The success story of the new Juaben table tennis club

You never know what's around the corner. It could be anything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and one day you'll look back and you'll have climbed a mountain. This quote from Tom Hiddleston summarizes the story of an indigenous club in the Eastern Region of Ghana.

The renowned table tennis club born by sekyerehene Nana Kwaku Boateng lll (the late paramount chief of the New Juaben Traditional Council of blessed memory in 1978), New Juaben Table Tennis Club (NJTTC)has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovative programming and a tireless pursuit of greatness.

Table tennis was played by private individuals in the municipality as a recreational activity in the early 1950s. It was not until the mid-1970s that a prominent king of the New Juaben traditional area, Nana Kwaku Boateng II, showed particular interest in gathering the youth to play the game in his palace.

The table tennis club is located in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region, and through hard work and results-oriented activities with the Koforidua Community Center as a training base. Identifying and nurturing the young talents in the community so that they can become self-sufficient in life through table tennis is the mission of the club and the vision is to use the game of ping pong to entertain and eliminate streetism in the community to row.

The club's expert coaches and training programs love the innovative “TALENT HUNT PROGRAMwhere they go to primary schools in the municipality to go on a talent show and train them to become national champions. It has produced numerous regional, national and international champions.

We have developed initiatives such as the Municipal Community League called Daasebre Community League, where some of the best players from around the country come to play to maintain their form and benefit from financial compensation.

The club is proud of the many champions it has produced, having produced the only male table tennis athlete (in the person of Isaac Opoku who played for Ghana and qualified to represent the country at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA). Other notable players to mention are Nana Yaw Boateng who won the SWAG Award three times in a row. Also worth mentioning is Akayade, who represented Ghana at the World Youth Games.

The club is known to have hosted numerous national open championships; Notable among them is the one sponsored by Isaac Opoku HUSBAND NATIONAL OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPSwhere players came from as far as Benin to compete. By organizing such high-profile tournaments and events, we have increased the profile of table tennis and attracted new fans and spectators.

The club has built strong relationships with local authorities, schools, community groups and especially the security services. It has helped more of the club's players find work in the security services and other institutions. The club has also become the center of socialization and mutual support, where our philanthropic directors offer scholarships to the needy to pursue academic pursuits.

This is an honor for this New Juaben Table Tennis Club (NJTTC) to be nominated for the prestigious SWAG Award, in recognition of their dedication and passion for eradicating streetism from the streets of the New Municipality of Juaben and beyond.

The nomination is a testament to the hard work, passion and dedication of our patron, the club's board of directors, executives and the entire playing body, as well as our ever-cheering supporters. The innovative approach, exceptional performance and lasting impact make this possible New Juaben Table Tennis Club (NJTTC) ideal recipient of this year's SWAG AWARD.

By: Owuraku Nsiah/Sikka FM 89.5