Annual Report 12/13 - The English Table Tennis Association

Chairman’s Foreword
2
This will be my last report to members in
my capacity as your Chairman covering
the last 10 years. During this decade
I have led the sport through many
challenging times with a commitment
to support our sport at all levels. This
involved assisting its growth, being
transparent and commencing the
changes necessary for our sport’s
future. This also meant satisfying the
many Sport England requirements
for governance of national governing
bodies.
I was obviously very disappointed with
this year’s election result but wish the
sport well over the coming years under
its new Board. I will continue the other
volunteering work I do within the sport
as well as playing in local leagues and
other competitions.
The last 12 months have been both
exciting and challenging for table tennis
with the new Whole Sport Planning
process being started and its first year
being put in place. This resulted in
an investment commitment by Sport
England of £11M over the next four
years, a 20% increase from the last WSP
Award, in table tennis.
The discussions and agreement with
Sport England gave the ETTA a first year
direct award of £2,265,000 covering
four specific ring fenced areas plus
a £250,000 “Ping” investment. The
balance of the four-year award is subject
to three “special award conditions”
being implemented by the end of 2013,
in particular a Corporate Strategy and
Current Staffing review via consultants
appointed in liaison with Sport England.
I have been leading the work with my
Board on this review in conjunction
with, and active participation from, all
areas of our sport including the new
Board. Clearly they will be responsible
for taking over the “ownership” and
“implementation” of the review,
meeting the agreed outcomes for
2013/14, and completing a detailed
revised and costed delivery plan for
the ETTA participation programme by
31st December 2013 for the 2014/15
financial year, as part of the “special
award conditions”.
These are essential conditions to assist
in the negotiations for the ETTA to be
awarded the balance of £8,485,000 for
the next three years (2014 to 2017),
which was allocated for table tennis in
December 2012 during our negotiations
with Sport England.
In addition within the “Investment
Principles” of Sport England for national
governing body governance is a
requirement to review and implement
changes in the ETTA Company
Memorandum and Articles (M&A) by
October 2014. To facilitate this we have
put in place specialist consultants to
present their recommendations to the
new Board. When incorporation took
place in August 2001 the then Board
transferred the old Association’s rule
book into the new Company’s M&A,
whereas the old rules in essence
should have become regulations. As
a consequence, all changes have had
to go to the AGM for agreement and
subsequent submission to Companies
House under Company Law.
Also two important pieces of work, we
have commissioned, have started with a
view to addressing the need to generate
more of our own income from the
private/commercial sector.
Firstly, leading commercial/sponsorship
agency, Fast Track, is undertaking
a comprehensive commercial audit
and development of a commercial
partnership strategy designed to achieve
higher levels of long term income whilst
ensuring that the ETTA still operates
within prudent business and political
constraints.
Secondly, the Green and Gold
Partnership have been commissioned
to investigate the opportunities, risks
and processes associated with the
development of an ETTA Foundation to
receive charitable donations.
Since the election the present Board
has co-operated and worked with the
new team to ensure that the handover
of responsibilities to them following
the AGM has been conducted in a
professional and managed way by both
administrations.
I would like to thank both my team
(Board) for their contributions and
dedicated work over the last decade
and the staff for their support and the
positive impact they have had upon