A London Area Chair has been appointed after an open recruitment process, bringing the number to five, who will help us deliver the priorities of Table Tennis United.

Robert Kemp, who is Chairman and Treasurer for the Romford & District Table Tennis League, will start the role immediately and work closely with Johnathon Driscoll, the Area Manager for London, to start to build a Local Organising Group which will help inform and deliver the Local Delivery Plan for London.

The Area Chair role is a newly established role and will be pivotal in supporting the Area Managers in delivering on the pledges and objectives in Table Tennis United, Table Tennis England’s strategy. Robert will work to help shape the Local Delivery Plan, inform its priorities and use his knowledge and expertise of the local table tennis community to ensure the needs of the sport locally are addressed.

Robert said: “I started playing table tennis because my maths teacher started an after-school club when I was 15. We have supported similar initiatives at the Romford & District Table Tennis League. I am looking forward to sharing our experiences across London and to learn from other leagues to help support the sport in the city.”

Robert will join Graeme Barella (North East), Martin Clayton (West), Chris Price (South West) and Russell Bates (South East) as an Area Chair, with recruitment for the North West and East due to reopen shortly.

Andrew Wilesmith, Head of Table Tennis Development at Table Tennis England, said: “We are delighted to appoint Robert to the role. He brings a huge amount of experience from both his professional career and time in the sport.

“It’s really important our Chairs are able to work with and understand the local table tennis community and enable their voice to come through into the Area Networks. We have some exciting opportunities in London, particularly with the city welcoming the world in 2026 for the World Team Table Tennis Championships, and the Area Network will be critical in making great activity happen.”