Wimbledon debentures will reportedly be exempted by the government from a crackdown on the reselling of tickets above face value.
Debentures allow the holder to secure a premium seat at Wimbledon over a five-year period, with the All England Lawn Tennis Club issuing them for both Centre Court and No.1 Court.
Their seat is reserved on Centre Court for all 14 days of the Grand Slam tennis tournament, while No.1 Court’s access is for the 11 days of action on the secondary show court.
The debentures also provide the holder with access to exclusive restaurants and bars.
The AELTC also note that a benefit of having a debenture includes the ability for the holder to transfer or sell on their tickets, stating they can be bought and sold via stockbrokers or privately.
Debentures were first introduced in 1920 to fund the purchase of part of the Wimbledon grounds and the building of Centre Court.
Wimbledon’s debenture programme will reportedly be exempt from a ban on the reselling of tickets above face value
Holders of 2,520 debentures on Centre Court, who have reserved seats over a five-year period, are able to sell tickets above face value
Earlier this week, it was announced that the government are set to impose a ban on the reselling of tickets to live events for a profit.
The Labour Party had included stronger protections for fans as part of their election pledges, leading to a consultation.
The consultation had reportedly canvassed views on capping resales at up to 30 per cent above the face value of a ticket, but the limit is expected to now be at the original cost.
According to the Financial Times, the AELTC warned a price cap on debentures would be ‘extremely damaging’, as it invests the proceeds in infrastructure.
‘We support the government’s measures to protect fans and we are confident that the government recognises the crucial role that Wimbledon’s debenture programme plays in the continued success of the Championships,’ the AELTC said in a statement.
In total, there are 2,520 debenture seats on Centre Court with the debentures having been priced for the 2026-2030 series at £116,000 when they were issued in 2024.
The allocation of these seats over the five-year period was estimated to raise around £238.2million.
A further 1,250 debenture seats are available on No.1 Court, which were priced at £73,000 when issued earlier this for 2027 to 2031.
The AELTC club, which also issues debentures for No.1 Court, invests fund raised from the programme to fund infrastructure improvements
The price of the No.1 Court tickets had risen from £46,000 when they were last issued back in 2021.
In May, AELTC announced the No.1 Court debentures were ‘significantly oversubscribed’ with seats having been allocated and issued.
The club stated the issue would raise approximately £74million.
Wimbledon, which runs a ticket ballot for general admission tickets, has a strict ban on their unauthorised resale.
