ILKLEY Lawn Tennis & Squash Club have launched a rallying call for recruits for the AEGON Ilkley Trophy – the biggest challenger event of 2017 in terms of overall prize-money.

The club needs a core of 200 volunteers from the Ilkley community, local businesses and the Yorkshire tennis community as a whole for the pre-Wimbledon tournament, which will be held from on Saturday June 17 to Sunday, June 25.

The total prize-money is $250,000 – $150,000 for the men and $100,000 for the women – and the tournament will attract players from across the globe seeking grass-court practice for what is the North's top tournament.

Volunteers have until Sunday to sign-up for a range of roles which will give them a close-up and personal view of some world-class players.

Among the options are supporting players on the help desk, transporting players and officials, stewarding or working in the box office, while there are numerous general roles.

New volunteers will learn the ropes at a number of training events in April and May, as well as on-site briefings in June, and they will be invited to attend a 'friends celebration' at the end of the tournament – a private event for volunteers to relax and celebrate with the club and crew.

ILTSC's general manager Charlie Maunder said: "The AEGON Ilkley Trophy is a fantastic, world-class event which pulls in great crowds every year.

"This wouldn't be possible without the efforts of the outstanding volunteers who kindly offer their time and make the tournament the most welcoming and friendly on the tour.

"We know that the competition will be bigger than ever this year, and we look forward to sharing it with the community."

ILTSC welcomes volunteers of all ages from 16 and over, and lead volunteer Carol Cherry said: "Our volunteer programme was a huge success in 2016, and we're hoping that we can get even more of the community involved for 2017.

"All that's needed is a passion for tennis and some free time in June.

"This is a unique opportunity to be at the heart of the AEGON Ilkley Trophy, and we look forward to seeing lots of new faces."

Anyone who is able to offer their services for the tournament can get in touch with Carol at Carolcherry26@gmail.com.

* TICKETS for the AEGON Ilkley Trophy are now on general sale.

A reserved Centre Court ticket for finals day on Sunday, June 25 costs £25, while reserve Centre Court tickets for the previous two days are available at £20.

Tickets for Show Court No 2 are available at £15 for Saturday, June 24.

Ground passes cost £7.50 for Monday, June 19 to Thursday, June 22, but the price for Friday, June 23 is £10.

They are free for the opening weekend of qualifying on Saturday, June 17 to Sunday, June 18 and on Saturday, June 24, with play being confined to the two show courts on this date.

No ground pass tickets will be available for Sunday, June 25.

Tickets can be booked via The Ticket Factory at www.theticketfactory.com/ltaci/online/ or by ringing 08445-816903 (8am-10pm).