COVID-19 UPDATE – 2nd April

UPDATE ON CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) 2 April 2020

Dear Members, Friends and Colleagues,

On behalf of the Board and staff at TTS we hope you and your loved ones are staying safe, staying healthy and in line with government guidance, staying at home!

The sports sector was at the forefront in closing down activity as the seriousness of the situation became clear and both sportscotland and the Scottish Government have requested all governing bodies to extend sincere thanks to all of you for taking this lead. Our sector is playing an important role in following government guidance and also in encouraging people to stay at home. 

Just another reminder that the TTS Office is now closed and Richard Yule and Cynthia Robinson are working remotely. Any enquiries should be directed to:

Richard Yule, Chief Operating Officer, richard.yule@tabletennisscotland.co.uk  07739 574356(M)

Some of our brightest young talent will be very disappointed that they will not have the opportunity this summer to test their skills on the international stage: The British Primary Schools Championships, Isle of Man, the Senior Schools International Championships, Cardiff, have both been cancelled and it is surely just a matter of time before we hear of the cancellation of the European Youth Championships scheduled to take place in July in Zagreb, Croatia.

The Scottish Government has advised the current lockdown could be in place for thirteen weeks and possibly longer. Looking ahead, the TTS national programme of events is planned (subject to the end of restrictions) to recommence on 12-13 September at Bells Sports Centre, Perth with the postponed Inter League Event.

All of our event venues have been booked through season 2020-21 and I am pleased to advise all three Scottish National League Days will be played at Bells Sports Centre enabling a full fixture sheet for all six divisions. We will be issuing a draft calendar for season 2020-21 soon.

We will also be continuing our programme of residential training camps at Inverclyde including the popular Summer School.

These are difficult times for all sports but help is available. Both Scottish and UK Government have announced a range of support for businesses, the third sector, and the self-employed and are encouraging sports organisations and clubs and those working in sport to access the support that is available.

sportscotland has published an overview of the packages we believe are most applicable for you on the sportscotland website along with an FAQ on sport and COVID-19. They will be adding to this over time as more information and advice becomes available. 

Many of our members may be interested in learning about ways they can help in their local community. A new ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign has been launched to encourage people to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Right now we know that the health and wellbeing of you and your friends and family and the financial stability of your league and club will be your top priorities. We also recognise that you will want to keep your members engaged and active, and that in time your attention will turn to preparing for table tennis after restrictions are lifted. We will be covering these topics on the website in the coming weeks.

The Board of Table Tennis Scotland has a meeting scheduled for 15 April which will now take place on line. While we don’t have all the answers in this rapidly changing landscape please stay in touch and feel free to pick up the phone if you have any questions or even just for a chat. 

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay at home!

Table Tennis Scotland
richard.yule@tabletennisscotland.co.uk
M: 07739 574356