Wimbledon tickets go on sale for £80,000 each
A collection of sought-after debenture seats have gone on sale at £80,000 each, but that could still prove a canny purchase for anyone willing to risk the resale market.
The debenture tickets give holders five years of access to Centre Court and some of the best live tennis action on the planet between 2021 and 2025.
However, others may see the tickets as an investment opportunity - one pass-holder recently sold the final two years of their £50,000 five-year debenture ticket for £106,000. Other ticket holders sell their passes for certain days of the annual championship for handsome prices.
Claire-Estelle Bertrand, marketing and communications manager at official debenture ticket resale agents Wimbledon Debenture Holders, told CNN: "They really are the most sought-after tickets in the world. Not only do they give you the best seats to see the world's best tennis, but they really do grant you access into an exclusive world where you can meet other global influencers and meet current and past tennis champions.
"I personally feel these seats are the absolute best in the house, you have the opportunity to sit alongside the player family boxes and the royal box."
The ticket entitles the holder not only to a reserved seat on Centre Court on each day of the Championships it also includes access to special viewing rooms away from the court, an exclusive restaurant, lounges, bars and a private car park.
The sale, for which applications are open until May 10, could see the All England Club raise close to £200 million, which will go towards expanding its infrastructure. This is an expensive time for the club, which recently bought the neigbouring golf course in order to provide more corporate hospitality facilities and space for the qualifying rounds to be played on site, rather than at Roehampton.
The 2,520 debenture passes amount to 16.8% of Centre Court's seating and of the stadium's 15,000 available seats, just over half of the arena's capacity is made available to the public.
In an open letter from AELTC chairman Philip Brook thanked past buyers for their support: "Since 1920, debenture holders have played a leading role in helping us improve the Grounds."
