Prioritising Accessibility in Sport: Lawn Tennis Association
Jun 4, 2026
Founded in 1888, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the governing body of tennis in Great Britain. For more than a century, its mission has been to grow tennis by making it welcoming, enjoyable and inspiring to everyone. The LTA's vision is ‘Tennis Opened Up’, reflecting a commitment to ensuring that the sport's physical, social and mental benefits are accessible across the whole of Britain, and that the people playing, working, volunteering in and watching tennis reflect the true diversity of its communities.
The Problem
Inclusion is at the heart of everything the LTA does. When a Deaf stakeholder highlighted that British Sign Language (BSL) had not been a prominent feature at LTA events, it became clear there was a real opportunity to implement accessibility in sports that better serve the Deaf community, particularly at major spectator events where thousands of fans come together to enjoy the sport. The LTA recognised that true inclusion meant taking practical, visible steps to welcome Deaf spectators and improving access to information at events.
The Selection
Signapse had been recommended to the LTA by a contact within their network, and the two organisations quickly found a shared purpose: improving accessibility in sports. Since 2024, Signapse has been a partner in the LTA’s inclusion efforts, providing AI BSL content through SignStudio, which enables organisations to create and manage high-quality AI sign language content at scale.
Together, Signapse and the LTA developed a comprehensive suite of AI BSL video messages for display on screens across their grass court tournament events. These videos covered welcome messages, security information, promotional content and match updates, ensuring that Deaf spectators had full access to information that would otherwise only be available audibly, including when play was due to start. Signapse worked closely with the LTA on the design of the videos and provided test samples in advance, supporting a smooth and confident implementation.
The Implementation
The partnership began with the cinch Championships at Queen’s Club in June 2024, where AI BSL content produced through SignStudio was displayed on court screens throughout the tournament. Thanks to careful preparation and a collaborative design process, the live deployment was straightforward. The AI BSL videos reached the thousands of spectators in attendance as well as international audiences through broadcast coverage, and the partnership has continued to grow across all LTA tournament events since.
Real customer experiences
“Just wanted to say a big thank you again for your collaboration on our Signapse-cinch Championships project, I’m so proud of how it came together! I’m also happy to report that we had a fantastic tournament week, thankfully all went smoothly & we received some incredible feedback on our Signapse videos, including a deaf photographer who said “it made her day to see sign language on the big screen”
Niamh O'Farrell, Event Coordinator at Lawn Tennis Association
Conclusion
By making AI BSL a visible and integral part of the event experience, the LTA demonstrated what meaningful Deaf inclusion can look like at a major sporting occasion, prioritised accessibility in sports, and set a standard that we hope other venues and sporting bodies will be inspired to replicate.
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