A great start for Worthing TTC!

Newly formed Worthing Table Tennis club have developed incredibly quickly in such a short period of time. Based in Sussex, founder and head Coach Pedros Santos is the driving force behind the fledgling community club and at Bribar we are delighted to help support him grow the club! Nearing their ‘first birthday’, we asked Pedro if he would share the clubs progress so far, what they’ve achieved in their first season and what plans they have for the future… here’s Worthing TTC’s story so far:

Getting Started

Worthing TTC is based in Sussex and was founded in 2021 with the ambition of providing inclusive and accessible Table Tennis to all who wish to learn. Table Tennis is one of the most versatile and adaptable sports in the World, and as such, the club shows all people can participate whatever their physical or mental background may be. It’s a place that provides a fun and sociable community whilst supporting and encouraging those with competitive ambitions.

The club is just approaching its 1st birthday and has already achieved so much, including:

• 4 brand new teams in Worthing District League, claiming the crown of Division 1 in the first year of asking (with 70% of the players new to competitive Table Tennis
• Collaboration with 4 local schools and 1 college
• Providing outreach sessions to 2 local Care Homes where the majority of the residents are diagnosed with dementia
• Participation at the Ping! England project, promoting outdoor Table Tennis in 4 parks in Worthing
• The launch of a hugely successful AccessibleTT session dedicated to people with disabilities
• Sessions to suit all age groups and abilities up and running (U13, Juniors, Adult Coaching, 50+, Open Session, Local League/County Level Session)
• West Sussex winner of the U11 National Schools Zonal Round – Konrad Pokorowski
• 4 brand new Level 1 Coaches qualified to support at the club’s sessions – including 2 disabled coaches

Growing fast

The club currently runs a total of 16 sessions on a weekly basis with plans to grow further this year:

• 3 Junior Coaching Sessions (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
• 2 Adult Coaching Sessions (Wednesday and Friday)
• 1 Open Session (Friday)
• 1 50+ Session (Saturdays)
• 1 Disability Only Session – AccessibleTT (Saturdays)
• 1 Local League Night (Tuesdays)
• 3 After School Clubs (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday)
• 1 Breakfast Club (Wednesday)
• 1 Lunch Club (Monday)

Worthing TTC is based across two venues in central Worthing: Thomas A. Becket Junior School and Worthing High School and keeps a close eye on pricing to allow everyone to access the sport. Single session £5/person or monthly Membership Packages – Membership Gold £40/month for 3 weekly sessions OR Membership Silver £30/month for 2 weekly sessions.

What’s next..?

We don’t want to stop here and aspire to keep growing. With a growing team of fantastic people, we work together towards our 5 and 10 years goals:

• A home to call our own: the creation of a full-time Table Tennis facility to allow players to reach their full potential
• Development of both disabled and non-disabled players pathways to National and International success
• Ensure Table Tennis is present in at least 75% of the schools in the region (Adur and Worthing District)
• Successive and inclusive British League teams (WBL, SBL, JBL)
• Have Worthing TTC players regularly represented in both Table Tennis England and British Para Table Tennis ranking lists
• Provide Table Tennis as a healthy lifestyle to the Worthing community
• Collaborate with local organisations to benefit from what our sport has to offer by taking part in physical activity (care homes, injury units, rehabilitation centres, support groups, etc)
• Create strong connections with local businesses and become a pillar of the local community

Stop press…

Congratulations goes to the Worthing TTC A team, having just been crowned winners of Division 1 at the Worthing & District League on the first time participating! A big thank you to all of you who strive to make Worthing Table Tennis Club a fantastic place to be. Here’s to many more birthdays!

If you’d like to be part of Worthing Table Tennis Club’s future in either a voluntary or employed capacity don’t hesitate to reach out at worthingttc@gmail.com to discuss future opportunities.

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