Her Majesty The Queen

We were all deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll. Not only was Her Majesty an extraordinary leader of our nation, and the Commonwealth, but she was also our Patron and an inspiration to so many across the table tennis community.

As the period of national mourning concluded, our thoughts remain with the Royal Family during this time.

Commonwealth Games

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games were a fantastic success and provided further evidence that this country can host some of the biggest sporting events in the world.

This doesn’t happen just because of the significant investment from Government, City partners, commercial sponsors, broadcast revenue etc. It happens because of the incredible volunteers who genuinely are the ‘games makers’ and it was a pleasure to meet so many of the table tennis family during the Games who had given up their time to make Birmingham 2022 such a success.

Your commitment is extraordinary, and on behalf of our team – thank you.

Strategy Reset

On 8 September, I was delighted that the Board approved the new strategy for Table Tennis England.

Following a six-month review of our Purpose, Vision, Ambitions and Financial and Structural models, we very much look forward to presenting the strategy to our members and partners shortly. More details to follow.

Membership

Firstly, a huge thank you to those members who have re-joined for the coming season, and a welcome back to those who returned to membership after a break and a particular welcome to those new members joining for the first time.

Overall, current membership has recovered to just 13% below the pre-pandemic year (2019/20) which shows a strong return to activity, and a 15% growth on the year to date, including a 30% increase in Cadets / Juniors) when compared to 2021/22.

We are also encouraged to see more than 7,500 members (up 14% on 2021/22) who chose to re-join through the auto renew system; improving the efficiency of renewals for individual members is something that we will continue to progress.

Club affiliation figures are currently at 87% compared with 21/22 affiliations. Clubs are encouraged to sign up as they start the 22/23 season to maximise access to the benefits available

Competition

• On 8 September, the Board received an update on the Competition Review and I would firstly like to say a huge thank you to the Steering Group who have worked tirelessly on this review – the scale of the task cannot be underestimated as we look to ensure our competition structure is fit for the future. The Board raised some matters that are now being considered and following some additional member updates in the Autumn we can expect the review to come to a main conclusion around the turn of the year ahead of working-up finer detail and phased implementation starting from next season.
  
• The team has been driving some excellent para-focused work over the Spring/ Summer as we continue to align all levels of competition more closely with the needs of our para players, and better enable clubs to make provision for all accessibility needs. Please see the news link here.
  
• The 22/23 season started this month with the Crawley Grand Prix – National Leagues also start in the next few weeks. Annual developments and updates to competitions and rankings for the new season have been announced here.

Development

• Birmingham 2022 legacy work continues and our Level the Table grant scheme remains open, allowing us to financially support organisations with grants of up to £2,500 including clubs, leagues and community groups who share our ambition to make table tennis more accessible. Click here for more information.
• It’s been 12 months since we launched our five-year Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, Level the Table and six months since we last updated you on our progress. We’re pleased to share our 12-month report with you this National Inclusion Week, on this link.
• TT Kidz deliverers will be welcoming new participants into table tennis from next week. 38 clubs will be delivering 45 projects across the length and breadth of the country in a range of settings including village halls, schools and leisure centres. Bookings are still open on this link.
• The TT Clubs platform continues to evolve, develop and grow based on feedback received from Clubs across the Country. PremierClubs and Associate Clubs can access the site for free, with advanced features available for PremierClubs. Click here to access TT Clubs.
• We are pleased to be able to share the continuation of our partnership with the Jack Petchey Foundation. The 22/23 Academic year will be the 12th year of the Partnership, which thanks to funding from the Foundation, offers young people in London and Essex the opportunity to play table tennis socially and competitively, as well as train and Young Leaders.
• The 2021 Club Audit provided valuable insight into the Club landscape following the periods of lockdown. The 2022 Club Audit is now open until midnight on Sunday 2 October. All Primary Contacts of Premier Clubs and Associate Clubs should have received an email invitation to complete the survey. Thank you to those who have already taken the time to complete the survey.
• Planning for the prestigious Pride of Table Tennis Awards is well under way. Details of the categories, how to nominate, and sponsorship opportunities will all be announced in the coming weeks and months. A reminder of last year’s winners, presented at the Centenary dinner.

Engagement

• We were delighted to announce our partnership with Joymo and the imminent arrival of TTE.TV earlier this month, with plans to broadcast the biggest and best table tennis events in the country free of charge to our members! Headlined by England home matches, the Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships, the Senior British League Premier Division and the new SBL Premier Cup, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes content, means TTE.TV will be the go-to place for live streaming all year round. Other national events will also be rolled out on the platform during this season and beyond. Sign up at www.tte.tv
  
• The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer created a fantastic opportunity for us to engage with a new audience and our ‘It’s time to play’ social media campaign was a great success with the women and girls it targeted. 8,200 table tennis spectators visited the TTE Have a Go Zone at the NEC, which was expertly delivered and supported by a team of staff and volunteers.

Governance

Table Tennis England

• Nominations have now closed for the position of one Elected Director to serve on the Board of Table Tennis England. The election will be held on 1 November 2022 and there will be three candidates on the ballot paper. Full details can be found here.

Great Britain Table Tennis

• Great Britain Table Tennis is seeking to appoint a Chair and two Independent Non- Executive Directors, as it plans for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond. Full details can be found here.

Staffing Update

We are delighted to welcome Kate Nixon to the team as our new Competition & Events Administrator. Kate joins us fresh from the Commonwealth Games where she undertook the role of Assistant Sport Competition Table Tennis Manager and is an avid table tennis player, reaching England Cadet level in her youth.