The Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament will return next month along with further pledges towards environmental preservation.
Last year, the organisers Northern Vision committed to various greener policies including using biodegradable, recyclable food cartons and utensils, limiting single use plastic by using cup take back schemes and implementing waste separation systems in order to encourage recycling. This came after an impact report was published in collaboration with the University of Liverpool which showed what changes the tournament can make in order to become greener.
For this year’s edition, which will take place between 22-24 June, Northern Vision will also be donating over 500 used tennis balls to Freshfields Animal Rescue due to their potentially devastating environmental impact which can see them take more than 400 years to decompose, during which time they continue to produce methane and other greenhouse gases.
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“We would like to say a big thank you to The Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament for its donation of tennis balls to our dogs,” said Deb Hughes of Freshfields Animal Rescue.
“Many of our animals come from backgrounds of neglect and abuse, and it’s important that they have lots of stimulation to help them relax, play and have fun.
“Our dogs love tennis balls more than any other toys. Playing fetch gives them fantastic mental and physical stimulation and keeps them healthy, which is vital in finding them a new home.
“This thoughtful donation is much appreciated and will bring hours of enjoyment to our rescued dogs.”
Tournament director Anders Borg has spoken before about how eager he is to bring in the necessary changes to the competition in order to help the environment.
Speaking on this latest development, he said: “Every dog loves chasing a ball – which is why we’re going to donate hundreds of balls to Freshfields, rather than send them to landfill to decompose.
“This latest initiative is important environmentally, of course, but we also want to do right by the wider community here in Liverpool, supporting organisations like Freshfields to rehabilitate and care for neglected animals.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to drive positive change, working in collaboration with our partners to shape a brighter future here in Merseyside and to minimise the effects of climate change on our planet.
“We know that the world of sport has a long way to go to become truly sustainable, but by making small yet meaningful changes to how we operate, we hope to deliver a greener event with a positive impact”.
The tournament, which is Europe’s largest and longest-running tennis exhibition, expects to be welcoming almost 1,000 corporate guests to Liverpool Cricket Club next month and last year’s winner, the Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov has already been confirmed as taking part once again with the aim of defending his title.
