When you buy a membership with Table Tennis England, your fees help us to underpin and develop the sport at all levels. Here, two of our members who have tapped into that support describe the benefits to their clubs, leagues and the sport in general.
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Goodwin TTC Chairman Dave Randerson, who appears in the video, said: “A lot of local league members don’t understand what Table Tennis England do. I’ve had a lot of help from them as Chairman of the club over the last couple of years.
“The club is only two years old but goes back 80 or 90 years because we lost our purpose-built table tennis centre and we had to find a new venue. With about 70 or 80 members and another club which shared the venue, we had about half of the 250 players in the local league.
“As Chairman, I felt a lot of pressure and responsibility and I touched base with Table Tennis England for some help. Mark Willerton (Regional Development Officer) has been brilliant coming to see me, pointing us in the right direction and offering advice and help on how to access funding for Bat & Chat and TT Kidz.
“It was great for us as a club but also a bit of moral support for me. Sometimes when it’s a new venture you wonder if you’re doing the right things and he was an invaluable help for me. We’ve had a lot of support from Mark and Table Tennis England.
“The last three months, I’ve been on a lot of the webinars for clubs and coaches during lockdown, and they have been very helpful as well.”
Henry Arthur, who is a paid coach at Corby Smash TTC and volunteers at Corby Town TTC, is also part of the video. He said: “The Be TT funding has helped us to run a junior league and get new juniors playing the game and there have been lots of different funding pots which we’ve tapped into to establish different sessions.
“For me personally, it’s having the contact. We’ve had a lot of meetings with Claire Brockwell (Clubs, Schools and Leagues Manager) and Mark Willerton, and we have had that expertise to tap into.
“I recently completed my Level 3 coaching qualification and Aled Howell (Coaching and Education Manager) supported me through that and kept me motivated. Being linked in with other coaches who are taking it was also important, getting that support and mentoring – the support network has been really good.
“The weekly coaching webinars and club webinars through the lockdown have been brilliant and a real benefit for table tennis people.”
So, when you join us, you become more than a player – you become part of a bigger picture, part of the fabric of table tennis in England. Click here to find out how your affiliation fees help fund an incredible amount of work at grass roots level.