Cathie Sabin Obituary (the Times 30/5/20)
"Games teacher and grassroots tennis olunteer who became the first female president of the LTA"
Cathie Sabin sucked her teeth in agony as Andy Murray squandered the first of two match points. She hid her face, unable to watch as the Belgian David Goffin served then rammed a huge forehand crosscourt. Miraculously Murray sliced it back just over the net. Then, as Goffin moved in, the Scot beat him with an exquisite backhand lob. Britain had won the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years.
The usually composed Sabin exploded out of her front-row seat, shrieking with delight as the British squad clustered together, hugging and bouncing with joy. The 2015 victory was the highlight of her three-year presidency of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) but rather than simply celebrating with the star players and the bigwigs whom she jokily nicknamed “the chain gang”, she typically made sure that the squad’s families, backroom staff and the “Barmy Army” of ecstatic supporters were included in the festivities. She organised a party that no one would ever forget.
Read Cathie's obituary from the Times (30/5/20) in full HERE
The LTA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ex LTA President and Councillor Cathie Sabin OBE.
Cathie became an LTA Councillor representing Shropshire in 2001. She then became a member and Chair of numerous committees and groups, before retiring as a PE teacher in July 2005 to concentrate on her role as an LTA Councillor and volunteer. Cathie joined the LTA Board in 2007, before becoming Deputy President in 2011. She also represented the LTA on the Committee of Management of The Championships from 2010.
In 2013, Cathie was named as the LTA’s first ever female President, with her time in the role including Great Britain’s momentous Davis Cup win. Her impact was not just limited to Great Britain though, as at an international level, she was also a member of the ITF Olympic Committee from 2015.
Cathie received the Teacher of the Year Award in 2000 and the National Volunteer of the Year Award in 2009. She was then awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year Honours List for Services to Tennis, and in 2017, we named our ‘Volunteer of the Year’ LTA Tennis Award after her. Last year, we also presented Cathie with the Carl Aarvold Award, in honour of her outstanding contribution to tennis in Britain and internationally.
After making a huge impact supporting the delivery and growth of tennis at grassroots level,
