Wimbledon ball boys and girls: The people who work at Wimbledon as “ball boys and girls” (BBGs; note: not “ball kids”) are the unsung stars of tennis. The key is these mysterious, watchful creatures, carefully chosen from a group of 250 young people in the southwest of London. They always come out of the shadows to make sure the race works like a well-oiled machine.
A small group of people, mostly between the ages of 14 and 17, have an enchanted power to get balls back quickly, quietly, gracefully, and accurately while staying anonymous. It looked like the tennis gods were the ones who picked them.
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Adult BBGs at the All England Club
But not all of Wimbledon’s ball boys and girls are in school; the age restriction has been raised to make the event more elite. Dennis Gibbons, 47, was the first adult hired for the position in 2019. However, a “BBG” is typically 15 years old, and many of them come back to compete in additional tournaments.
What is the salary for ball boys and girls at Wimbledon?
According to AS News, ball boys and girls who work at Wimbledon typically make around £200, or USD 253, during the competition.
Given that students under the age of sixteen are not entitled to the minimum wage, in actuality, the payment is symbolic and more akin to weekly pocket money than an actual paycheck. Furthermore, the payment is free from PAYE and other tax deductions because it comes out to be less than £123 a week. As a keepsake, the court helpers will be permitted to retain their official gear.
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Usually, ball boys and girls take turns spending an hour on the court at a time. The plum shifts are on Center Court and No. 1 Court, for obvious reasons. The remaining teams alternate among the remaining courts, with six teams of six chosen for the Center and No. 1 Courts.
The Championships employ about 250 ball boys and girls, with an average age of fifteen, each year. This is derived from a pool of about 1,000 candidates. About 170 children in years 9 and 10 are picked from a pool of 750 applicants, and another 80 participants are chosen from a group of about 250 ball boys and girls who have served in prior years.
