With our series of women and girls’ tournaments going from strength to strength and a record female entry for the Mark Bates Ltd National Championships Qualifying Tournament, it is the perfect time to ask players about their experiences at competitions.

The series began after research with female players showed that they wanted the opportunity to compete at tournaments in between local leagues and national events but that they were sometimes deterred by mixed-gender events.

As well as providing female players with this this opportunity, the series aims to upskill an all-female tournament workforce – including organisers, referees and umpires. The hope is also that this will help bridge the gap between beginners and local league players and the highest levels of national competition.

We spoke to Table Tennis England director and former England international Emma Vickers, as well as some young female players, and asked them about the benefits to the sport of promoting female-only tournaments.

What events are coming up?

There are four events for women and girls currently on the calendar. Click on the links to go to the event pages for more information about the competitions, age categories, and how to enter.

February 26
Cippenham 1* Open

May 7
Butterfly St Neots 2* Open

May 27
Topspin Nottingham 1*

July 1
Sussex Summer 2*

WBL highlights

Enjoy some of the best rallies from Weekend 2 of the Women’s British League, held at WV Active Wolverhampton, in January.

Click here to read the event report