Coach Developer Steve Brunskill recently visited Keighley Table Tennis Centre, a venue which is a great example of why you should never judge a club from the outside.

Situated on the second floor of Keighley Business Centre, the building perhaps doesn’t immediately give away what is waiting inside. However, once you climb the stairs and turn into the main hall, it is a completely different story.

The centre is a really impressive dedicated table tennis facility. It is clean, spacious and well organised, with a line of tables individually enclosed by surrounds and netting, creating a very professional playing and training environment.

The venue has around eight tables and importantly offers much more than simply a playing hall. There is a kitchen and refreshment area, together with a separate classroom/boardroom-style space. These additional facilities make it particularly suitable for coach education, meetings, workshops and CPD alongside normal club activity.

The centre has a long history of providing table tennis opportunities within the local community, including recreational and league play, and has also been used for junior development, coaching camps and coach education.

Steve has already had the opportunity to help deliver part of a Level 1 (now Coaching Assistant) coaching course at Keighley, where ten learners from a range of playing and coaching backgrounds came together. The centre proved to be an excellent venue for coaching, with plenty of space and good supporting facilities.

Andy Bray continues to oversee and support the development of the centre, despite currently working abroad for significant periods. What particularly came across to Steve when speaking with Andy was his enthusiasm to keep moving the club forward.

One of his priorities is developing a new group of coaches who can help support the club into the future. He has already been proactive in arranging coach qualifications and CPD opportunities, one of which is a coach CPD session on serving, which Steve will support through the Coach Development role.

“For me, this is one of the important parts of our club visits. It isn’t simply about looking at what a club has now, but understanding where it wants to go and how we can help develop the people who will take it there.” Steve said.

Keighley already has something many clubs would love to have a dedicated, well-equipped table tennis venue. The opportunity now is to continue developing the coaching workforce and activity around those facilities. It is certainly a club with plenty of potential and a much more impressive venue than you might expect when you first arrive outside.

Coaching membership

New for 2026/27 is coaching membership, supporting coaches even more in their journey as they deliver for their players.

One benefit available to Coach Plus members is the opportunity for additional support from the Coach Development Team at Table Tennis England, such as Steve, for coaches looking to develop. Find out more about this and other benefits by clicking below.