EGM: The choices for our future

An update from Sandra Deaton, Chairman of Table Tennis England.

I want to keep you up-to-date about the EGM (Extraordinary General meeting) this Saturday (August 12) and events leading up to it.

As you will be aware, the EGM has been called to ask leagues and county representatives to support the Board’s proposition for table tennis to comply with the new rules from Government about how all sporting organisations must govern themselves to show they are fit to receive public funding.

These rules are aimed at ensuring sporting bodies operate in an open and transparent way – and can demonstrate ‘good governance’.

All sports – with the exception of table tennis and mountaineering – have already complied or are in the process of doing so.

Table tennis rejected the initial proposal from the Board in July 2017 by the closest of margins (0.07 per cent). Our rules require a 75 per cent majority. As a result, our funding from Sport England was suspended.

Since then, the Board and senior management team has been working with a representative group of National Councillors. We believe that new understandings have been reached and that reassurances have been given which clear the way for Table Tennis England to comply with the requirements of the Code; have our funding restored; retain our democracy; and explore future opportunities to improve the organisation.

On Saturday, August 12, we are asking the representatives of the leagues and counties to support us and clear the pathway to create an organisation and a sport which is ‘fit for the future’.

The Board is asking for support for its two-part proposal:

  1. To comply with the Code and restore our funding, Table Tennis England will retain three Board directors elected by the membership (as it has currently) with the new titles Elected Deputy Chairman. They will be eligible to stand as Chairman, as will any member or individual, and that post will be appointed by the Board.
  2. Subject to complying with the Code, Table Tennis England will immediately organise a wide-ranging, independently-led, expert review of the governance, structure and operation of Table Tennis England with the objective of providing better representation and improved services for our members and for our sport.

The results of the vote will be known on Saturday afternoon. I am hopeful that the leagues and counties will support us in our endeavours to build an organisation which our sport and members deserve.

Click here for more information and to download documents about the EGM, including Proxy Vote forms and the Electoral Register of Company Members.

Author: via Table Tennis England
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