ETTA & BTTF Selection
4th October 2011
By Peter Charters, ETTA Vice Chairman for Selection
This page will act as a Selection Newsletter, attempting to keep you all informed of matters of interest and trying to explain some of the mysteries of the selection process. It will be updated at regular intervals.
Topics covered are:-
- - Talent Identification
- - Youth Development Squad
- - High Performance Clubs
- - International Youth Squads
- - Junior Selection Panel
- - The Masters
- - England Senior Teams
- - Olympic Games, London 2012
- - British Table Tennis Federation
Talent identification
Local and regional talent identification is in the hands of our ten Regional Coaches who will each try to set up a network of Regional Talent Scouts working locally. Annual Assessment days will lead to inclusion for some in Regional Squad Training and if successful it may result in an invitation to a national residential training weekend with the Youth Development Squad.
Youth Development Squad (YDS)
Jill Parker, the ETTA’s Talent and Coaching Manager, is responsible for the YDS and her team of Regional Coaches have their link to this training through her (see full details of Talent Identification at the end of this article).
The new Regional Qualification event for the National 11 to 14 Championship, which replaces the Trials, should give major opportunities to talent spotters in each region.
High Performance Clubs (HPC)
HPCs have been set up in some localities although the organisation and responsibility is national rather than regional. They will often operate as clubs within clubs. These are funded by the ETTA for a small number of highly ranked young players (perhaps in different age bands) in each of the HPC’s. The target is to help solve the problem faced by so many young players around the country, of access to good quality coaching and sparring for enough hours each week. Funding is available for four such HPC’s in this first year and if successful it will rise to ten thereafter.
International Youth Squads
These are at the pinnacle of England’s junior player pathway. These squads are selected by the
ETTA Junior Selection Panel (JSP)
Although this Panel can consider all eligible players, this squad system allows Panel members to focus on a smaller number for selection to international events.
The Panel is made up of Peter Charters (non voting chairman) Steen Hansen, Des Douglas, Alex Perry, Jill Parker and Carole Moore. Players selected to be part of the International Youth Squads at the start of the season are:-
JB – Gavin Evans, Liam Pitchford, David McBeath, Daniel Lowe, Richard Andrews, Sean Cullen and Lewis Gray.
JG – Karina LeFevre, Melissa Wright, Natalie Slater, Mary Fuller, Martha Travis, Lucy Davidson, Chloe Whyte and Yolanda King.
CB – Zak Zilesnik, Sam Walker, Igor Morais, Jared Patel, Helshan Weersinghe, Eric Wan and Sam Mabey.
CG – Emily Bates, Tin Tin Ho, Vicky Smith, Jessica Dawson, Tressa Armitage and Charleigh Kirby.
Masters
The Masters events, both Junior and Cadet, provide the JSP with the opportunity to see all the top players compete against each other over one weekend. The top twelve on the ranking list will be invited to play providing that they have competed in the appropriate National Junior or Cadet Championships, and at least one 4 Star Tournament up to and including the Derby 4 Star event. The JSP can give two Wild Cards for each category to bring the number up to fourteen.
England Senior Teams
The sole selection responsibility of Performance Manager Steen Hansen.
The Olympic Games in London 2012
Takes place in less than three years and must be the main target for our very top players. In reality however, only a small number of English players will get selected for that team. Four men and four women from GB will make up the teams but only one of each will take part automatically in the singles. Any others will have to win through via the various qualifying competitions run around the world.
The British Table Tennis Federation (BTTF)
Formed and funded to make all the British table tennis decisions towards 2012 rather than the individual, separate home countries. However, English players in the BTTF Development group will represent England in all foreign competitions apart from the Olympic Games. Under the BTTF there is now just one small group of players being targeted towards the big event; the Development Squad.
At this time, there are twelve players from GB in this group.
They are:
Men – Paul Drinkhall, Darius Knight, Danny Reed, Gavin Evans, Liam Pitchford (all England), Adam Robertson (Wales) and Gavin Rumgay (Scotland).
Women – Jo Parker, Kelly Sibley (both England), Naomi Owen (Wales), Liu Na (N. Ireland) and Alice Loveridge (Guernsey).
The BTTF selection process is in the hands of the Performance Selection Panel which is made up of the BTTF Performance Manager (Steen Hansen) and a voting member from each of the four home countries; England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.
Any player wishing to challenge for a place in the 2012 squad will have to be quick. Unlike some other sports, world class table tennis players are not made overnight, more accurately it generally takes nearly ten years.
