Table Tennis England has appointed Gavin Evans as Interim Head of Performance Development. 

He will take the reins until 31 March 2023, during which time Table Tennis England will undertake a global search for a permanent Head of Performance Development tasked with delivering success on a global scale. 

Evans has been England men’s coach since 2019, led the GB team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and took England to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as to European and World Championships and the Team World Cup.  

He takes the position after Simon Mills stepped down as Performance Director earlier this month.  

The changes within the Performance Team will also see the current Head of England Talent & Performance, Matt Stanforth, focus on the next generation of talented players and coaches as the Head of Pathway Development, reporting into Evans. 

Adrian Christy, Chief Executive, said: “We are all hugely energised to develop players and a pipeline of coaches who, over time, can deliver success for England and Great Britain and I am delighted Gavin has accepted the exciting opportunity to lead the Performance Programme during this period of transition. 

“In searching for new leadership, we were seeking someone who not only has a deep understanding of our environment but who has the energy and belief to deliver culture change across the pathway that inspires world-class performances and medal success. 

“We are delighted to give Gavin the chance to be that leader.” 

Evans said: “It’s a great honour to be given the opportunity to lead the performance team in the interim period. I’m incredibly passionate about the journey ahead.  

“I want to thank the CEO and the board for giving me the chance to deliver on our next steps. There is a lot to do and I cannot be more excited to get started.” 

Evans was a world-class athlete in the Junior ranks, having become European Cadet champion in 2008 and won World Junior Championships bronze alongside Liam Pitchford, Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight in the same year. 

A serious hip injury ended his playing career before he could make the permanent transition to the Senior ranks, and he started focusing on coaching. 

His status in the sport is illustrated by his being one of only 12 coaches worldwide (and only three from Europe) to be selected to attend the ITTF’s High Level Coaching Course in 2019, and last year he became part of the first cohort of the UK Sport High-Performance Coach Apprenticeship Programme (HiCAP).