Daniel Reed has signed for Swedish League side Falkenberg BTK for the 2012-13 season having helped his current Danish side, Odense, to the play-off final.
Reed, 22 from Cleveland, will be heading to Sweden to live and practice in anticipation of the season’s start in September.
Formed in 1925, the Falkenberg team is famous for its ‘Falkenberg Footwork Drill’ a footwork exercise popularised by Stellan Bengsston – the first Swedish World Champion in 1971.
The English number four is excited to make the move. He said: “It’s a really good opportunity to practice in a well-established club with an ex-world class player as the coach (Peter Karlsson). He will provide vital advice, which can help me take big steps forward to my goal of being a world-class player.
I’m very excited as I feel it is a very good time for me to move. It is the first time I will have lived abroad full time, allowing me to focus 100% on my table tennis, as all of my practice and matches will be in the same place.”
Reed’s move is in line with his goal of becoming one of the world’s top players that he set out for ahead of his campaign to make the Olympic squad for 2012.
He said: “A big reason for the move is to play in a stronger league, demanding that I play on a very high level on a regular basis. Ideally, this will transfer into my international matches, pushing me towards one of my future goals of becoming a top 100 in the world player.”
His confidence is well deserved after helping his side to the final of the Danish League play-offs, which included the 22-year-old’s vital win over Allan Bentsen (WR 119) in the semi-final.
The final that takes place this week (forcing Reed to pull out of the London Grand Prix), gives the young English star an ideal opportunity to sign-off on a high from his current club.
Reed acknowledged: “It is the first time the club has reached the play-off finals in 40 years, last time getting there in 1972. Therefore, it has already been a perfect ending to the season. However, we are looking to take it one step further this week and win it for the first time in the club’s history.”
He added: “It will be sad to leave such a nice club. We have created a great environment and team spirit over the two years I have played there. However, the club understands that I need to move on in order to keep progressing as an international player.”
