The leadership take: accessibility is a product decision

Accessibility in sport isn’t just ramps and signage—it’s friction in the journey. The LTA has spent the last few years wiring a digital pathway that turns curiosity into play: find a court → book → pay → enter → play → return. That chain matters more than any single feature. The result: easier discovery and booking, lower venue admin, and broader participation across parks and clubs.

What’s new & what actually helps

1) Frictionless discovery and booking

Players can find and book courts, classes and local leagues in minutes via the LTA’s booking service and apps—on web and mobile. Confirmation details (including gate PINs) live in the Advantage portal for easy retrieval.

2) Smart gate access = open, safe venues

Gate access technology links bookings to entry, letting venues open courts to new audiences while keeping facilities secure and enabling instant payment. There are two systems, including an option for venues without mains power, both integrated with ClubSpark.

3) Coaching & grassroots at scale

The ecosystem spans coach tools (attendance and session management via the ClubSpark LTA Coaching app) and inclusive programmes like Open Court (disability tennis) and SERVES (underserved communities). Technology underpins scheduling, discovery and continuity.

4) Membership that reduces admin friction

The Advantage membership ties bookings, leagues and benefits together—and, on paid tiers, adds extras like My Game+ for stats—so casual players and regulars share one digital identity.

The LTA makes tennis more inclusive by digitising the end-to-end journey: web/mobile booking, gate access tied to reservations, coach tools and inclusive programmes such as Open Court and SERVES. The result is less friction for players and venues—and more people on court, more often.

How this removes real barriers

• Time & travel anxiety: clear availability, pricing and location in one place.

• Confidence at the gate: a confirmed booking yields a PIN or controlled entry—no awkward conversations.

• Coaching continuity: digital rosters and check-ins help coaches keep newcomers engaged and returning.

• Inclusion by design: structured national programmes (Open Court, SERVES) meet people where they are and signpost adapted sessions.

Connect it to your operations: run accessibility audits in Asana

If you’re a council, venue operator or university sports service, pair LTA tools with a repeatable accessibility workflow so your own websites, PDFs and booking flows meet WCAG standards. Use our guide to map checks to tasks, triage, fix and verify—inside Asana:
➡︎ How to manage accessibility testing in Asana — gend.co/blog/asana-accessibility-testing.

Why Asana here? You get checklists, owners, evidence links, and an audit trail; run quarterly sweeps alongside content updates and venue changes. (If you’re tightening permissions or external sharing, see our Asana security piece.)

Practical steps (for venue & programme leaders)

1. Publish the full journey on your site: “Find a court → Book → Pay → Enter” with links to the LTA booking page or your ClubSpark instance.

2. Adopt gate access if you manage parks: widen access safely and enable pay-and-play.

3. List inclusive sessions (e.g., Open Court) with accurate tags for wheelchair, visually impaired or deaf tennis.

4. Stand up the Asana audit project: WCAG checks as tasks; failing items become fixes with due dates; re-test before campaigns.

FAQs

How is technology making tennis more inclusive?
By removing journey friction—online booking, secure gate access, and inclusive programmes surfaced digitally—so more people can find, enter and enjoy courts without prior knowledge or club ties. Lawn Tennis Association

What specific tools are in play?
LTA’s Play/booking services and apps, ClubSpark venue tooling, gate access systems, Advantage membership, and coach apps for session management. Google Play | Lawn Tennis Association | clubspark.lta.org.uk

Who benefits?
New and returning players, disabled players through Open Court, communities via SERVES, and venue operators who cut admin and open courts safely. Lawn Tennis Association

Can we link this to our internal ops?
Yes—run accessibility audits in Asana to keep your own sites, PDFs and venue pages compliant and clear, then link directly to the LTA booking pathway. Generation Digital

Useful Links

• Asana (run accessibility audits & campaigns) →

• Miro (map journeys & signage flows) →

• Notion (publish guidance & FAQs) →

• Glean (surface policy & how-to in context) →

• Accessibility audits in Asana (blog) → https://www.gend.co/blog/asana-accessibility-testing Generation Digital