2020 has been tough year for sport and for table tennis. With no tournaments or events for the majority of the year the Table Tennis Victoria staff and board have not had many opportunities to attend events and interact with our members.

We have taken this chance to ask our team five fast questions to get to know them a little better, what their goals for table tennis are and some interesting things you may not have known about them.

This week we spoke to TTV CEO Ritchie Hinton.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

“I was born in South Yorkshire in England, and moved to Melbourne in 2005. I was proud to become an Australian citizen around 2010. I am married with two children aged 13 and 11.

“Sport has always been a big part of my life. I was fortunate enough to play for the district and county at youth level in both cricket and football (soccer). My father was a professional football player in England, and I spent some time in the youth teams of a few professional clubs but never quite made the grade!

“I studied English & European Law at university, going on qualify and work as a solicitor in the UK before moving to Australia.”

What brought you to Table Tennis Victoria?

“I left the legal profession in 2006, and moved into athlete management (specializing in football) with one of Australia’s largest agencies, Elite Sports Properties (now TLA Worldwide).

“My role as Head of Football allowed me to combine my interest in sport with my formal academic training and experiences in contract drafting and commercial negotiations.

“After running my own athlete management company for a further 5 years, I moved to Cricket Australia to take up a national role as National Field Manager.

“The role saw me heavily involved in grassroots participation, and the roll-out of their entry level program (Cricket Blast, formerly known as ‘Milo Cricket’).

“When the opportunity came to lead TTV, I saw it as a great opportunity to combine my experiences in the private sector with the learnings from a large NSO and apply them in a hands-on manner at state level in a region I am invested in.”

What goals do you have for table tennis in Victoria?

“I want table tennis in Victoria to enjoy a higher profile that it currently does.

“We know from independent research that table tennis has a huge casual participation base which is untapped – traditionally, we have not seen that translate into our recorded numbers, which has created a false impression that we are a ‘small’ sport.

“The barefoot bowls revolution in lawn bowls in a great example of how non-traditional participants can be brought into the circle of a sport, increasing the numbers of people involved in the environment, whilst respecting the traditional pathways.

“We are taking early steps here with exploring the Pub League concept, and pop-up opportunities. The Primary School Cup, in conjunction with School Sport Victoria, will be a great step forward for us here too.

“It is important to be data-led when making decisions in this space, and our current research project with VicSport will provide a lot of insights here.

“I’m pretty sure that some of the answers will rely in technology – there is a lot of potential in App-based solutions, especially when trying to engage with younger generations, or people from CALD backgrounds.

“At an elite level, I want us to consolidate our current position as the strongest table tennis state in Australia and keep uncovering the next David Powell and Stephanie Sang to follow in their Olympic footsteps.

“We have an energised and skilled Board and group of employees who are really keen to address and respond to these challenges.

“Our relationship with key industry bodies such as the State Government and VicSport has never been better, which is mirrored by the projects we are working on together.

“Table tennis has so much going for it – gender neutral, para friendly, and a low environmental footprint.”

What are your outside interests?

“I am a passionate Western Bulldogs member, a lifelong Manchester United fan and Test cricket tragic.

“I love watching my kids play sport, and getting out to country Victoria for walks, pub visits and local markets. I also enjoy reading, the cinema and pottering in the garden.

“We are a big ‘foodie’ family and my wife has Greek heritage, so cooking, eating, and socializing are a big part of our lives.”

What is something that might surprise us about you?

“I spent a full academic year studying and living in Thessaloniki, Greece, and also spent a summer working at a fun fair on a pier in New Jersey, USA.

“My favourite holiday destination that I have visited is Iceland (twice!).”