Wimbledon set for huge expansion

Britain’s Andy Murray poses for a selfie after a training session at Wimbledon tennis club in southwest London on July 1, 2017, prior to the start of the tennis tournament on July 3. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

Wimbledon’s expansion plans have taken a huge step forward after the neighboring golf club in London voted to sell its land.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) made an offer, reported to be £65 million ($82 million), to buy Wimbledon Park Golf Club’s land in a move that would see its estate roughly triple in size.

On Thursday, the All England club announced a vote had gone in its favor, and that the transfer, pending court approval, would go through on December 21.

A statement said it was “an important and exciting step” for the club and the future of Wimbledon.

“The decision of the Wimbledon Park Golf Club members to vote in favor of the acquisition offer is a hugely significant moment for the AELTC and the Championships,” said All England club chairman Philip Brook.

“We have achieved what we set out to do many months ago in having certainty in our planning for the future.”

Top of the wish list will be moving the Wimbledon qualifiers from their current Roehampton home to the main Wimbledon site, in keeping with the other three Grand Slam events.

“Over time, we plan to migrate the qualifying competition onto the land in order to elevate the event to world-class standards,” the statement added.