by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
Jacksonville businesses can expect to hear more about women’s tennis in the next year.
The director of this week’s Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island Plantation says his company will turn its marketing eyes south before next year’s event in an effort to reach more potential sponsors.
“It’s always been on our radar screen but, sometimes, days go by so fast that you’re too late,” said tournament director John Arrix. “We’ll start early on our efforts in Jacksonville for the next tournament.
“We really tried hard this year to get involved with Fernandina Beach and I think it went well. We added a person to get us more involved and it worked.
“Now, we need to turn more attention to Jacksonville. That’s where 80 percent of our tickets are sold. We need to be a presence. That may include more of a charitable aspect, too.”
Fernandina doesn’t have any other professional sports and Arrix knows that competition awaits in Duval County.
“The good news is that the Jaguars and The Players Championship have done a great job and have elevated the overall impression of professional sports,” he said. “The bad news is that they’re knocking on doors for sponsorship money, too.
“I think we have a very viable product that can help a company. Our sponsorships are less costly than other sports in this area and it’s a good value.
“Nothing against the Jaguars or The Players Championship. Those are wonderful events that raise the stature of all sports in this area. I’m proud that we have the same quality standards.”
He sees his product as being viable in the marketplace.
“Our athletes are intelligent and attractive young women,” he said. “They relate to fans and they don’t hide from them. Walk around the grounds; you’ll be walking among them.”
Indeed, players seem to be everywhere this week at the tennis center, which is just north of the main Plantation entrance. The courts are separated with plenty of walking space in between; players have private lounges but many seem to prefer wandering around to watch other matches.
You’ll quickly notice a big difference in these athletes. Of the 76 players in the main draw and qualifying tournament, only nine are American. And, unlike other sports, English isn’t the only language so there are a lot of unfamiliar words — spectators during the qualifying tournament, for instance, were treated to a lengthy stream of Ukrainian profanity by one distraught player.
It’s all part of the uniqueness of women’s tennis, says Arrix.
“The lack of American players doesn’t seem to matter,” he said, “and no one seems to care where they come from. It’s an issue in other sports, I know, and including men’s tennis and particularly men’s golf. But not here.”
If your patriotism includes worrying about nationalities of young women tennis players, you need to get used to trying harder to pronounce the names of people you’ll be watching.
“I look at the international aspect as nothing but a positive for this area. I know Amelia (Island Plantation) is thrilled and Jacksonville should be, too,” he said. “Women’s tennis is big news around the world. Look at the list of nations represented here. The reports of the tournament get in the media back home and that’s potential business for the area.”
The list is, indeed, a globetrotting experience. The tennis-familiar nations like the United States, Sweden, Russia and Germany are represented, but there are also players from India, Italy, Slovakia and Uzbeckistan dotting the draw.
It’s part of the Women’s Tennis Association tour and the Bausch & Lomb has one tradition: it’s the oldest tournament to be played at the same site.
“We’ve been here 27 years and no other women’s tournament in America can say that, not even the U.S. Open,” said Arrix. “Only Family Circle magazine has sponsored a tour event longer than Bausch & Lomb.
That means we have tradition and we keep building on that.”
Working with the Plantation is part of the deal.
“We’re doing more each year to improve the site,” he said. “We’ve added an outdoor cafe this year that I think will be very popular and we’ve worked around things to get more open space out of the sun.”
Arrix and his company, Octagon, are involved on several fronts. In addition to other tennis tournaments, they run several women’s golf tournaments, skiing programs and entertainment events.
“It’s a good mix,” he said. “We can take lessons from one and apply them to others.”
Play will be in day and evening sessions through Friday and then the semifinal and final rounds will be in the afternoon for ESPN television coverage.
Tickets are available at the gate and range from $190 for a weekend pass to $35 for either of Wednesday’s sessions. Parking is available about a mile north of the Plantation with shuttle buses making frequent trips.