By Andy Kanengiser
NCTTA Media Committee Chairman

A prominent global producer of table tennis equipment, JOOLA has joined the top-notch team of sponsors at the 2015 TMS College Table Tennis Championships.

The announcement came in late January with JOOLA to provide 35 tables for the national championships April 10-12 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The games will attract about 300 of the best collegiate table tennis players in North America.

Signing JOOLA as the official table sponsor for the three days of thrilling NCTTA competition is a huge plus for the 2015 championships. “We are very happy to welcome JOOLA for the NCTTA finals and programme,” says Anders Thunström, managing director of TMS International.

“JOOLA was the first ever company to provide the Show Court table (Sydney Olympics) and JOOLA’s table quality is undeniable,” adds Thunström . His company, the marketing partner of the International Table Tennis Federation, works closely with the NCTTA to promote its brand and the collegiate championship games.

JOOLA’s tables are very popular in Europe, but the U.S. market is becoming “more and more important for us,” says Michael Bachtler, CEO of JOOLA Table Tennis Germany. “After having a sponsorship agreement with the USTTA, it was logical to enter into a partnership with the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association as well.”

The company’s origins date back to the 1950s and JOOLA has been led by Bachtler for nearly 40 years. Today, it is the official table and apparel sponsor of the USATT. Reports on its website show JOOLA can manufacture 30 new tables every hour.

JOOLA’s table quality, its strong connections to major table tennis events on the world stage, and its recognized brand name are some of the things that impress Willy Leparulo, the NCTTA president.

“We are excited to be partnering with JOOLA on efforts to promote college table tennis at the highest levels,” Leparulo says. “JOOLA has been a company we’ve greatly admired for years. We are delighted to be able to finally work together.”

Richard Lee, head of JOOLA USA, is impressed with the growth of collegiate table tennis. “Collegiate table tennis is growing strongly in the USA and we are excited about the new agreement which makes us the official table supplier of NCTTA.”

The NCTTA oversees college table tennis tournaments involving hundreds of players from more than 150 colleges across the USA and Canada.

JOOLA USA already has informal ties with NCTTA in its staff, Lee says. “JOOLA USA has several employees that are NCTTA graduates. It gives us great pleasure to give something back and help the NCTTA grow.”

About JOOLA
JOOLA is proud to be the official apparel sponsor of the US National Team and the official table sponsor for the US Open and US National Championships. Partnering with USA Table Tennis (USATT), the national governing body for table tennis, North American Table Tennis (NATT), and now, the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA), JOOLA has grown its fan base to become the most visible brand in US table tennis. www.joolausa.com

About NCTTA
The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) is a non-profit organization established exclusively for promoting the sport of table tennis at the college level. As the national governing body for college table tennis in the United States and Canada, NCTTA organizes intercollegiate competition throughout North America. www.nctta.org