Table Tennis ACT making it a sport for all abilities, all ages

Table Tennis ACT (TTACT) has made a long-term commitment to ensuring diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of their operations. 

The Club has been named Club/Association of the Year at the 2021 Table Tennis Australia Volunteer Awards, which recognise and commend the remarkable achievements of individuals and groups making a significant and genuine contribution to the sport.

With the club commemorating its 75th anniversary in 2021, the Award is making celebrations just that bit sweeter.

“Table Tennis ACT is over the moon about winning this award,” Club President Heather Tomlinson said. “Table tennis in Canberra is just starting to blossom and people are excited about the future.”

Over the past 12 months, TTACT has introduced several new and innovative activities to engage more people to the club, from come try events during Youth Week, to hosting their first Corporate Cup in Canberra. They have also continued to run a successful Spinneroos program and senior program which is run three mornings a week.
 

Tomlinson says the Club wants to provide a welcoming, inclusive and family-friendly environment.
 
"[We’re] just trying to welcome more people to the club in a way that meets their interest and is also about making people feel comfortable by giving them opportunities to come with friends," she explained.

“We know all the benefits table tennis can bring to people's lives. Our motto is 'table tennis, all abilities, all ages' so it's like come try table tennis, you don’t need to be a high-performance elite athlete, just come and enjoy the game and get into table tennis.

“So I think that is something unique to TTACT -  how inclusive we are.” 

One of the biggest focusses for the club has been on introducing people with a physical and/or intellectual impairment to table tennis through their Para program and more recently, they’ve  been broadening their engagement with Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The development of a Diversity and Inclusion Plan, which was finalised in mid-September 2021with funding from the ACT Government Community Services 2020 Disability Grant, has continued to cement their commitment to making table tennis a sport for all. 

Having a really strong Para program in the future and just being a more inclusive and family-friendly club, gives us a really strong foundation going forward,” Tomlinson said.