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Wimbledon Colour Coded Work Scheme

Jul 26, 2022   •   by   •   Source: Ahmed Sule, CFA   •   eye-icon 461 views

Congratulations on the successful completion of the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. Having attended Wimbledon almost every year since 2007 and visited the three other Grand Slam tournaments, I have concluded that Wimbledon is head and shoulders above its peers. Keep up the excellent job. Nevertheless, I am compelled to bring to your attention what would appear to be a colour-coded assignment of roles and responsibilities during the 2022 Wimbledon Championship.

 

In July 2015, I wrote a letter to the AELTC Board regarding G4S Security Arrangement at the 2015 Wimbledon Championship, in which I highlighted a "colour coding system" in the assignment of security-related responsibility at Wimbledon whereby black and brown people were assigned less glamorous roles relative to their white counterparts. In response, Richard Lewis, the former AELTC CEO, stated, the 'spirit of Wimbledon' has always sought to embrace fairness, and I think it is important I assure you that neither we nor G4S operates any sort of quota process for the recruitment and deployment of staff...This is entirely coincidental. Admittedly, in the subsequent years after my letter, I noticed a remarkable change in G4S Security's Wimbledon Arrangement.

 

However, history now seems to be repeating itself. During the 2022 Wimbledon, I visited the tennis grounds on twelve out of the fourteen days of play. Besides enjoying great tennis, it allowed me to observe first-hand the racial composition of Wimbledon staffing. Before I proceed further, I'd like to state that I am not accusing Wimbledon of racism. I am just bringing to your attention what comes across as the appearance of a colour-coded staffing scheme. If a casual observer comes to Wimbledon for a day, they would probably see a well-oiled diverse workforce of different genders and races working together to ensure a successful championship. But if a diligent observer walks from Southfields Train Station to Court 18 via Carpark Gate 10 along Wimbledon Park Road during the Championship, he or she would notice that specific roles appear to be predominantly occupied by white and other positions are staffed mainly by non-white people. Detailed below is what I saw over the twelve days of the Championship. Please note that the images I have included are for illustrative purposes.

 

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As you leave Southfields Train Station and approach Car Park Gate 10, you will see predominantly black workers wearing yellow tops and trousers with the inscription CSP on the back directing cars into and outside the car park and stopping cars to allow pedestrians to cross the road. Next are the Honorary Stewards at Gate 10, who lead visitors to the end of the queue. The predominantly white honourable stewards are noticeable with their blue blazer, grey trousers/skirts, black shoes, high visibility orange jacket and green armband with the inscription Honorary Steward. As one approaches the queue, the smiling faces of the predominantly young white Day Stewards wearing a green polo shirt, blue chinos and white Babolat trainers greet you. As one proceeds along the queue, one sees more predominantly white Honorary and Day Stewards. Finally, just as you enter the white tent to pay for one's ticket, you see more black CSP contractors stopping cars to allow fans to cross.

 

At the end of the queue, there are predominantly white ticket stewards wearing green polo shirts who collect payment for the ground passes. As you approach the main gate, about ten mainly black and brown security personnel wearing dark blue suits with the Wimbledon and security logo inscribed check the bags. As you enter the Wimbledon and Polo Shop at Centre Court, around 25 predominantly white staff wearing blue and white polo shirts assist the visitors. At the cash counter, about six to eight mostly white personnel collect payments from the shoppers. When one enters the Wimbledon Shop and Museum opposite Centre Court, the predominantly white staff interact with customers and collect payments. At the same time, the primarily black security guards are stationed on top of the stairs leading to the Wimbledon Museum. 

 

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As you walk around the Wimbledon Grounds, the police officers roaming the grounds are principally white. However, as one approaches the lift at Centre Court, which leads to the Level 500 Gangway or the staircase that leads to the Level 300 Gangways, there are usually one or two predominantly black or brown security guards stationed at the entrance. Once you enter Centre court or Court one, and if you have a front-row seat, you might notice the presence of heavily built and predominantly white security personnel wearing blue Italian suits. They protect the players in the event of an unexpected court invasion. In addition, they sometimes escort the players to and from the show courts. Paradoxically, the predominantly black and brown security guards are positioned outside the courts, and the mainly white and immaculately dressed security personnel are placed inside the court behind the players. 

 

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The photographers close to the tennis court at Centre Court and Court One are primarily white. If you have a hospitality ticket, the smartly dressed, predominantly white Centre Court hospitality personnel wearing their blue horizontal striped polo shirt, white polo trousers, and white polo trainers are there to attend to your needs. If it rains, the predominantly white groundstaff wearing their horizontal green and white polo shirts work tirelessly to ensure that the grass is covered in time. 

 

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As one climbs the steps between Henman Hill and Court 18, one will notice the predominantly black and brown security guards stationed in the middle of the stairs to direct human traffic. However, as one gets to the top of the stairs and turns left behind Henman Hill, one would see the predominantly white Honorary and Day Stewards at the resale section. Likewise, if one moves past Court 18 towards the media centre, one might see two black/brown security guards at the gate and a sea of white journalists behind them. The only area where there doesn't seem to be a split of roles along racial lines is within the Service Steward and Housekeeping team, which had a balanced mix of white and non-white personnel. On another note, you may want to review the trend whereby armed forces personnel are used as service stewards inside Centre Court and Court One while the Fire Brigade serves as service stewards on the outside courts - this comes across as classist.

 

I appreciate that some of the roles identified above are voluntary, and AELTC has outsourced some of these functions; however, this is not a sufficient and necessary condition to explain the possible racial bias in roles and responsibilities. It might be that the cases I have highlighted above are merely coincidental and that there is no deliberate colour-coded work scheme, but I am sure you would agree that the optics don't look right. A sceptic might conclude that a data scientist developed a machine language algorithm to assign roles along racial lines based on responsibility, visibility, pay, prestige, customer engagement and cash handling.

 

Within the black community, we see tennis as a lily-white sport which is not welcoming to blacks. It is easy to dismiss this claim as a figment of our imagination. But when one experiences what I have highlighted above; when one reads about Wimbledon chiefs being quizzed over the lack of BAME representation at the boardroom level; when one sees how the Williams Sisters don't get the recognition they deserve and when one reads about Richard Williams and Oracene Price's exclusion from the International Tennis Hall of Fame, then one will understand why it is not a figment of our imagination.

 

You may feel the temptation to dismiss what I am saying as unfounded and call your photo editor to search for images of Asian Honorary Stewards, black Day Stewards, white security guards outside the courts, mixed-race CSP contractors, Asian camerawomen, black retail staff and brown security personnel within the perimeter of the court. You may feel the need to institute legal proceedings against me, or you may decide to investigate the facts presented in this letter and make the necessary changes. Whichever course of action you take, to thine own self be true. 

 

Selah.

 

About the Author

Ahmed Olayinka Sule is a CFA Charterholder, photojournalist, and social critic. He is an Alumnus of the University of Arts London, where he obtained a Certificate in Photojournalism. He has also worked on various photojournalism projects including Obama: The Impact, Jesus Christ: The Impact, The Williams Sisters etc. He can be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]  Twitter @Alatenumo




 

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