A total of 13 new coaches successfully qualified through a Level 1 course at Cippenham Table Tennis Club.  

The course forms part of the Area Local Development Plan and looks to address the target of increasing qualified and active coaches within the South East.   

Tutor Mark Mitchell said: “This was a fantastic group to work with, everyone engaged in the two days and supported one another and the energy in the room was a pleasure to work with.  

“Special thanks to Maria Ingles who assessed with me on day two and to Ken Phillips who set up the venue and stayed for the two days. 

“Ken also offered his considerable experience to help and support some of the learners to practise their coaching at his club during his junior coaching sessions.”

This collaborative working exemplified the approach we are taking with our Development Plan, ensuring that coaches not only can gain valuable experience to deliver whilst on the course, but also are supported in finding other coaching opportunities once qualified.   

We are already working with two of the candidates to link them with some development opportunities and aligning them with both some exciting local developments and our SHEcoaches initiative to improve women’s and girls’ coaching across the country. 

Table Tennis England Area Manager for the South East, Alan Lane, added: “It was great to see the energy in the room and how exciting it is to see so many people at the beginning of their coaching journey. 

“As part of our continued approach to developing our coaching network, we will be running a Coaches Communities of Practice for all coaches to attend, a great open forum to discuss all things coaching – watch this space for further details!”