Sporting Schools Bridging Gaps Between Schools and Clubs in Regional & Remote Areas.

Students at Paynesville Primary School are having an absolute blast trying out Table Tennis as part of their Term 3 Sporting Schools program.

As a result of being a recipient of the Term 3 Sporting Schools grant, the school had the opportunity to engage with Bairnsdale District Table Tennis Association (BDTTA) located in the far East Gippsland regions of Victoria.

BDTTA President and Coach, Brian Blythman, was thrilled when presented with the opportunity to run a 4-week program to introduce young champions at Paynesville Primary to Table Tennis.

Here’s what Brian said:

“I’ve been running a Sporting Schools program at the Paynesville Primary School, and it’s been amazing to see the joy on the faces of these kids. Not only have I discovered that some of the students have a natural ability to play table tennis but those that may struggle at the start show the most excitement when they hit the ball over the net, serve the ball properly or even hit a winner.”

Fantastic outcomes are being observed not only with the program’s success within school hours, but also with the connections being formed as students transition to the club to discover how and where they can play more table tennis! 

As Brian said, “Since being involved with Sporting Schools I’ve had some of the kids come along to the coaching sessions at our local club but we’ve also reconnected to family members that played back in the day so there is a range of benefits to the local club and the students. I particularly love walking down the street and have one of the kids yell out “Hi Coach”, it means I’ve had an impact and when they come to the club for a hit, it’s a little bit easier if they see a friendly face.”

The barriers to community sport participation in regional and remote locations are well documented –limited sporting options for schools, lack of coaching workforce, long travel times, financial restrictions, and competing priorities, to name a few. Amidst these challenges, local connections such as the one between BDTTA and Paynesville Primary highlight the importance of Sporting Schools in bridging community sporting gaps and providing opportunities to cater for both schools and local table tennis clubs in remote areas.

“One of the great things of being a Table Tennis coach in East Gippsland is I get to enjoy the sunshine at the same time as helping the next Victorian or Australian champion discover their love for the game", Brian concluded. 

Term 4 Sporting Schools grants are now open and funding is available for primary schools to run a Spinneroos program. if you are interested in running Table Tennis programs at schools in your local community, check out Sporting Schools opportunities here.