The new £46.5 million leisure centre will play host to a minimum of two two-hour table tennis sessions per week from its opening in autumn 2011 until March 2014.
Plymouth Life Centre will also provide all the equipment needed, including eight tables, bats and balls and a table tennis robot. In return, ETTA will provide a Level 2 registered coach for each session and will help to promote the sport with local table tennis stars like England Under-21 Vicky Smith.
Plymouth City Council and ETTA will also work together to host a major international table tennis event at least once during the two-year contract, bringing players from around the world to compete in the city.
Councillor Peter Brookshaw, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Sport, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have the support of English Table Tennis Association as the Plymouth Life Centre build continues. Having qualified coaches will help to develop and promote table tennis in Plymouth, and we aim to support the training of the international players living in the city, as well as encourage more people to take up the sport.”
Chris Brown, South West Regional Development Manager for ETTA, added: “Table tennis has a strong tradition in Plymouth and we are lucky to have some top national players and coaches in the city. As a sport, we are always looking to improve the quality of the venues we play and coach in, and there will be no better facility than the Plymouth Life Centre. This will provide us with an opportunity to raise the profile of table tennis locally and hopefully encourage more people to try our great sport.”
The 10,000 square metre Plymouth Life Centre will provide some of the highest quality leisure facilities in the South West, as well as being one of the country’s leading centres for aquatic excellence.
Date: Media Call / Photo Opportunity, Tuesday 18 January 2011
Time: 11:00am
Location: Plymouth Life Centre, Balfour Beatty Construction Offices
Interviews & photos/filming: Councillor Peter Brookshaw, Chris Smith from ETTA, Liz May and England Under-21 table tennis star Vicky Smith
More information can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/lifecentre.
Ends
Download full press release