“Table Tennis truly is a sport for all,” according to Aaron Tuckfield

Seven weeks into his new role, TTA’s Participation and Development lead wants to ensure people of all ages and abilities continue to have an opportunity to get involved in the sport

Leveraging the exposure provided by the Olympic and Paralympic Games to drive participation and connecting the pathway between school and club programs are just two of the projects the new Table Tennis Australia Senior Manager – National Participation and Development Program Aaron Tuckfield is focused on for the immediate future.

Just 50 days after he joined the Table Tennis Australia family, Tuckfield and his team have got plenty going on and exciting initiatives lined up for later in the year. 

“These first weeks have been a steep learning curve, but it’s exciting to be working for an Olympic sport in an Olympic year,” confirmed Tuckfield, who is working for a National Sporting Organisation of an Olympic sport for the first time, despite an impressive career as a sport administrator over the last 15 years.

With a month to go until Tokyo, the Olympic Games are the obvious focus at the moment. The TTA Participation and Development team is actively supporting the Australian Olympic Committee as they plan their presence at Live sites across the country, which will give the Australian public a chance to have a go at multiple sports during the Games, including table tennis.

“The Tokyo Games are a terrific opportunity to promote our sport, but also to highlight that table tennis doesn’t have to be ‘just’ a fun sport. It can be taken seriously and our Olympians and Paralympians are highly trained athletes who have reached the highest level of the sport,” Tuckfield said.

Drawing from his experience, Tuckfield is expecting the Games to be a catalyst that will capture people’s attention and allow sports to reach new audiences. 

“When I was working in cricket, we saw that participation would often increase off the back of a major event, such as the World Cup or an Ashes series. So we want to make the most of this opportunity and hopefully get more people involved in the sport,” he said.

Major events aside, Tuckfield sees the recent success of school programs like Spinneroos as the perfect platform to build on as the organisation continues to develop the pathway through the sport. Table Tennis Australia is one of the pilot partners of the Club Connect program, a Sport Australia project designed to support primary school students as they transition from school-based sporting programs to participating at their local sporting club, promoting lifelong engagement in sport.

“Table Tennis has enjoyed tremendous success through the Sporting Schools programs,” Tuckfield explained. 

“We want to build on that success and try to get those kids who really enjoyed their table tennis experience at school to join the club down the road, so they can keep playing table tennis as one of their sports of choice.”

With a wealth of experience in cricket, football and surf lifesaving, Tuckfield strongly believes the underlying principles of sport management and governance can be successfully applied across disciplines.

"But first and foremost I'll always be passionate about the benefits that sport brings to its participants. No matter the discipline, sport provides a sense of community, it allows people to engage socially and keep fit and healthy," he said.

After being introduced to the nuances of table tennis, Tuckfield was particularly attracted by the fact that it really is a sport for all people. 

“It’s such an inclusive sport, it doesn’t discriminate in terms of gender, age or ability. It can be practiced all year long. It is also a very practical sport.

“I have already learned that, at its very essence, any table can be a table tennis table. The equipment doesn’t take up too much space, it’s relatively affordable and the basics of the sport can be taught in a very reasonable amount of time, which of course makes it very attractive to school programs and their term-based structure. And of course, it’s fun!”

Along with the Tokyo Games, the expected announcement of Brisbane and Queensland as hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032 draws closer as well. Tuckfield still remembers vividly when he witnessed the announcement of the Sydney Olympics as a teenager in the Nineties and he is convinced that Australian sports can benefit from the Games, even with 2032 more than a decade away.

“Knowing that there's a home Games on the horizon means that any child from the age of eight and up could be getting involved in table tennis with the aspiration to participate in the event. To be able to work with Brisbane 2032 on the horizon would definitely be an advantage,” he said.

Accordingly, Tuckfield and his team are looking forward to making sure people of all ages and abilities continue to have an opportunity to get involved in the sport.

“We are already working on further increasing gender diversity in our participation base. We have our Paralympians who are amazing role models in that space and can support the positioning of table tennis also as an effective recovery and rehabilitation activity.

“Finally, we’d like to engage more seniors and work with community associations and aged care facilities to further promote table tennis as a way to socialise and also keep active and healthy,” he said.

Tuckfield witnessed first-hand the ability of table tennis to bring people together across multiple demographics at a recent club event in Adelaide.

“It was a Friday morning and all tables, probably twenty of them, were in action,” he said.

“It was a weekly social event for seniors over sixty, but many of their grandkids were there as well as it was during the school holidays. It was seniors and young kids together and I was really impressed to see that level of participation across various age groups.

“It was just another example of how table tennis really is a sport for all people,” he said.