Table Tennis: Regional news

Regional Table Tennis Academy Is Latest Addition To Bristol’s Academy Of Sport

The English Table Tennis Association and Filton College’s Bristol Academy of Sport have announced today that a new Regional Table Tennis Academy will be established in September 2005.

To lead this new initiative – only the second such Academy in England – will be the former Scottish Table Tennis Team Manager and current England Coach, Kevin Satchell from Melksham.

Kevin, a commonwealth medal winner, will remain as an England coach, and brings experience in playing at World level together with clear ideas of how to develop Bristol into a nationally recognised centre of excellence.

Head Coach Kevin says “This is a job of a lifetime for me, the Bristol Academy of Sport is a major player in the development of sport in the region for 14-19’s and with their new sport facilities being opened in August this year, I can’t think of many better places in the UK for this initiative. Put with this the popularity of table tennis in Bristol – which has the largest league in the Country – and I expect the Academy to be attractive to many talented players from across the region”

Alex Murdock, Chief Executive of the English Table Tennis Association was instrumental in promoting the centre as the ETTA’s regional centre of excellence and the recent visit and endorsement by Steen Hansen, the English Table Tennis Squad’s Director of Performance rubber stamped the initiative.

Simon Panes, Director of the Bristol Academy of Sport, said “Kevin’s appointment underlines the commitment to bringing the best coaches to Bristol and provide youngsters with the opportunity to develop their skills whilst undertaking full time education. We already have students applying for limited places next year and I believe that Kevin’s reputation will turn Bristol into a power-house for players in the south west”.

For further information contact, please contact:
Sara-Jane Watkins - Executive Director Corporate Development
Mobile: 07766 162 283