New Billie Jean King Cup Title Sponsor Seeks Equal Opportunities Across Tennis
Friday, September 30, 2022 at 04:01PM By BarryJanoff
September 30, 2022: The International Tennis Federation said that Gainbridge Insurance Agency has signed a deal to become the title partner for the Billie Jean King Cup, regarded as the women’s World Cup of Tennis.
Zionsville, IN-based Gainbridge, a Group 1001 company, replaces BNP Paribas, which had been title sponsor for the event since 2006.
Financial terms of the six-year deal were not disclosed.
The alliance begins with the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, scheduled for Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, Nov. 8-13 with 12 national teams (Tennis Channel).
“The Gainbridge title partnership is very exciting for the Billie Jean King Cup,” ITF president David Haggerty said via the organization.
“As an organization which invests in partnerships that create equal opportunities for all, Gainbridge is well-aligned with the ITF goals. Through our Advantage All program, the ITF’s aim is to continue to inspire and empower women on and off the court now and in the future.”
This is Group 1001's second new sports sponsorship in recent weeks, having taken over as title sponsor for the LPGA’s The Annika, named for golf icon Annika Sorenstam, beginning in 2023.
The new partnership will provide support for the ITF’s Advantage All program, which focuses on “developing and maintaining tennis as an equal advantage sport for all.”
Gainbridge said it would support the goal of equivalent prize money for women and men in the World Cup of Tennis.
In 2022, that would mean women participating in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the men’s Davis Cup Finals (scheduled for Nov. 22-27 in Malaga, Spain) will receive equivalent prize money.
Players on the Billie Jean Cup championship team are anticipated to divide $2.1 million, with an additional $650,000 going to the national tennis federation of the winning nation.
The runner-up team could divide $1.5 million.
According to Billie Jean King via the ITF, “Thanks to the commitment of sponsors like Gainbridge who invest in women’s sports, we have a terrific opportunity to elevate Billie Jean King Cup, the women’s World Cup of Tennis, and continue to set the bar as the leader on what’s possible when women’s sports are given the same amount of financial, emotional and time investment as men’s sports."
Other Group 1001 partnerships that work specifically through sports and education include the Indiana Sports Corp, Pacers Foundation, Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, Everfi, Indy Women in Tech, Rev Racing, Parity and RISE.
“Billie Jean King epitomizes the best in sports through winning, commitment, and standing for equity for all,” Dan Towriss, Group 1001 CEO and president, said via the firm.
“Group 1001 is committed to investing in and growing women’s sports as a means to attack the pay disparity issue. By supporting the Billie Jean King Cup, along with our recent partnership with golf legend Annika Sorenstam and our work through Gainbridge’s sister company, Parity, we seek to bring more awareness to women’s sports.”
Great Britain, as host nation, joins Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Spain, Slovakia, Switzerland and the U.S. in the Finals.
This will be the fourth time Great Britain has hosted the Finals of the tournament, which launched in 1963 as the Federation Cup to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ITF,.
The first event was held in London’s Queen’s Cub, with Billie Jean King herself a member of the winning U.S. team.
The event was renamed in 2021 to honor the tennis icon.
Billie Jean King Cup 2022 To Play In Scotland
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