"Sport England's job is to make sure everyone has the chance to
play a sport that interests them, and sometimes that means taking
the sport to the people, rather than the people to the sport.”
Jennie Price, Sport England’s Chief Executive.
Thousands of people of all ages will be playing table
tennis in the street this summer thanks to the first investment of
National Lottery funding by Sport England’s Innovation
Fund.
The project, Ping!, which runs from 24 July 2010, will see 100
table tennis tables spring up across London’s most visible spaces
including squares, landmarks, offices, train stations, community
locations and even airports.
All tables will be available for free impromptu use, alongside a
varied programme of master classes, competitions and fun
round-the-clock activity including singles for singles and beat-the
robot contests.
After launching in London, Ping! will travel to four other
cities in England before returning to London as part of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic celebrations, giving well over 200,000
people the chance to pick up a bat and get involved for free.
Through the Innovation Fund, we are investing National Lottery
funding in groundbreaking projects, which will help to deliver a
lasting grassroots sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games.
"Sport England's job is to make sure everyone has the chance to
play a sport that interests them, and sometimes that means taking
the sport to the people, rather than the people to the sport”, said
our Chief Executive, Jennie Price. “Table tennis has a very wide
appeal, and I hope thousands of people will take advantage of these
outdoor tables and will enjoy playing.”
Ping! is being delivered through a unique partnership between
Sing London, a participatory arts organization – and the English
Table Tennis Association (ETTA).
“It is fantastic for table tennis to be at the forefront of
further cutting edge interventions to increase sustainable mass
participation,” said Richard Yule, ETTA’s Chief Executive. “We
recognize there is a growing and significant demand for informal
opportunities to play table tennis that is outside of the scope of
our traditional club and league structure. Ping! and the outdoor
table initiatives will allow us to embrace this growing market and
also reestablish table tennis in the public’s imagination as a fun,
sociable and desirable sport to play.”
Equipment will be provided with each table, with bats bearing
the request to: "Please put me back". Local custodians such as shop
keepers will look after the equipment.
Sing London has a successful record of engaging the public in
participatory events. Last year over 250,000 people played on, or
sung around, pianos it placed on the streets of London.
"Our projects are all about generating public spirit,” said
Ping! Director, Colette Hiller. “Our aim is to make participation
feel irresistible. By taking part in something you feel a part of
it and ping pong is something which everyone likes to play."
At the end of the project, the temporary tables will be donated
to schools, youth centres and community centres, with ETTA and the
charity Greenhouse running an ongoing outreach programme to promote
continued participation.
To find out more about our Innovation Fund, you can visit our
dedicated Innovation Fund pages.