He’s known to millions as one of England’s elite football referees, taking charge of the FA Cup final in May – now Stuart Attwell is bringing his expertise and experience to table tennis.

The Premier League official is part of the event delivery organisation for the ITTF World Team Championships in London next year.

We visited Stuart at the VAR hub – the HQ in Stockley Park – to talk about how his role came about and what he is doing to help make London 2026 the best event it can be.

Stuart came into the role through a relationship with Ed Warner, the Chair of the Event Delivery Board, having both previously worked in athletics. During the early days of his officiating career, Stuart combined that with working for and with UK athletics, in the areas of coach education, development and major events.

He said: “It was a really enjoyable time and gave me an interesting perspective on the way elite sport operates, and I think knitting that together with the refereeing experience that I’ve got now, working in elite football, probably gives a really unique opportunity to offer something to the World Championships.

“I think the professional background I’ve got in terms of event organisation is one string to my bow, but also  to bring some of the officiating experiences I’ve had in football, in terms of attending major tournaments and looking at how we create the right environment for high performance as match officials, is hopefully something I can bring to the table and offer some interesting insights and ideas.”

Stuart, who was the youngest Premier League referee at 25 and has now taken charge of more than 200 matches in the top flight, said the key focus is on elevating the experience of London 2026 for athletes, coaches, officials and spectators.

“First and foremost, we want to make sure that the athletes and officials that are taking part have got the very best environment to not only turn up and enjoy the experience of being part of a fantastic competition, but also there’s the environment there that they’re able to turn up and excel and perform at their very best,” he said.

“It’s a well-rehearsed argument that players need this to make sure they can come and deliver their very best . . . but from my point of view technical officials and coaches are probably an under-explored area and some of the insights and experience I’ve fortunately had will hopefully be useful to help shape that.”

We also talked about the support Stuart had received from the FA, the sport’s National Governing Body, during his journey along the officiating pathway from the age of 15, and what advice he would give to young officials in any sport.
He said: “I was always very fortunate that I had good support structures in place in terms of mentors and colleagues who were always on hand to give good advice and good input, and they’ve been really fundamental to that progression.

“If you understand that those support structures are a real critical part of your pathway forward then, whether you’re officiating football or table tennis, you’re certainly on the right route to making progress.

“It’s great to have ambition and aspiration and want to be officiating in maybe an Olympic final, but the first step is the one in front of you – concentrate on ‘where do I go next, how do I get there, what support do I need?’ and make change gradually through small steps.”