94-year-old Eastbourne tennis fan struggling to access event without smartphone

Sheila Taylor, 94, of Marine Terrace, Pevensey Bay, has attended the Eastbourne Rothesay Tournament for nearly 50 years.

Over the years, she has seen many all-time tennis greats, including Martina Navratilova, the Williams sisters and Novak Djokovic.

But recent changes to the ticketing system has made it more difficult for her to access the tournament.

Sheila said she ‘read with dismay’ that entry can only be obtained by displaying the ticket on a smartphone, something which she said could cause problems for elderly residents or those who don’t use technology.

The LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) has confirmed tickets can be accessed with a smartphone via an app, collected from the box office on the day of the event, or printed from an LTA account for an additional charge of £3.

However, Sheila said: “This is the possible dilemma of an elderly person with limited mobility, travelling into Eastbourne, who has a laptop but no printer or smartphone.

“Even if it’s agreed that a ticket can be obtained at the box office... this entails a very long walk, followed by another walk, to the nearest entrance with a possible queue, and then a long walk to the complete opposite side of the grounds.

“All this could be avoided if the ticket could be printed in advance without the assumption made that everyone has a smartphone.”

Sheila also believes that the charge for printing tickets is ‘unjustified’ and that using smartphone tickets had caused major delays for visitors.

She added: “Firstly, I tried to book my tickets online but, because I did not have a password, I could not pay for them. So my daughter booked them instead and got confirmation.

"The new policy is that she will receive each ticket on the day only to go on her smartphone, and will then have to come with me so that I can gain entrance. As there is usually a long queue, and she will not be able to park, this in itself will be a problem.

“Incidentally with admission confirmation only being sent on the actual day, this in itself will cause problems for any visitors coming from outside Eastbourne. Even if they could print them they might receive them too late to do so.

"As to paying yet another £3, on top of a booking fee, I obviously think this is totally without justification.”

Since her first tournament decades ago, Sheila said the event has changed entirely.

She said: “The entrance with a ground ticket was to all courts except centre court where entrance was paid for and even then the east section was free.

"Depending on the sponsor at the time we were even given 'doggy bags' at the entrance and once even a reusable water container, which I still have. The grounds themselves were worth a visit with many interesting stalls, some offering free samples, and food outlets.

"None of which appear now.

“I was fortunate over the years to see too many of the best [players] to mention.”