam titles have also generated a lot of positive publicity for men’s tennis in the past year. Given the financial pressures and instability at the top of the women's game, it's probably a good thing to have someone at the helm who is familiar with the scene. The bigger issues will be whether Allaster can be a successful dealmaker in terms of securing sponsorship and TV deals in the next few years. In addition, it will be critical for Allaster to have the support of the key players at the top of women's tennis. Professional tennis has withstood the rumblings in the marketplace a little better than some other sports because of its global footprint and long-term sponsorship deals. Nonetheless, navigating the turbulent waters will require a shrewd captain. Continuity will hopefully help Allaster and the WTA Tour weather the storms over the next couple years.
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