Table Tennis England is launching a new volunteering initiative which will benefit clubs and young people across the country.

The new Table Tennis Young Ambassador scheme aims to give clubs the tools to grow their volunteer base, while enabling young people aged 14-25 to gain personal skills, qualifications and vital experience to enhance their career prospects.

Funding is available to PremierClubs which sign up for the scheme, which is launched during National Volunteers’ Week.

Lee Monk, Development & Volunteering Officer at Table Tennis England, said:

The Table Tennis Young Ambassador (TTYA) programme aims to benefit both young people looking for great volunteering experiences and table tennis clubs looking for a few extra pairs of hands.

Our research has shown that 7 out of 10 clubs require more support with the running of their club.

This programme aims to help them to grow their workforce and encourage the next generation of volunteers to get involved at their club.

As well as benefiting clubs, we hope this scheme helps young people develop transferrable skills useful for employment.

All clubs can sign up to the scheme, with Premier Clubs eligible to receive part-funding to help young volunteers gain coaching or officiating qualifications as part of the programme. Young Ambassadors will also be rewarded with Table Tennis England branded kit when they hit volunteering milestones.

Lee added:

We hope this new programme will help encourage young people to give up their time to help support our sport.

National Volunteers’ Week is a country-wide campaign aimed at encouraging people to donate their time to help others. Table Tennis England is supporting the initiative and saying thank you to the hundreds of volunteers whose commitment and enthusiasm keeps our sport running.

To find out more about the Table Tennis Young Ambassadors programme, please click here.