This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This study focuses on the issue of social exclusion in British tennis. It commences with\ud
a critique of current LTA policy, presenting exclusion as static, ahistorical and\ud
underpinned by false dichotomies of age and social class. Aspects of Norbert Elias’s\ud
theoretical approach are employed throughout as an analytical framework. Initially, the\ud
roots of exclusion in British tennis are sought through historical analysis. Aspects of the\ud
Civilising Process help direct attention towards wider social processes to explain the\ud
prevalence of exclusion, particularly in tennis clubs. Cost was a crucial factor in\ud
determining early access, but as tennis became more accessible to lower classes, codes of\ud
behavioural etiquette helped demarcate members along status lines. Into the mid-20th\ud
century, the globalisation, professionalisation and commercialisation of tennis pushed\ud
the LTA to adopt a more performance-oriented outlook, but this has come to oppose the\ud
more relaxed culture of tennis clubs. Thus, a power struggle emerged between these two\ud
institutions, and, underpinned by thirty interviews with leading figures in British tennis\ud
as well as extensive documentary analysis, the third section documents these\ud
developments from the 1980s. Crucially, tennis clubs remain largely amateur and\ud
voluntary-run organisations, yet are important locations for the implementation of the\ud
LTA’s demanding talent development objectives. These recent developments are\ud
understood with the help of Elias’s Game Models theory. The fourth section presents\ud
findings from a ten-month ethnographic study of social exclusion in a tennis club; a\ud
micro-analysis of club member relations underpinned by Elias’s Established-Outsider\ud
Relations theory. Overall findings suggest that social exclusion in British tennis is far\ud
more complex, multi-faceted and historically-rooted than what current LTA discourse\ud
presents. Differences in age and class are less central, and instead preconceived notions\ud
of social status based on longevity of membership, adherence to behavioural norms and\ud
playing standard are powerful determinants of inclusion