It has now been around six months since the first Be TT clubs and leagues were selected, so we thought it was a great time to provide an update on the programme and the difference we hope it will make to clubs and leagues up and down the country.

Over the next few months we will provide some more detailed information about each aspect of Be TT, but for a reminder about what the programme is and aims to achieve, please click here.

What is Be TT all about?

Be TT was introduced as part of Table Tennis England’s work to support clubs and leagues up and down the country, and to provide the right experience for both new and existing players. There is fantastic work happening in clubs and leagues and Be TT is aiming to build on this, replicating what is working, and listening to what our members are telling us, to ensure we adapt to the changing relationships people of all ages have with sport.

Taking into account participation data collected from current playing habits, membership surveys and the consultation work we carried out with clubs, leagues and key volunteers, the key focus areas in the first year of Be TT were established as:

• Developing different competitive formats at a local level for both young people and adults, e.g. shorter format leagues and junior leagues
• Introducing more opportunities for adults to play, e.g. adult coaching, 50+ sessions
• Supporting clubs to offer the right opportunities to retain more young people in their clubs
• Recruiting, retaining and developing volunteers and coaches

How did the launch go?

We had a great response to Be TT, with 65 applications coming forward, involving more than 80 different clubs or leagues across the country. It is the first time in recent history the organisation has pro-actively tried to work with leagues and invite them to come forward for support, so we didn’t quite know what to expect. It was great that there were 25 leagues that formed part of applications that came in; clubs or leagues were able to come forward individually or as a cluster of clubs/leagues.

Following conversations with all of those applying, we were then able to select 51 of these projects to work with in the first phase, with the remaining projects agreed to support in the second phase of Be TT.

Where are we now?

With the majority of action plans in place, we are expecting to see the following new initiatives and programmes set up with these 51 projects:

• 22 new shorter format leagues established
• 20 new junior leagues
• 19 new adult coaching sessions
• 29 clubs supported to keep more young people involved in the sport
• 13 new 50+ programmes
• 44 clubs or leagues being supported with coach and volunteer development
• 20 clubs being supported to find/develop their facilities

What next?

We want to help more clubs and leagues to drive more of these initiatives across England, and we are looking at ways in which we can support as many clubs and leagues as possible through different means. The next round of Be TT is due to launch next month.

For those that are keen to develop their clubs – from running shorter format leagues or improving the experience you provide, take a look at some of our good practise guides. We will continue to add to this over the next 12 months.