O pposite ends of the country they may be , but Cheltenham and Keighley have a lot in common when it comes to table tennis . Both are thriving clubs , with good league sides and a deep pool of talent . And both have the growth of their over 50s sessions to thank .
Two years ago at Cheltenham , table tennis was where many areas currently find themselves at : with a solid local club , good links into the community and with an active , qualified coach .
That coach was Nick Davidson , who recalls that he ’ d felt the time was right to focus on getting senior players on to the scene .
‘ When I was doing development work there I met a few older people who were saying : “ It ’ s been really good to have somewhere to play today !” So I emailed everyone I could think of , asking : “ If I ran an over 50s session would you be interested ?”
‘ We then got access to a Sport England grant which paid for the hire of a venue and a coach for two hours . That grant gave us six months before it would matter if we had people paying to play . Six months to build up a big enough pool of regular players that the sessions would pay for themselves .
‘ We charged £ 5 a session , 10-12pm , and started to bring in over 50s who were part of Cheltenham Table Tennis Club . Then we got ourselves on to the Internet , I had a contact at the local newspaper who put adverts in free , and we got some posters printed .
‘ Using the local YMCA hall when Cheltenham TTC played meant they were happy to promote us as the best players would switch and join their competitive practices . They ’ ve got about two team ’ s worth of players from our senior sessions , so it ’ s paid off for them !’
Unsurprisingly , the session became too popular for Davidson to manage , with the YMCA and Cheltenham TTC taking over the running of the club for practical reasons . The impact it ’ s had will last for a while though .
‘ The type of experienced people we got at the start meant that when the beginners arrived , they improved so quickly ,’ Davidson explained , adding : ‘ The performance level of seniors in Cheltenham now is really high .’
Go for a grant !
Keighley Table Tennis Centre , and the Haworth Hawks club that ’ s based there , also began their growth with a grant . That bought them a large area inside an old textile mill , enough for seven tables in the main hall with an overflow room and lounge area .
Not all clubs will have the option of buying such a facility , but for John Ainley , who coaches seniors at the centre , targeting such an ambitious location should be at the top of table tennis clubs wish lists .
‘ The last thing older folk want when rocking up is sitting down and waiting . Here , there ’ s extra room even if the main hall is full , plus for your monthly membership you get full access , 24 / 7 , because they own the place ,’ Ainley enthused .
‘ Having a nice relaxing lounge here is important too , having a cup of tea and a chat before or after playing . I think it ’ s changed a bit , the balance between playing and socialising . Table Tennis England and others are realising there are so many benefits to recreational table