Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Charleston event now the Volvo Cars Open


When players gather next April to compete on Charleston's green clay, they will no longer be competing at the Family Circle Cup, but rather, at the Volvo Cars Open. The Meredith Corporation, which owns and publishes Family Circle, is still very much involved as a sponsor, as you can see from the above logo.

The Volvo Cars Open has quite a history, and some of that history involves the Meredith Corporation because it is the longest-running sponsor of a tennis event in history. The partnership began in 1973, and history was made right away: Charleston was the first women's tennis event to be broadcast on network television, and the first women's tournament to offer $100,000 in prize money.

The event will continue to be owned and operated by Charleston Tennis, LLC, a subsidiary of the Meredith Corporation.

In making the announcement, Lex Kerssemakers, president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, said: "As we are establishing our U.S. manufacturing footprint in the Charleston area, this is an ideal way for us to leverage our presence in the community."

The Volvo Cars Open attracts around 90,000 fans to the stands each year, and more than 10 million television viewers worldwide. It is the largest all-women's tennis tournament in the world.

The 2016 Volvo Cars Open will be played April 2-10 on Daniel Island. Tickets go on sale September 15.

No comments: