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table tennis feature
14 | Touchline issue 23 | April 2016
Some of our top players already play professionally overseas –
notably in the strong German and French leagues and we are
working to create more opportunities for our top players to
do so. We currently have some of our best under-18 players
working with a club in Sweden, for instance. This gives them
access to international coaching, top-class practice partners and
helps them in their personal development.
We also fund, where appropriate, the chance for players to
compete at international tournaments at adult and youth levels,
again on the basis that the chance to play against the best
players from around the world will lift their standards. Where
we are unable to fund our players to attend events, we support
them to self-fund their participation.
Domestically, we have changed our competition structure to
mirror that which you find in other leading nations. This means
that when our players do compete overseas, they are used to
the mental and physical requirements and familiar with the
format.
All of these projects are linked into an overall strategy to give
our elite players of all ages the best chance to succeed on the
international stage, whether that is giving them the technical,
physical or mental tools to do so, or the opportunities. There is
no ‘magic bullet’ which guarantees success, but we want to make
sure we have a joined-up strategy which pulls all the necessary
strands together.
What impact are social media and new technologies having
on the table tennis player and fan base? Where do you feel
that this will go in future?
Social media is increasing our fan base. Some of this is driven by
us – we use various social media platforms which are growing
and reaching new audiences. But most of it is not driven by us
– there are thousands of people posting video of their trick-
shots, live streaming matches and talking about table tennis on
message boards, and it’s all adding to the reach of the sport.
Communication is key to getting people together and promoting
our sport, so it makes sense for us to use technology and
platforms which are popular and which people find useful –
and it’s also important to give them relevant information and
content, in a tone of voice they respond to.
We have just launched a new email communications system,
revamped our website and are researching an app which allows
social players to find potential opponents and arrange matches
in their area. It is always a challenge to keep up to date with
current trends within our resources, but it’s important that we
do so.
Any other general thoughts on the future for table tennis in
England.
We have gone through a lot of changes as a governing body and
as a sport in the last two years. We believe those changes have
left us a lot better placed to deliver our mission of creating an
increasing number of outstanding and exciting opportunities for
everyone to enjoy and achieve in table tennis, plus our vision
that everyone is talking about table tennis.
We have some big targets in the years ahead, from achieving
on the world stage and hosting major international events to
getting more people playing in more places than ever at the
grassroots. We will need to invest effort and resources in the
people, facilities and structures to make that all happen.
There are a lot of challenges and a lot of hard work ahead, but
it’s an exciting time for our sport.