- Bailey Page – Young Male Volunteer of the Year – Pride of Table Tennis Awards
- The Inaugural Meeting of the South West Local Organising Group (LOG)
- Out and about
- FREE Sports Psychology Session ‘The Performance Zone’ – the launch of a South West coaches network
- Stroud Table Tennis Club and partners TT Kidz
- Upcoming Courses – recently added Umpire Level 1, Coaching Level 1 & 2
Photo credit: Joola Plymouth TTC
Congratulations to Bailey Page – Young Volunteer of the Year – Pride of Table Tennis
Bailey was named winner of the prestigious Young Male Volunteer of the Year Award at the Pride of Table Tennis Awards in Nottingham. The event formed part of the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships.
Joola Plymouth are super proud of Bailey who is a Level 1 Coach and assists Wednesday night club sessions, is assistant web designer and administers a league. There are no signs of Bailey slowing down, as he has signed up to the Level 2 Coach award to be held in the spring.
Congratulations to all the nominees and local winners. Thank you for all that you do.
Link to more details of the Pride of Table Tennis Awards
The Inaugural Meeting of the South West Local Organising Group (LOG)
The first meeting was held on Thursday 21st March. Chris Price, the Area Chair, welcomed everyone. The purpose of the group is to widen participation and draw more players into clubs and competition. After brief introductions the meeting discussed findings from desk research based on member mapping across the region. We also looked at common themes and challenges which if tackled could have a significant impact on increasing participation.
Here is a flavour of the discussions:
Women & Girls: A significant piece of work
Schools: Unlocking school sites (there’s a DFES funded project)- unused tables / Teacher CPD / TT at PE Conferences / Active Partnerships – School Games links / Young Leaders / TT Kidz sessions
The cost of table tennis: Is it a barrier? Sustainable models – memberships vs session fees – overheads – ‘just the right number of players’
Facilities: Relationship with the management is key / capacity / Leisure centres – casual use 1 table per badminton court (or worse, a squash court!) why not 2 – 4?
Clubs: Raise the profile and benefits of Premier Clubs (Shout out to Kennet Vale TTC our newest Premier Club)
Competition: Entry-level comps & festivals are key / more 1* across the Area / map and plan / inter club friendlies / include skill development
Talent Development: Regional training days / the PDC (Joola Plymouth) / within clubs
Over the coming months we will be developing a Local Development Plan (LDP) by continuing to build a picture of table tennis across the south west and consulting with our knowledgeable table tennis community. Throughout the process I will publish updates on the area pages. Watch this space for opportunities to share your experience and have your say.
Core to the success will be connecting people across the table tennis community, sharing experiences and good practice. There are likely to be themed working groups. [More information on the Local Organising Group]
Attendees: Nick Davidson – SGS, Kathryn James – SportED, Amanda Leonard – TTE, Richard Ramsden – Kennet Vale
Apologies: Kelly Plumb – Bridge TTC, Cliff Jordan and my sincere apologies to Emma Harradine who received the wrong information.
There will be working groups, events and discussion groups to look at ways of developing the sport. If you would like to get involved in the work of the LOG please email [email protected]
Out and About
March has been a great month, learning more about table tennis, understanding TTE systems and most importantly meeting the ‘movers and shakers’ working hard to promote and deliver table tennis across the South West. I have received such a warm welcome thank you.
I have particularly enjoyed visiting the many different types of venues – small church halls, village halls, schools, colleges, racket clubs, table tennis specific and leisure centres. It’s clear that the quality of the facility and a co-operative relationship is invaluable in developing the sport.
The clubs and facility, visits and meetings this month have been Ashcott, Kennet Vale, Harnham U3a, SGS, Chilton Trinity School, Deer Park School, Creekside and Malmesbury.
Each club has its own story and I’ve been so grateful to people for giving up their valuable time to share their extensive knowledge and unique perspective of the sport. It’s clear that clubs adapt to reflect their community. With open agendas and some digression, I’ve been collating a list of common themes and challenges, as well as gathering many examples of good practice.
Photo credit: Harnham U3a TTC
Stroud TTC & Partners TT Kidz – School Club Links
Congratulations to Jim Hurford and his team for devising and delivering a programme of five, soon to be six, TT Kidz sessions in Gloucestershire. The programme is part of a wider programme of Junior Development and comprehensive School Club links. Clifford Jordan of Nailsworth describes their tenacity and legwork.
Social media advertising, fliers in schools and finding just one keen parent with a WhatsApp group has been key to success so far. Sessions at Wotton-under-Edge and Nailsworth started well last week.
After working across six locations and with other clubs, I will be asking Jim and his team to share some of their thoughts and learning. If you would like to find out more about about TT Kidz follow this link
Good things are happening
UK Coaching Week – Diary Date
South West – Sports Psychology Workshop (FREE) – Online
‘The Performance Zone’
Effective tools and techniques
Aimed at all levels of coaching; 30th April – 6.30 pm-7.30 pm (+ 30 mins) for a Q&A
For information and how to sign up click here
Hosted by the South West Local Organising Group (LOG) and organised in partnership with Nick Davidson of SGS College. Our special guest is Sarah Majid – Sports & Performance Psychologist.
Photo credit: Nick Davidson SGS College and Sarah Majid
Courses
Are you interested in becoming a coach, developing your coaching further or umpiring?
You may have already heard, a review of coaching was announced this month and there will be a period where no courses are delivered to allow for the changes to be implemented. Existing qualifications will transition to the new structure. Find out more about the review
If you would like to discuss how these changes will effect you please get in touch [email protected]
I will not have all the answers but I am happy to raise any issues and examine the impact of the changes on table tennis across the South West.
Level 1 Umpire Award
Cornwall Table Tennis Centre 14th September – Organised by Kelly Plumb
A few places available – 13 coaches currently signed up.
Level 1 Coach Courses
Cornwall Table Tennis Centre 28th April & 30th June – Organised by Kelly Plumb
A few places available – 13 coaches currently signed up.
Nailsworth Table Tennis Club, Stroud 26th May & 7th July – Organised by Cliff Jordan
Places available – 10 coaches currently registered.
Level 2 Coach
Bristol SGS College 13th July, 14th July & 7th September – Tutor Emma Harridine
Places available – 8 coaches currently registered.
For more information on coaching courses: https://tabletennisengland.sport80.com/widget/tte_coach_course_widget
Please get in touch if you have any news, stories or photos to share, or if you would like a particular topic featured in an upcoming blog. [email protected]
