A girls-only element of Cadet British Clubs League will launch next season and clubs will get the chance to apply to host the competition.

The pilot project will be in addition to the existing mixed gender format in Cadet BCL and comes about after member consultation identified an appetite for a girls-only competition at that level.

Creating more opportunities for girls to start playing supports our Table Tennis United strategy and our Level the Table diversity and inclusion strategy, which aim to increase the number of women and girls taking part in table tennis.

The appetite for a girls-only competition also reflects previous insight that girls often prefer to play in a female-only environment and that a mixed environment can be a barrier to participation.

Data analysis confirms that there are sufficient female players of the right age and level to make the competition viable.

The pilot is likely to see three or four club venues host a three-round series of small divisions in a Corbillon Cup match format, with teams of two to four players.

It is pencilled in for May, June and July 2026, with the opportunity to finesse the format and timings for the 2026/27 season if the pilot is well-received.

Table Tennis England member clubs are invited to tender to host this series of girls’ events, and details will be available shortly. Any interested hosts for either the Girls pilot – or the existing mixed format – please email [email protected]

The tender process will run alongside member clubs applying to host Senior BCL events, which will also include an exciting new opportunity for venues to host open tournaments on Sunday 18 January, the weekend when the league programme has a single day’s play on Saturday 17 – more details will follow soon.

Meanwhile, entries for the national sections of British Clubs Leagues – Senior, Women’s, Youth & Veterans – will open on 2 June, and entries for the Cadet & Junior sections will open on 30 June. Further details on entries for the girls-only pilot are anticipated around Christmas.

As announced last month, each of the three tiers of Open Tiered Tournaments must offer both boy’s or men’s and girls’ or women’s categories at entry stage from next season, in order to maximise the potential opportunity for a standalone women’s or girls’ category to take place. Further detail will follow in the supporting documentation published for Season 2025/26.

A consultation is currently taking place to determine what the three tiers of tournaments (currently 1*/ 2* 4*) will be called. Click here to find out more and have your say.