Proposals

4 Star Tournaments - Proposal from Alan Ransome to ETTA National Council April 2008

4 STAR JUNIOR TOURNAMENT OVERLOAD

Two of the problems highlighted at the October Council with regard to the 4 Star Junior Tournament overload are still persisting with some of the leading junior players not being able to have their entries accepted due to the organisers closing entries long before the published closing dates and many players having their entries returned due to the number of entries received well before that date. This is partially because of the block bookings of entries that are being generated by some clubs or organisations together with a significant overall increase in junior play. This is obviously an unsatisfactory situation and needs to be addressed before next season.

There are 2 solutions to this:

a) To restrict the entries for 4 Star Tournament by playing standard rather than receipt of entry.

b) To create a new batch of 1 Star tournaments throughout the country to facilitate the upsurge in interest from new players.

4 Star Restrictions

It is proposed to introduce entry protection in two ways:

1. Full protection for the higher ranked players, say the top 48 junior boys, top 36 junior girls, 36 top cadet boys, 24 top cadet girls, 24 top mini boys and 18 top mini girls so that if their entry is received on the appropriate form with the fees prior to the closing date, their entry will be accepted.

2. Partial protection from other ranked players. Junior boys ranked between 49 and 400, junior girls between 37 and 300, cadet boys between 37 and 300, cadet girls between 25 and 200, mini boys between 25 and 100 and mini girls between 19 and 50 to be accepted above any players outside the top 400 provided the entry is received in good order by the closing date. Having qualified for partial protection through this system, these players would be eligible to enter all events open to them.

3. Players ranked below 400 in the junior boys list and 300 in the junior girls list would only be accepted if there was space after the entries from all those in the top 400 were included.

The effect of all this would be to restrict entry to the 4 Star tournaments to players who have reached the specified standard according to the ranking list and avoid the possible mass entry from organisations with lower rated players and non-rated players that are swamping the tournaments.

This can be achieved either within the current regulations or with minor changes by amalgamating two of the current categories – the open tournaments and banded tournaments – and, if necessary, using the Approved Tournament Options.

The 4 Star tournament would need to be open to allow entries from foreign associations which is encouraged by the Selection Department. However the foreign entries would need to provide evidence of standard of play to comply with the banded standard requirements.

1 Star Tournaments

To establish a series of additional 1 Star Junior tournaments throughout the country. The principle here is that each of the ETTA regions would be requested to organise a 1 Star Junior tournament during next season.

My suggestion is at least one extra junior tournament per region. The ETTA see regions as a key part of table tennis administration for the future, particularly as Sport England have devolved more of their funding for sport on a local basis into the Sport England regional sports boards.

My suggestion is to ask the ETTA regional committees to organise a junior tournament within their territory. The regions are already organising the regional cadet trials, until recently known as the Junior Trials and this they have been doing for many years so that they have valuable experience in this field.

If they accept this the regions would have at least 3 options.

The first one is to organise the tournaments themselves as they do the trials.

The second and probably the most likely with most regions is to offer the opportunity to their counties, local leagues or Premier clubs and to find out if any of these organisations are interested. Some regions may be surprised and receive 2 or 3 indications of interest.

The final option is to ask the ETTA Events Department for help. The ETTA organise all the main Butterfly Grand Prix tournaments around the country but don’t organise anything on a similar basis for juniors.

If the region is unable to secure the volunteers to stage the tournament, then there will be no problem but there would not be an additional junior tournament in their region. Provided that the venue can be secured at a suitable cost, including having tables available, then the region or one of the member organisations could well make a worthwhile surplus from running the tournament.

Dates have already been identified in the ETTA calendar for next season 2008/2009.

30/31 August This is a clash with the UK School Games but as this competition is for the top 32 Junior players in Britain, a clash with a Junior tournament of the kind that I have in mind should not be a problem.

27/28 September 4/5 October As these 2 weeks are consecutive, one should be in the North and the other in the South East – Liverpool 4 Star and Clare Pengelly.

1 / 2 November Bristol Grand Prix

29/30 November 22/23 December The problem with December is that there are effectively only 2 good weekends.

3/4 January In the North to avoid the Medway Butterfly Grand Prix.

14/15 February In the South to avoid the Doncaster Butterfly Grand Prix.

7/8 March In the South. I see no difficulty with the clash with the National Championships.

1 / 3 May 23/24 May 6/7 June 13/14 June This provides 13 dates of which the regions could choose their preference.

There should be no clashes with Junior British League, Cadet and Junior National League, Junior or Cadet County Championships, Regional and National Trials. There should also be no clash with Junior or Cadet National Championships or Junior 4 Star if they are within 150 miles. It would be acceptable for two 1 Star tournaments to take place on the same day as long as they were 200 miles apart.

The holding of more Junior 1 Star tournaments is a policy that is being promoted by Martin Ireland, the ETTA Competition Review Organiser so that these 1 Star tournament proposals are totally in line with their thinking.

Alan Ransome

Update :

My proposals for ranked player protection for the 4 Star tournaments have been accepted with support from Steve Welch, the Chairman of the Tournament Committee, and Keith Ponting, Vice Chairman Administration, and have now been included in the tournament regulations.  Since these amendments have been accepted, every top player who has entered a 4 Star tournament before the closing date has been accepted. 

In addition, my proposals to expand and increase the number of 1 Star tournaments have also been accepted and tournament organisers throughout the country have accepted the challenge.  The number of 1 Star tournaments which are being organised is expanding considerably and much of the need is now largely being met.  More 1 Star tournaments have been held in Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, East Midlands, London and elsewhere.