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The Sainsbury's staff get involved |
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With its exciting blend of performance and participation, our household game has managed to entice a household name into what could be one of the most influential partnerships ever for British table tennis. The household name in question is Sainsbury’s.
Alex Murdoch, Chairman of BTTF, said: “I am delighted that the BTTF is partnering one of Britain’s leading and progressive companies - Sainsbury’s - in this ground breaking initiative. The expertise they will bring to the table is something money can’t buy and will be invaluable and allow us to make sure that we are a first class organisation delivering all the services our athletes need as they prepare for 2012.”
The partnership was formed as part of the the British Olympic Association (BOA) FTSE100 initiative initiated by Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the BOA. The initiative is designed to support the BOA’s aspirational goal of fourth place for Team GB in the London 2012 Olympics medal table. The scheme will help the BTTF and the other 32 Olympic national governing bodies (NGBs) to develop into world class, autonomous organisations in the run-up to London 2012.
Speaking about the initiative Lord Moynihan commented: “Elite performance is business driven; the NGBs and the athletes, just like successful businessmen and women, have to deliver results, be it support services, a top contract or an Olympic medal. These partnerships will provide an exchange of values and best practices, which I am sure, will be beneficial for both worlds.”
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Rob Crumbie, Head of Sponsorship at Sainsbury’s, who will be leading the Sainsbury’s / BTTF partnership said: "Table tennis is a brilliant and accessible sport that we have been supporting through our Active Kids programme for several years. With the wealth of major world competitive events in the coming years, we're delighted to be able to provide broader guidance to the BTTF that we hope will help British table tennis go from strength to strength."
The partnership was announced at Canary Wharf where Sainsbury’s top operators were treated to a dazzling display of table tennis from two rising England stars, Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight. This was then followed by an internal promotion in the grand atrium at Sainsbury’s head office where the sound of table tennis balls flying around attracted many of the 3500 staff to take part in a 30-second challenge against a robot. Top hitter for Sainsbury’s was Enrique from Finance who managed an impressive 42.
This partnership is another excellent step in the revitalisation of table tennis across Britain and although it does not provide direct sponsorship, it focuses some of the UK’s best business strategist directly on table tennis ensuring that the governance can keep pace with the meteoric rise of its young super stars.
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Diccon Gray (National Development Manager)
gives the staff a few pointers |
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