PREMIER LEAGUE 4SPORT PROJECT

HYNDBURN TABLE TENNIS CLUB

Hyndburn Table Tennis Club is part of a new project involving Premier League Football clubs and 4 other sports including Table Tennis.

Following interviews in November, Michael Moir has now been appointed as the new Coach for the Project and took up post on 11th January.

All existing coaches and volunteers, together with anyone who feels they would like to contribute to the project with ideas or better still wish to be directly involved in running the Club are welcome to attend club sessions on Friday evening.

If you want more information please let me know on 01254 381393 or email john_leech@btinternet.com

or call Mick Moir on 07531674059

THE FRED PERRY COMPETITION

The 4 semi-finalists in the Fred Perry Competition; Harrison Harrington, Jack Ellison, Adam Robinson and Ed Rushworth	Competitors in the Fred Perry Competition  for Schools/Clubs involved in the  Premier League 4 Sport Programme
Other Quarter-Finalists were Matt Woodburn,	Jim Atherton, Kieran Cunliffe and Ben Farrar
Premier League 4Sport Coach, Michael Moir with Runner-Up Adam Robinson (Hyndburn TT Club)	Premier League 4Sport Coach, Michael Moir with Competition Winner Jack Ellison (St Bede's High School Blackburn)

Report by Andrea Holt
NW Regional Development Manager
English Table Tennis Association

This article highlights some of the great work being carried out in the North West through local partnership working. The project being described is the new Fred Perry Club competition linked to the Premier League 4 Sport initiative. The feedback provided has been gathered from Claire Newton, who is the Premier League 4 Sport Coordinator with Blackburn Rovers Football in The Community and who works closely with myself as the National Governing Body Regional Manager, Mick Moir, Club Coach Support Officer, John Leech, Hyndburn TT Club Chairman and the various Local School Sport Partnerships across Blackburn, Hyndburn and Darwen, Rossendale and Burnley areas. As you can see from Claire’s feedback and the photographs taken, the competition was a great success and demonstrates what can be achieved when partners work closely together. 

Claire Newton’s feedback- PL4Sport Coordinator Blackburn Rovers Football in The Community 

Wednesday we held our Fred Perry Level 2 Tournament and can I say what a great success it was. It not only gave me the chance to see how table tennis is played at its best, but  to actually  see what impact the PL4Sport project has had on Table Tennis in the last 12 months within our area.  I often hear the good news stories from the coaches and when I get the opportunity to visit the sessions, the Fred Perry Tournament brought it all home what we have actually achieved in such a short space of time. (12 months ago to bring young people together for a tournament of that standard especially as 12 months ago a lot of these young people had never played table tennis I would not have said was achievable)  

Firstly prior to the PL4S project commencing, very little table tennis was being played within our geographical area, especially within schools, after school clubs and community. There were many barriers within the club especially around the junior section and the tournament highlighted that these barriers were gradually being broke down.  

The tournament

The club offered use of their facilities (for free) 

The chairman of the club facilitated the fixtures and the scores (club involvement)

All 4 partnerships of where the clubs are held entered teams.  26 young participants entered on the day (Coaches and Programme Development Managers were the driving force behind this and the geographical area covered that day was vast).

National Governing Body (ETTA) support - through Andrea Holt NW Regional Development Manager – prior to, on the day and after the tournament.

Throughout the tournament coaches became actively involved not just offering encouragement to there own participants but to participants of other clubs.  

The tournament/PL4S project also gave the young people the opportunity to meet new friends, experience the standards and different styles of Table Tennis along with experience a visit to a club. Through talking to the participants it became apparent that 3 young people had actually never been to the Hyndburn area. Throughout the tournament the standards of table tennis varied which gave the coaches an opportunity to see which areas were players’ strengths and weaknesses and were we can develop. 

To take credit for all the above and the development of table tennis with in our club    I have to say Mick Moir our Table Tennis Officer has played a major role in this with the support of Andrea Holt. He is passionate and thrives to succeed which is reflected in his achievements in this competition.  

The Premier League 4 Sport project and the Club Coach Support Officers are having a positive effect on helping our Table Tennis clubs grow and attract new membership through the local partnerships that have been developed over the past 12 months.

The initial concept is to work with schools to develop in-school clubs linked with the Hyndburn TT Club which will provide opportunities for young people to play, obtain coaching and enter competitions at Junior level.
 Eventually these players will have the opportunity to play in a Junior League and then progress to the main League, as have a number of young players from local clubs during the last few seasons.

Copyright 2006                  

  Affiliated to the English Table Tennis Association and the Lancashire Table Tennis Association