Question 1 was for Alex Murdoch to reply to and therefore is not covered on this site.

QUESTION 2
a)    If you want to see the sport of table tennis develop, do you feel you can only do this as Chairman? 

b)    What factors would prevent you from assisting and what factors would aid you in assisting if you were not successful in the election?

Before answering the specific question, I would like to explain why the role of Chairman is so important in the ETTA structure  and the future of the sport.

The ETTA Constitution gives the Chairman a unique position. The Constitution was changed in the 1976/7 season.  It now follows Government principles which effectively give the Chairman the powers, in ETTA terms, similar to those of the Prime Minister, with the right to nominate the Cabinet (Management Committee) and influence all other positions and appointments. 

I believe that the answer to the first part of Question 2 is Yes.
Being Chairman gives me the responsibility and the authority to choose the very best people to head the various departments.  This also gives me the chance to use my knowledge of the people and of the direction that I would like each of the departments to pursue to maximize the benefit to the sport.  I believe that it is widely accepted that I have expert knowledge in several aspects of the sport, in particular coaching, development, competitions, marketing, public relations and selection, and from the chairman’s position I am able to use the knowledge and experience to select the right vice chairmen and formulate and set the best programme to improve the sport.  I can then follow this up by motivating, monitoring and helping the work of the Vice Chairmen and their departments to ensure that real progress is being made.

The second major point is that through being Chairman I would receive invitations to Sport England and UK Sport seminars where the opportunities open to governing bodies are presented and explained.  I would also have the opportunity to represent table tennis on the BOA’s National Olympic committee where people responsible for the organisation of the Olympics in London also attend.  This gives me access, particularly in the lunch and coffee breaks, to meet people who hold the budgets for staging events. For instance, in the past, I was able to meet the people responsible for the Manchester bid for the Olympics and for the Commonwealth Games, which when followed up provided me with the opportunity to persuade Manchester to host the 1997 World Championships, 1998 World Veterans, and 1996 Olympic Qualification events and to include table tennis in the Commonwealth Games itself in 2002.

Many of the sports representatives who sit on the National Olympic Committee are simply sports administrators and have no real objective to go to these meetings to look for support   and opportunities for their sport.  My objectives are the opposite.  I am continually searching for opportunities for finance and other ways to promote  and help our sport when attending these meetings. 
It is not necessary to be Chairman to be the ETTA Sport England representative or the BOA representative.  Under the Tom Blunn Chairmanship in 1977, I was appointed as Vice Chairman Development and was given the Sport England liaison role which I kept right through until 2003 because I knew how beneficial it could be.    In later years this was shared with the ETTA Chief Executive, Richard Yule, where together we formed an excellent partnership.  Since 2003 the Sport England liaison has been left mainly to Richard Yule. The BOA representative from 2003 has been Alex Murdoch. 

As far as the factors that would prevent me from assisting, Alex Murdoch has done all in his power to stop me making any contribution.  Immediately after the 2003 election, the Honours Committee nominated me for the position of President of the ETTA.  In that role I would have had a seat but not a vote on Management Committee, and I would have needed to accept that my role was to support and advise the Chairman and Management Committee in their work.  It is likely that had that nomination gone ahead, I would have accepted the President’s position.  Johnny Leach, M.B.E, the current President, was fully supportive of my nomination as his ability to fulfil the task was reduced through both his and his wife’s health difficulties.   We now have a President in name only and this has been the case for six years.  Alex Murdoch blocked my nomination for President and asked Johnny Leach to continue as President knowing the serious limitations that existed for Mr Leach.

At the same time Alex ensured that I was removed from all my previous ETTA Committee positions.  I had played a major role in both the development and marketing committees in particular.  There is no doubt that a lot of the impetus has been lost in both of these areas from that time.

I have continued to develop the sport ever since the 2003 elections, but from a national perspective my effectiveness is much less because I do not have the position or authority to create or implement and drive the programmes that are necessary to expand the sport. (Mike Lewis will confirm all of this.)

Alex also blocked my nominations to the various ITTF committees and nominated his wife for the highly influential ITTF Nominations Committee on which I previously had a seat (although she had no previous experience at the ETTA or ITTF level) as well as Alex taking the seat that I held on the ITTF Board of Directors.  He also tried to block my nomination for re election as Chairman of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation, but after a number of the significant countries in the Commonwealth learned about this and insisted that they wanted me to continue, National Council discussed it and took a vote to put my nomination forward.  More recently Mike Holt, the Vice Chairman of Marketing, asked Alex if I could be added to the Marketing Committee to help with the staging of major events, including the forthcoming English Open, and this was also blocked.
Under these circumstances, there is no opportunity under the Murdoch chairmanship for me to make any contribution from inside the ETTA.
 
QUESTION 3
After the election, how would you continue to contribute for the benefit of the ETTA if you were not elected as Chairman ?

I would continue with the same activities as currently, which are:

1.    Representing my county, Cleveland, on National Council.  Contributing significantly to the debates on important issues at all Council meetings and present propositions to Council on key issues.

2.    Chairman of the Ormesby Club, which is regarded by many as a model club because of the excellent new facilities, volunteer network and programmes. 

3.    Continue as President of my County association where I help as development officer , publicity officer with 2  or 3 articles for the local press every week and select the County junior and cadet teams.

4.    Continue as President of my local league where I sit on the league committee and handle the local publicity.

5.    Continue to be Secretary of the Cleveland Summer League in which the clubs from the 4 local leagues in Cleveland enter teams.  I started the league in 1960 and have been secretary ever since.

6.    Coach my players.  I have coached at Ormesby again regularly since 2003.  Five of my young squad players have won places in the England squads, the most prominent of which is Karina Lefevre who, at 15, has reached the England No. 3 senior and No. 1 junior.

7.    Remain available for advice which is given privately to some of the Vice chairmen and staff when they have a difficult problem or situation that they are not sure how to deal with. I  and to have always given this freely.

8.    Continue as Chairman of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation where I am responsible for the Championships in Glasgow in May 2009 and the table tennis competition in the Games in Delhi in 2010. I have offered to bring the Commonwealth Championships to England in 2011, the year before the Olympics.  Up to now there has been no positive reaction from Alex Murdoch, although Richard Yule, the chief Executive, would be keen to host this event.   Incidentally, the ETTA have sensibly taken advantage of the Commonwealth Championships in Glasgow in May to arrange  a series of matches against the Indian team who will be coming to the UK for the Commonwealth event.

If I become Chairman, the time that I spend on the above would need to be redressed to make the time available to carry out the duties of the chair.  I would also spend less time in my business but I have many good people around me in both the club and the business so this is possible.    I know that by being Chairman I can make a much bigger difference now and in the future to table tennis in England.

I hope the above is sufficient for you to understand the importance of my being awarded your vote.  This election looks close and the 6 votes from the Bristol League could decide the outcome.

Alan Ransome