Table tennis players and fans could have the benefit of a semi-professional league in the not too distant future if the new structure for competition implemented by the Barbados Table Tennis Association (BTTA) meets with the level of success that has been anticipated.
That’s the word from president of the association Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Browne.
Browne, who started his second year at the helm of the BTTA since returning to office at the start of 2011, announced the introduction of the new Premier League which replaces the Division 1 competition as the top tier in a domestic structure that now includes four divisions.
“The idea is to raise the standard of play. We think we have enough top players to develop a league for top players to make sure whenever they play, they play someone at the top level,” Browne told NATIONSPORT as he outlined the rationale behind the initiative.
He said the Premier League would involve the four top teams from last season and will be played on Saturday nights.
The other divisions will continue on the same nights used previously. Division 1 rallies will start today at 7:30 p.m and the Division 3 on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Action in Division 2 began last Tuesday.
“We expect a general improvement of table tennis overall. Every match should be like a final,” Browne said.
“We are setting a standard on Saturday nights to which the other teams can aspire,”’ he said in confirming the strict promotion and relegation policy being used by the BTTA.
“In the long-term, we hope to have a semi-professional league. If we get sponsors we can have foreign teams come in on weekends. Over the next two months we will see the position we are in. We have contacts in other countries and there is some interest. It will depend on the sponsorship,” Browne said.
He also revealed that the BTTA was hoping to attract crowd support which will help with funding through admission fees.
If successful, the new structure will contribute towards the BTTA’s plan to dominate table tennis at the regional level which is the current focus given the level to which the sport has risen in the Latin American countries.
“It is very challenging to penetrate the Latin American region with the increasing number of professionals. It is a whole different culture under which they operate,” said Browne, noting as an example that they sometimes play on carpeted surfaces which are not used locally.
“Either we need to spend more time playing with them or we need to work towards preparing more at home.”
According to Browne, the cost of travelling to the Latin American countries to participate in tournaments is prohibitive.
The BTTA boss is convinced that the introduction of the Premier League will help players to lift the standard of their game.
“We want to develop a core of players who are prepared for international competition,” said Browne.
