BIRMINGHAM 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES: TABLE TENNIS ENGLAND USING B2022 FUNDING TO HELP MORE PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ACROSS ENGLAND

Table Tennis England is helping people and communities in the West Midlands and across England to get active and play sport off the back of the Commonwealth Games, thanks to funding and support from Sport England and the National Lottery. 

Table Tennis England was awarded £250,000 from Sport England’s Participation and Digital Innovation Fund as part of the body’s £35m investment around Birmingham 2022, with the funding contributing to the delivery of even more targeted table tennis projects over the next 12 months, through partnerships with organisations such as The Active Wellbeing Society and SportEd – as well as many table tennis clubs who will deliver specific women and girls programmes.

The funds also enabled a fantastic ‘Have a Go’ Zone to be delivered outside the table tennis arena at the NEC during the Games where thousands of spectators enjoyed table tennis challenges and brand development work to help to engage with a new female audience.

Behind the scenes, a data management project is underway led by sport data specialists Winners, enhancements to the TT Clubs platform are being undertaken, and an exciting new tech partnership that will better connect the recreational table tennis market with Table Tennis England is being developed.

This work from Table Tennis England supports Sport England’s overall goal of using Birmingham 2022’s Games to help build a legacy of more active and connected communities not just in the Midlands, but up and down the country, and help level up access to sport and physical activity.

The funding has and will continue to make a huge difference to the scale of what we can achieve and the pace at which we can operate, ensuring that Birmingham 2022 has a lasting legacy for our sport and, people and communities across England.

Data from our website and social media channels is already showing a positive impact from this work, with us reaching and engaging new audiences during the games through our ‘It’s Time to Play’ campaign and, I’m confident that the technology infrastructure that we are building will facilitate this further.

The home Games has been a fantastic opportunity for our sport on many levels and we are incredibly grateful for the additional support and investment Sport England has given to Table Tennis England.

Keely Armitt, Head of Business Development at Table Tennis England.

The Commonwealth Games have been an incredible platform for the power of sport. It’s brought so many people together – not just in the West Midlands, but all over the country.

The Games are also an opportunity to create a lasting impact at community level.  Legacy comes from hard work and creating the right opportunities and conditions so that people can lead more active lives – now and in the future.

That’s why our £35million investment into Birmingham 2022 is targeting support to where it is most needed, tackling deep-rooted inequalities to create inclusive opportunities for people to get active and connect in their communities – regardless of their ability, background or bank balance. We want the legacy of B2022 to be one of a more active and better-connected nation.

Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England.

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