A consultation seeking feedback about Tiered Open Tournaments is now open and will include a survey, online workshops and an in-person Q&A session. 

We are seeking the input of Table Tennis England members, clubs, leagues, counties, volunteers, and organisers as we seek to ensure the best possible experience for players and organisers.  

See below for details on how to have your say. 

How did we get here?  

A key part of the Competition Review was the introduction of the Tiered Open Tournament structure which would evolve the existing 1*/2*/4* model to a structure of Local, Zonal and National Opens, delivered through the club, league and county structures. This was created on the back of consultation undertaken as part of the wider development of the Competition Review. 

In June 2024 the detail behind the Tiered Open Tournaments, explaining what each level would look like, the regulations governing these competitions and the process for applying to run these, was released. Feedback received has led to some of the details around the Tiered Open Tournaments being revisited, to ensure these provide the best experiences for players and make them as easy as possible for organisers to run. 

The feedback included concerns around the introduction of periodisation windows for the Local and Zonal competitions, the number of these competitions to happen during each window, the new regulations around the playing environments and level of officials required for some levels of competitions and the quarterly windows for approvals for these competitions. The main message was that the introduction of these would create barriers for organisers who wanted to run these competitions and make delivering some of these more expensive. 

What’s being done to address these issues? 

As a result of this feedback, a Task and Finish Group made up of Tournament Organisers, Referees, Board members, members of the Competition Committee and Table Tennis England staff, was formed. The group, accountable to the Competition Committee, met over a two-month period to consider the existing proposals and come up with recommendations on how to improve these proposals. These recommendations, supported by the Competition Committee, were taken to the November Board meeting where these were approved and will be implemented in 25/26, some subject to consultation. 

What’s changing? 

The recommendations directly linked to the Tiered Open Tournaments include: 

• Remove the periodisation of the calendar and re-introduce an open process for tournament applications without the restricted number of events outlined at Local and Zonal level. This will not now happen in 2025/26. 

• Enable tournament applications to be made for all published calendar periods, as currently, and retain the minimum time periods for tournament applications as laid out currently. This will now happen in 2025/26. 

• Retain National Opens but ensure the number and capacity of these is sufficient to meet demand. This looks at the number of total entrants as well as number of events. Review the success of these being delivered by the table tennis community to ensure the model is fit for purpose. National Opens will happen in 2025/26 delivered through clubs, leagues and counties and dates for these will be announced shortly. 

• Revisit the regulations for the Tiered Open Tournaments and bring back to Board for approval in February 2025, for implementation in 2025/2026. This will form part of the consultation. 

• Amend the naming convention for the events in the Tiered Open Tournament structure as it is recognised by the group that these are no longer relevant due to the removal of the focus on geography as a primary driver and the periodisation. Local and Zonal will no longer be the names of these competitions and the National Open naming convention is under review. 

• Complement the Competition Review modelling to include a clear Competition Pathway, aligned to the Player Pathway so the purpose and audience for each competition is clear.  

• Develop a Tiered Open Tournament Toolkit that provides a ‘one-stop shop’ to the changes so the table tennis community can be fully informed and reference this easily. This will be available in time before next season. 

In addition to this, the regulations governing the Senior 4* competitions have been amended for this season, taking an approach that aims to ‘enable activity’ and ‘reduce barriers to organising’. A summary of these changes can be found below. These will be delivered this season at the planned Senior 4* competitions in the calendar and reviewed to ensure they deliver a high-quality event for players, whilst making it a cost-effective and easier event to deliver for organisers. 

What is happening next? 

As a result of all this, a period of consultation is now open to Table Tennis England members, clubs, leagues, counties, volunteers, and organisers to get feedback on the following aspects of these amendments: 

1. Feedback on the proposed new regulations for the new Tiered Open competitions (existing 1*, 2* and 4* competitions) 

2. The new approach to shift these competitions from a pyramid model, which sees fewer events the higher up the tiers you go, to one of a linear pathway where players can progress and shift through a pathway, with more focus on the right level competition for the right level players. 

3. A new naming convention for these competitions that reflects the step change in the level of the competitions, rather than the geography of the competitions. 

4. Understand the number and level of competition required to meet the needs of the different level players, particularly those at the higher levels of the rankings for men and women. 

The consultation has now opened and will be achieved through a survey, three workshops and a meet and greet event with the Head of Development at the Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships Qualifying Tournament. 

The survey is now open and will remain open until Sunday 19 January 2025.

Three workshops have also been planned to take place online. The dates and times of these are: 

• Wednesday 8 January – 6pm-7.30pm (we particularly encourage those players who played in Grand Prix events or the higher-level competitions to attend this workshop) 
• Thursday 16 January – 7pm-8.30pm 
• Saturday 18 January – 9.30am-11am 

To register for one of these workshops please go to the online registration page. A link will then be sent to the meeting. 

Finally, Andrew Wilesmith, Head of Development will be at the Mark Bates Ltd Senior National Championships Qualifying Tournament in Nottingham on Saturday 4 January to talk to any players or coaches who want to give their feedback or discuss anything around the Competition Review. There will be an opportunity to complete the survey then as well. 

Andrew Wilesmith, Head of Development, said: “The feedback that came from the membership, in particular those who deliver these events currently, was something we needed to listen to and consider carefully. Competition delivery has to be something that is accessible to any of our member clubs, leagues and counties and we have to remove barriers to this and ensure anything we put in place enables delivery. 

“Player participation at all ages and levels is critical, underpinning the organisational aspirations of Table Tennis United, from grassroots all the way up to winning an Olympic medal. We have a duty to ensure we support as many of our members to make that happen. I thank the Task and Finish Group for their expertise and support and hope that through this consultation we get to a positive place.” 

The consultation will officially close on Sunday 19 January so final decisions can be taken to Board on 12 February, 2025. 

Summary of the new Senior 4* regulations  

Please note these are only a summary of the regulations and the full regulations can be found in Part A – Regulated Competitions and Part B – Tournaments. A toolkit will be made available for these to demonstrate their application in real-life scenarios.