TT Kidz is going international thanks to a licensing agreement between Table Tennis England and our Australian counterparts.
The agreement will see Table Tennis Australia deliver the initiative across the country. The name will change to Spinaroos, but the TT Kidz programme structure, content, lesson plans, activity videos and some of the marketing material will be used to inspire young players in Australia to take up the sport.
The news comes after Table Tennis Australia received funding to develop a programme to attract youngsters into the sport, leading to discussions between TTA and Table Tennis England.
It quickly became clear that TT Kidz was a great fit for what TTA was aiming to achieve, and a licensing agreement between the two bodies has now been signed, allowing Spinaroos to get off the ground in the near future.
Head to our Twitter page for a chance to win our competition to celebrate the agreement – you could win an Australia match shirt from the ITTF Team World Cup! You can also click here to enter on Facebook
The closing deadline is noon on Wednesday November 13.
The financial element of the agreement will be used to further grow and develop TT Kidz in England.
Greg Yarnall, Head of Development and Volunteering at Table Tennis England, was instrumental in the agreement being reached.
He said: “We are delighted to be working with Table Tennis Australia to share the philosophies behind TT Kidz and the content developed for the programme.
“It was clear from the very first time we spoke that there was some synergies between what we had been developing over the past couple of years with what TTA were trying to achieve.
“Working with TTA on a licence agreement for TT Kidz was a great way to maximise resources for both parties and it’s something that as a sport we should be doing more of on a worldwide level to maximise the growth of the game.”
Table Tennis Australia was given the chance to develop an entry-level programme for youngsters after receiving a grant from Sport Australia.
Patrick Wuertz, Program Co-ordinator at Table Tennis Australia, said: “Through the new beginners’ programme we will introduce thousands of children to table tennis all around Australia in the coming years.
“We were looking for a programme that is innovative, fun and well-researched and tested. After conversations with Greg Yarnall and seeing the work that was done, we knew from the start that TT Kidz has everything that we were looking for.
“Licensing the program from Table Tennis England will ensure that children in Australia have the best possible experience when starting off with table tennis. Moreover, it will give us additional credibility when talking to partners and programme providers.
“We are grateful for Greg’s support and thrilled to work in close collaboration with Table Tennis England in the future.”
Greg Yarnall added that both governing bodies were keen to continue working together, and that future licensing agreements with other countries were possible.
He said: “We see this as part of an exciting opportunity for the two countries to work more closely together in the future, and we are keen to form partnerships with other nations around the world to maximise the extensive work that has been undertaken with TT Kidz, to grow the number of young people taking up our game.
“As part of the TT Kidz programme, there are extensive marketing materials available, a strong brand personality, which centres on ensuring the programme is fun, engaging and inspiring for participants and a whole host of resources, lesson plans, activity cards and activity videos, which gives coaches the tools and ideas to be able to deliver the programme, in addition to a website and learning platform set up.”
Watch the video below to see how TT Kidz can inspire youngsters at clubs!