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Pricey Wimbledon debenture passes on sale next week

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) is releasing thousands of five-year passes worth an expected £100,000 ($132,000/€117,000) to cover every match on Wimbledon’s Centre Court next week.

There will be 2,520 tickets for 2021-2025 debentures going on sale next Thursday at 10am, with demand expected to exceed supply.

“They are the most sought-after tickets in the world,” said Claire-Estelle Bertrand, the marketing manager for Wimbledon Debenture Holders, a resale service, according to the Guardian newspaper. “Not only do they give you the best seats to see the world’s best tennis, but they grant you access into a rarefied world to meet other global influencers.”

Over the years, holders have reportedly made tens of thousands of pounds a year selling their seat for some days of Wimbledon, or earned almost triple what they paid by reselling the whole debenture. According to the Guardian, this makes the debentures one of the best investments in the world.

The debentures were launched in 1920 to help fund the construction of centre court. The AELTC said: “At least one family has held debentures since inception.”

Debentures account for 16.7 per cent of Centre Court’s 15,000 seats, with the AELTC reserving a further 1,340 seats for corporate hospitality. Just over half of all tickets (53.5 per cent) are left for the public to buy.

While the AELTC did not give away any information about the price of each five-year pass or what it expects to make from them, two well-informed sources told the Guardian the seats were expected to be listed for in excess of £100,000 each, which works out at a total of £252m.

Debentures have no resale restrictions and are treated as financial instruments and traded on a stock market.

Image: Rian (Ree) Saunders