Get FITT ((c) Females in Table Tennis) is an initiative of the Mornington Peninsula Table Tennis Association Inc (MPTTA).  In 2019 MPTTA received an Active Club Grant from VicHealth together with funding from the This Girl Can - Victoria program run by the Victorian Government.  These funds have been invaluable in enabling MPTTA to start the Get FITT program.  One of the key aims of Get FITT is to encourage women and girls to participate in table tennis.

Thanks to grants from VicHealth and This Girl Can - Victoria, MPTTA has been able to purchase a new table tennis table, 60 new bats and 400 balls for loan use by women and girls at the club stadium.  In addition the club has been able to purchase 50 specially designed shirts for women and girls with the Get FITT and club logos.  The shirts alone have been a wonderful inspiration and give female players a sense of belonging and identity.

Free Come and Try Get FITT days started on 11 October 2019 and continued, except for school holidays, and whenever there was not a lockdown.  Many women and girls have had so much fun they have joined MPTTA to become regular table tennis players.

This program has been highly successful and has encouraged many new female players ranging in age from 10 years old to over 80 years old.  It is truly inspiring to see such a great response.  Coaches at MPTTA provided their time to help the new participants learn the basics.  Each week there was an average total of about 20 participants.  By early 2021, as a result of the Come and Try days, 13 new female members joined the club which exceeded expectations since we had nearly a year off due to COVID-19.  This augers well for a substantial and gradual boost in female numbers, thereby helping MPTTA move forward toward a better gender balance, and getting more women and girls fit and healthy.  We now have a Community In-house Coaching Team (5 female, 3 male) so we can provide female coaches for Get FITT whenever possible.

The VicHealth grant monies were expended in the second half of 2019, so during 2020, 2021 and beyond MPTTA will fund continuation of the Get FITT program.  This will involve a female (Get FITT) handicap tournament each year (2021 event just held) and a planned female only competition as numbers increase.  Female participants have been greatly appreciative of the Get FITT program which is proudly supported by VicHealth and the This Girl Can - Victoria program.

MPTTA is proud to be a campaign supporter of the This Girl Can - Victoria campaign.  This Girl Can - Victoria has kindly sponsored MPTTA's Get FITT program.  This Girl Can is described in detail at www.thisgirlcan.com.au which contains resources and fun facts and inspiring stories of women and girls participating in sport.

- See the TGC posters on the MPTTA noticeboard.  

​- See the wonderful stories at https://thisgirlcan.com.au/meet-the-girls/ and watch the videos at https://thisgirlcan.com.au/watch-the-ad/

The This Girl Can - Victoria campaign has enabled hundreds of thousands of women and girls to participate in sport and to have fun independent of ability and without being judged.