We are asking for your support to save The Globe, a unique tennis club in the heart of Belsize Park. Camden Council is proposing to evict the club, bulldoze the site and build on the land.

The Globe has been operating on this spot for more than 60 years. It was founded by a group of immigrants and local residents in the Fifties, fed up with the snobbery and racial discrimination that were commonplace in the sport, even at amateur level, at the time.

The club quickly became a vibrant and thriving community and established its reputation as London’s most welcoming and inclusive tennis club. Members invested their own money in the facilities and today the club is an outstanding example of a community-driven sporting initiative.

The diversity of nationalities, religions and social backgrounds represented the ethos of the original club and remains at the heart of the club’s culture today; equality, respect and integrity are at its core. Our members come from all walks of life and we actively welcome new members from all minority groups.

Our coaching programmes cover children’s groups and Camden schools. We hold tennis camps for children in summer. The club also pays for free coaching at two Camden schools and for a visually impaired group using its own funds.

Our coaches have successfully built a thriving junior programme which gives children a positive first experience of the skills of the game, as well as introducing them to the concept of team spirit, aiming to promote a lifelong involvement in sport.

Camden Council is proposing to force the club off the site by the inclusion of break option in the lease for housing redevelopment. We have asked for a new lease without a redevelopment break but this has been refused. 

There are no proposals by the council to provide an alternative site. If the plans are allowed to go ahead, the club will simply have to close and all the work it does for the community will come to an end. 

We recognise the need for housing and we fully understand the pressure the council is under but this is an important community facility which is in danger of being lost for good. Please support us in asking the council to safeguard this community asset for future generations with a promise of no redevelopment.