National Conference

A summary of the work we are doing connected to the core of our sport (our clubs, leagues, volunteers, officials and coaches), to improve the experiences both existing and new participants have when they play table tennis and how we are working with clubs and leagues to attract new participants into the sport.

Speaker: Keely Armitt, Head of Mass Participation at Table Tennis England

Hear how Table Tennis England is using the sport to have a positive impact on the health and happiness of a million people.

About the Speaker: Keely Armitt has worked at Table Tennis England for 5 years, leading the work the organisation does with the ‘Mass’ or social playing market through the Ping! and Loop initiatives

Speaker: Greg Yarnall (Head of Development), Jane Hannah (Premier Education), Sally Shutt, Rob Johnson (RJ Brand Development)

We will be launching our exciting new TT Kidz programme aimed at introducing more 7-11 year olds into our wonderful game and exploring how we will ‘together bring TT Kidz to life’. As well as looking at how clubs and coaches can use TT Kidz to help shape the future of junior participation in their clubs, Premier Education will also join us to share how we can introduce table tennis to more schools across the country.

Speaker: Simon Kirkland

Outcomes:

• National context to Sports Clubs in the UK
• How do table tennis clubs compare with other sports
• Key components of a great club
• Who can help you become a great club

About the Speaker: Simon has a wealth of experience in Club development having developed club accreditation programmes prior to Clubmark with Basketball and Birmingham City Council. As a CEO of Basketball England, he developed the club accreditation programme to link to sponsorship programmes to be of benefit to the clubs. He founded Sport Structures when leaving Basketball and club development has been a fundamental part of the company’s growth. He has designed and developed many club volunteer workshops and is a very active volunteer, being chair of a national governing body, a regional governing body and of a local hockey club.

Full details yet to be released.

Speakers: Aled Howell (Coach Education Manager), Sally Shutt (Coach Education Officer), Charlie Childs (Generation 2 Lead Coach).

• An update from Coaching Department about current courses, the coaching pathway, and officiating including:
• The rationale behind the recently launched level 1 Session Coach Award
• Plans to change the current Level 2 Lead Coach Award
• An update on the current Level 3 Head Coach Award and Level 4 High Performing Coach Award.
• Information on the new TT Kidz Activator Award & the proposed new Teachers Award.

The update will be followed by an open question and answer forum on the current CPD offer with regard to requested content from clubs and coaches. This will help inform our future planning to offer CPD modules to include online content as well as workshops.

Charlie Childs will be providing an update of a new website we are launching to provide coaches with additional support for their coaching.

Speaker: Steve Mills

This session will explore the importance of social media in a digital age. Find out why social media is key to marketing table tennis clubs and increasing membership, as well as uncover hints and tips guaranteed to grow your club’s social media presence.

The session will include practical guidance on how your club can maximise the impact of social media whilst reducing scheduling time, and consider 6 key steps to social media success including a look into content and opportunities for paid advertising.

Ideal for clubs big and small, this session will identify routes to market locally, regionally and nationally and will conclude with a Q&A with Steve.

About the Speaker: 

Steve is a former international table tennis player turned leading marketing and business development professional with over 28 years of experience.

He is a member of the Professional Speakers Association (PSA) and International Speaking Federation whose foundation of success comes from a commitment to growth and challenging “How high is high?”

Speakers: Simon Kirkland & Jessica Skinner, Sport Structures, Club Matters

Clubs often find themselves short of volunteers, the way that people volunteer and the time they have to give is not the same as it used to be. Ensuring volunteers feel recognised, rewarded and part of the team is essential. ​​

This workshop covers:

• Developing a positive culture of volunteering within a club environment

• Identify how to develop the volunteer’s experience by assessing the value of club volunteer
• Develop the volunteer experience by identifying top tips in recruiting, retaining and rewarding new and existing volunteers
• Where to find out more information to help improve the volunteer experience

About the Speakers: Sport Structures are 1 of 4 Club Matters suppliers. They lead on the delivery of workshops, administration of Clubmark and provide general club development expertise.

Jessica is the project manager for the Sport Structures Club Matters contract. She is a dynamic member of the team and has worked on a wealth of club development projects requiring partnership working and finding positive solutions to achieve challenging outcomes. At present she is the national lead assessor for Clubmark, administers Clubmark nationally, has supported a variety of CSPs with club development projects/programmes and has developed, and subsequently implemented, an NGB club accreditation programme.

Simon has a wealth of experience in Club development having developed club accreditation programmes prior to Clubmark with Basketball and Birmingham City Council. As a CEO of Basketball England, he developed the club accreditation programme to link to sponsorship programmes to be of benefit to the clubs. He founded Sport Structures when leaving Basketball and club development has been a fundamental part of the company’s growth. He has designed and developed many club volunteer workshops and is a very active volunteer, being chair of a national governing body, a regional governing body and of a local hockey club.

Speaker: Ben Young

Fundamental movement patterns are integral to the development of athletic qualities that underpin all sports. Being able to move effectively and efficiently not only reduces the risk of injury, but provides a foundation from which technical and tactical proficiency can be achieved. The aim of the session is to practically and theoretically demonstrate how fundamental movement patterns link with key technical table tennis specific skills, and in doing so, how they will form a foundation for further athletic development and performance enhancement.

About the Speaker: Ben Young is a certified strength and conditioning coach (ASCC) with the UKSCA. He currently works with the English Institute of Sport in Bath, providing S&C support to GB Pentathlon, Swimming and Skeleton. He currently leads the physical development for the Severn Stars Super League netball pathway squads and oversees the athletic development of a U19 squash academy, having previously lead the physical conditioning for a U14 tennis academy.

Speakers: Simon Kirkland & Jessica Skinner, Sport Structures, Club Matters Team

With so many marketing options out there, it can leave you in a muddle. This workshop will guide you through the marketing minefield and help you attract new members, raise funds or enhance your club’s profile. Launch your marketing mission today.

This workshop covers:

• Shaping up your marketing strategy- what to consider
• Fit to follow framework – to develop your club’s strategy
• Methods to motivate – considering different marketing options

Evaluating your efforts – focus your energy effectively

Full details yet to be released.

Full details yet to be released.

Speakers: Alan Cooke & Matt Stanforth

In the last 18 months, the Performance Team have set up two new squads, England Hopes and England 913 which focus on developing our young player from 8-13 years old who are just beginning their journey on the Performance Pathway.

The presentation will talk through the journey and learning the team have experienced in developing these programmes, looking at their approach in how we go about developing young players in order to give them the best opportunity to be International players in the future and fulfil their potential. This will include sharing our reflections on the programme as a whole through to the more practical elements of coach delivery and players development.

About the Speakers: Alan Cooke – Technical Director: Alan has over 30 years experience both as a leading International Player and Coach. As a player, Alan is a former Commonwealth Champion winning an additional 5 Gold Medals in Team and Doubles and 6 Times National Champion.

As a coach, Alan has worked within the performance team for a number of years working with both the senior and youth players. In 2016, Alan was the coach of the Men’s Team that won Bronze at the World Team Championships in Malaysia.

Matt Stanforth – Programme Manager: Matt has been coaching for over 15 years, initially as a volunteer coach at Ormesby Table Tennis Club and with the England Youth Development Programme. In 2008, he joined Table Tennis England as Regional Coach for the North East and in 2013 joined the performance team. Matt completed his UKCC Level 4 in 2012 and was selected for the ITTF Coach Mentoring programme in 2017

Matt has worked across both the senior and youth programmes including the Men’s Team that won Silver at the Commonwealth Championships in 2015, and the Junior Boys team that won Gold in both the Team and Singles at the Slovak Youth Open in 2017.

Speakers: Jenny Leach, Gemma Parry & Andrea Holt

We will be explaining why we are focusing on engaging more W&G into the sport, the data and insight behind it, how we have got this far and what our action plan is to increase our % of female player members in the sport. We will be using real life examples to demonstrate our experience of the fantastic women in Table Tennis.

About the Speakers: Jenny Leach- National Delivery Lead and part of the W&G working group, responsible for driving the action plan around increasing our female player members and female engagement with the sport.

Gemma Parry- Volunteering and development officer for the South West and part of the W&G working group.

Andrea Holt- Former international table tennis player and Olympian, Andrea is now Volunteering and development officer for Greater Manchester, Cheshire and East and South Yorkshire and part of the W&G working group.

Speaker: Shaun Marples, British Para Table Tennis Pathway Manager

The workshop provides an opportunity to get an understating of Para table tennis and the journey an athlete may take. This will include:

• Their journey
• The various classifications
• How to get involved

It’s opportunity to gather a greater understanding of Para Table Tennis and how coaches can get players into the pathway.

Speaker: Martin Ireland

Does your club have ambitions to develop its own facility? A new facility doesn’t necessarily mean new build or huge cost. This workshop will highlight the options that may be open to you, the things you need to consider and the Sport England funding opportunities available.

Speaker: Simon Kirkland

The world is changing, how do you ensure your club is chosen over all the other opportunities that are competing for people’s leisure time? By making it a place people want to keep on coming back to. To do this you need to understand what existing and potential members want from your club and deliver a great experience to them. This workshop explores how you can do this. ​​

This workshop covers:​

• Why delivering a great experience for in your club is important​
• How to listen to and respond to the needs of the people in your club and potential members​
• How to consistently deliver a great club experience

Speakers: Sally Shutt (Coach Education Officer), and Mark Dare (Head Coach at Wensum TTC)

In a world where we are competing with a host of different sports and activities it is more crucial than ever that we get our offer right! This workshop will consider the Sport England ‘C System’ and look at how good coaching inspires people to get active and stay active. In short good coaching has benefits for both the people who participate and the people who coach.

In the light of Table Tennis England’s new TT Kidz programme, which is designed to attract and retain more young people in to the sport, we look at how the correct offer in our clubs will ensure these people continue to enjoy their development in Table tennis.

About the Speakers: Sally is a UKCC Level 4 Coach, Table Tennis England Tutor/Assessor and has been heavily involved in the inception of the TT Kidz programme and has a passion for developing youth programmes.

Mark Dare is a UKCC Level 3 Coach, Table Tennis England Tutor/Assessor and has a wealth of experience working with players at all levels. He successfully established Wensum TTC in 2003 which now has around 130 members.

Speaker: Simon Kirkland

Do you have a dream for your club but struggle to make progress? This workshop will help you put together a simple yet effective business plan for your club to help you plan a brighter future and take real steps to reach your goals. Stop dreaming, start doing.

This workshop covers:

• What a business plan can do for your club
• Key players in developing a business plan
• A simple framework to support your planning

Top tips of what to include in your plan and common pitfalls to watch out for

Full details yet to be released.

Speaker: Andrew Heaward

This session will explore a variety of ways in which table tennis clubs can generate income, with a particular focus on the current grant landscape and top tips for writing a strong grant application. The workshop will also look at alternative income generation opportunities including crowd funding, club fundraisers and sponsorship.

About the Speaker: Andrew Heaward is Owner and Managing Director of Heaward Sports. A crucial aspect of Andrew’s work is his ability to synthesise complex concepts into coherent, engaging and persuasive text. This valuable skill has seen him help to playing a lead role in securing over £35m in grants for sports projects to date. These successes include everything from small community based revenue projects to major multi million pound capital and revenue schemes supported by many funders.