Within the next week, Table Tennis England will find out how much public funding we have been awarded to promote and develop our sport for the next four year cycle.

The economic realities are that sport in general will have to face a situation where a reduction in public funds is inevitable. As a National Governing Body, I believe that table tennis is better placed than many other sports, in this climate, to continue to deliver a valuable service to its membership and to introduce the sport to a wider audience.

We have many positives we can build on, such as a grassroots network of leagues, clubs and volunteers, and a sport which is accessible for all ages in diverse locations.

Some of the tough decisions we have made in the past three or four years have helped us prepare for this time and we are as well placed as possible to go forward.

I have no doubt that table tennis will have a good future. We will continue to receive funding which we can use to help our clubs and leagues develop; we will continue to be able to invest in our young players and the future of the sport; we will be able to grow table tennis in a wider environment; we will work with our established commercial partners and develop new relations which will help us expand our offerings to members; and we will work with our valuable network of volunteers to provide what is needed for clubs and leagues to grow.

Part of our continued engagement with our volunteer network is the new series of Club and Volunteer Conferences so that the team from Table Tennis England can visit the regions and meet representatives from clubs and leagues; and demonstrate how they can support the work at grassroots level. It also provides a great networking opportunity and a chance to share good practice.

We have already held a successful event in the North East and another one is planned later this month for the East Midlands. More details are available here.

When more details of the funding allocation is known, I will keep members informed of developments and progress through this newsletter and via the Table Tennis England website.

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PG Mutual Nationals
Our prestige event, the PG Mutual Senior National Championships will take place at the University of Nottingham from March 3-5. Our top men and women, including Olympians and Paralympians, will be competing for the titles, and this year we are delighted to welcome back Jo Drinkhall to the competition arena after her break to start her family.

Tickets are available now, starting at £5.

Sandra Deaton
Chairman
Table Tennis England