Table Tennis Queensland Development Forum and Annual General Meeting 2014.
(E-mail from me)

I have (as always) done some thinking when it comes to our sport and here are some of them that might be usefully when it comes to the Development Forum at the AGM:

Shall TTQ start the planning of short term and long term development plans?
Basics: a) What do we want? B) How shall we get there? C) When shall we get there?
The follows a more detailed plan under B: What shall we do? Who shall do it? When shall it be done?

Some ideas to what can be under a TTQ development plan, short term:
- more clubs/associations (at least one new every year)
- revive defunct clubs/ associations (make a list and a plan; where, who, how, when).
- more competitions (goal: at least one tournament or league/team-matches each week)
- change the name “Open Tournaments” to “Queensland Cup” (each association can get one each year). “Toyota Queensland Cup Mackay”, other tournaments can be Open, like Teams Open, Junior Open, or just Open or just the name of the tournament.
- more smaller tournaments like team tournaments, junior tournaments, beginners tournaments, invite other cities/associations.
- make templates for new releases that TTQ and the clubs can use.
- school tournaments held all cities (very big in NZ –ask them how they do it!).
- a “FILL THE HALLS – and keep the kids” campaign; More interclub competitions for the young players, invite senior citizen clubs, hospitals, disabled, army, schools, businesses etc. to competitions and other activities, help the clubs with promotional activities like shopping mall demonstrations, participations in parades, North Queensland Games etc.
- arrange team-matches that can interest the general public (in addition to the players and administrators): It used to be a State League, can we try to make something in the spirit of “State of Origin!” but another format a few time a year? Like Rockhampton challenges Bundaberg, Cairns challenges Townsville, Brisbane challenge Gold Coast etc. Play home and away match. If one win each a draw where the deciding match shall be held. Can be for senior men, senior women, combined men/woman, juniors etc. TTQ helps with the news release and the basic invitation.
- advertising at the movies (stills, and or film).
- let other associations have Queensland Jrs, not only Brisbane (?).
- Three player teams in Qld Jrs (?).
- Single and doubles events for U11 and U9 in Qld Jrs; trial this year.

Short term ideas that can help the clubs this year:
Tournaments;
- Invite to U21, U18, U15, U13, U11 and U9 in all Open tournaments. Plus Junior Novice, a mixed boys/girls event for the first two tournaments they play (write in the invitation that events with few players entered can be joined/moved to older age group events. It got to be something on offer to get some)!
- shall it be the same entry fee for all tournaments or can the associations decide themselves?
- always have pool-play followed by knock-out. Two best to winners knock out, the others to consolation knock-out. Follow the normal set-up for pools/knock-out. The players can only play two aged and two graded events per day (plus the Open event?).
- better result service at all tournament: hang opp draw and fill the results inn continuously. An idea is that the person responsible for filling in the draw on the wall also help the people at the control table to make sure matches are started in time and that the results (plus ball) are brought back.
- use PA/speakers; announce quarter finals, semi finals and finals.
- the results sent to newspapers, radio and tv the same day.
- if money is used as trophies then no less than 1 ½ time the starting fee.
Fixtures:
- invite other clubs/associations to Fixtures.
- have junior fixtures.
- have a system for up and down between fixture-divisions – the two best players/teams of a lower division shall always be given the chance to play in a higher division next series – either directly of by qualification against the lowest placed in a higher division.
- results to the local newspaper after each round.
- hang up the schedule and the results in the venue.
- end of series “party”/celebration.
- spring fixtures, summer fixtures, autumn fixtures, winter fixtures?
- use proper team names, not silly ones (the attitude towards table tennis is bad enough), district names are good, like “Springwood”.

I know that it will be hard to get the forum to commit to any planning – because that requires somebody to do something – and everybody is so busy. But with a development plan then hopefully the administrators can be less busy and more motivated (I know that a development plan I conducted in Norway saved my life)! Table tennis seems to be slowly dying in Queensland and the competition with other sport is always getting stronger (in addition to competition from data games). We just have to have something better to offer if we shall get and keep the younger generation!
(Myself I have done/conducted several development plans for table tennis – from club to national level. Yes, even helped making development plans for soccer and tennis!)
Cheers!
Terry