GRASSROOTS
Left: Enjoying the game at a university sports hub. Above: Taking the opportu- nity to play table tennis in a public space
Table tennis is one of a few sports to have continually received favorable results within the Active People Surveys
take turns circling the table, hitting the ball at alternate ends until only two are left – a player is out after three miss hits. However, social knockabouts are also encouraged, while a DJ supplies the event’s background music.
Ping! This three-year project engages members of the public – many of whom would not otherwise have picked up a bat or con- sidered taking part in a particular sport – with free table tennis opportunities to play both indoors and out. The project kicked off in London with
60 temporary tables (supplied by Cornil- leau) and 47 permanent concrete tables set up in high-profile and community locations – including Heathrow Airport,
Schoolchildren play on outdoor tables as part of the Change4Life programme
Trafalgar Square, the South Bank and St Pancras Station. During its three-year duration, Ping! will move to four other cities across England before returning to London for the Olympic Games in 2012.
Positive results Table tennis is one of only a few sports to have continually received favorable results within Sport England’s regular Active People Surveys, which measure the numbers of people from varying demographics and environments who take up particular sporting activities on a regular basis. The latest set of quarter- ly results is based on data from October 2009 to July 2010), which was conducted prior to the launch of Ping!, which is al- ready having a big impact on increased interest in the sport. Ping! has already attracted tens of thousands of people to pick up a bat,
with initial figures received from 33 of the 97 tables showing that more than 30,000 people played the game 124,000 times. The ETTA also hosted 340 Ping! coaching events with 2,810 people at- tending. As a result of this increasing popularity, 27 out of the 50 temporary tables are to remain in place; this will include the tables at St Pancras Interna- tional Station, Regents Park and the O2 Arena, with the rest being donated to local community groups. Commenting on the success of this
initiative, Sport England chair Richard Lewis said: “Thanks to Ping!, more than 30,000 Londoners have got back into table tennis and become part of the 2012 sporting legacy. “With three-quar- ters of the tables staying exactly where they are, this table tennis craze is set to grow and grow.” Outlining the sport’s wide appeal,
ETTA’s chief executive, Richard Yule said: “The success of Ping! highlights the demand for our sport at all levels and demonstrates the fantastic value it pres- ents as a vehicle to get people active.” With the start of the new educa-
tional year there will also be a large number of new students introduced and reacquainted with the sport as the Social Media Sports Hub continues and Change4Life starts, giving the grassroots an even greater boost. This increase in participation has had
a knock-on effect to both the grassroots and competitive table tennis, with an increase of more than 60 teams taking part in league competitions, which is the first time that has been seen since 1978. With momentum in the sport’s favour, along with the growth of public aware- ness and availability of equipment, the ETTA expect this trend to continue as the three projects progress. ●
40 Read Sports Management online
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