Welcome to the May edition of my regular update, which includes the latest news and information to share with you.
Major Events – WTT Feeder Manchester
WTT Feeder Manchester was a truly historic moment for British table tennis. Over four fantastic days, we welcomed elite international competition to the UK, with unforgettable performances from our British athletes. Liam Pitchford and Anna Hursey were crowned Men’s and Women’s Singles Champions respectively. Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker added to the medal tally with a thrilling victory in the Men’s Doubles whilst our youth pairing of Connor Green and Sophie Earley took a silver medal in the mixed doubles.
This event would not have been possible without the extraordinary contribution of our volunteers. Their time, energy and dedication – both in the build-up and across the event – helped deliver a world-class tournament that showcased our sport at its very best. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you.
Thanks also to the incredible fans who created a buzzing atmosphere in the arena throughout the event. Your support made a huge difference to the players and helped make the event truly memorable.
WTT Feeder Manchester sets the tone for what’s to come. We now look ahead to the WTT Star Contender London in October and, of course, to the World Team Table Tennis Championships in 2026 – a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire the nation and the world.
Talent Pathway
WTT Feeder Manchester marked a major milestone for our GB Pathway, with athletes securing three golds, a silver and a bronze – a huge achievement that reflects the hard work taking place behind the scenes at the Elite Training Centre in Sheffield.
These results are a testament to the strong culture and consistent development work led by our pathway team. The progress of younger athletes – including standout performances from Juniors and Cadets like Tianer Yu, Anna Green and Abraham Sellado – also demonstrates the exciting potential coming through the ranks.
Butterfly National Schools Finals 2025
Whilst the WTT Feeder in Manchester was taking place, we also saw our Butterfly National Schools Individual and Team Individual and Team Finals happen in Wolverhampton over the same weekend. As one of the largest table tennis competitions in the country, it’s a vital one as it sees such a range of players take part, from some of our best youngsters to those that are just starting their table tennis journey. Schools table tennis is so important as both a mechanism to bring new players to the sport but also for youngsters to experience the thrill of competing for their school, a key part of English sport. We will also shortly be announcing the release of a major piece of work being developed by our Development team with the Youth Sport Trust to further enhance the sport in schools across England.
I want to say a massive thank you to Gail Johns, organiser of the Butterfly National Schools Individual Finals and Carol Miles, organiser of the Butterfly National Schools Team Finals. Their time and efforts as volunteers to deliver these events is massively appreciated by us and thousands of youngsters across England. Also thanks to all the volunteers over the weekend. Thanks also to Chris Cockburn, our Development Support Officer for his hard work in supporting the Schools Committee in delivering these events.
Click here for results of the Butterfly National Schools Individual Finals
Click here for results of the Butterfly National Schools Team Finals
Active Lives success for table tennis
Active Lives is Sport England’s national survey that happens twice a year and measures the activity levels of the nation. This is done in a number of ways, one of them being around the number of people that take part in a sport. Those that take part in that sport at least twice a month is the key measure, and the most recent survey has shown an increase of 39,100 people taking part in table tennis across all environments in the last year, an 11% increase. There’s been a 6% increase in male participation in the last year. Really pleasing is the additional 23,200 women and girls that have been playing in the last year, a 22% increase. This is seen as a statistically significant increase by Sport England and to put it into perspective, of the 83 sports and physical activities measured, we are one of only 13 that has seen a significant increase.
This is down to the hard work our clubs, leagues and counties are putting in delivering the game at a local level. It’s also a demonstration that the work our Area team is doing to support this delivery and work at a local level, is starting to pay off. Initiatives such as giving a voice to and supporting our Women and Girls Ambassadors, as well as the Ping Hub in Manchester and Ping in the Community work is starting to make an impact. There’s more to do though and I’m excited to see how we continue to grow the sport in the next year.
Cleveland Senior 4*
I was delighted to see that the first Cleveland Senior 4* was delivered by the Cleveland Table Tennis Association. It’s a great step forward to ensuring that the top players in this country have more opportunities to compete against each other in tournament play at high-quality events like these. It was also pleasing to see Table Tennis England working closely with one of our clubs in making this happen. Clubs are the lifeblood of the sport and the stronger and more self-sustainable they are in delivering competition, the more opportunities the sport can provide for players across England. Many thanks to the Cleveland Table Tennis Association, Ormesby Table Tennis Club, the referee, officials, and the volunteer umpires from other counties for helping make the event a success.
Click here to find out more about our next event, the Nottingham Senior 4* on 21-22 June.
GOVERNANCE
Elected Directors
Two Elected Director vacancies were available in this period and Ritchie Venner will complete a second term and he will be joined by Liam McTiernan full details can be found here
National Councillors and Deputy National Councillor Appointments
County Associations need to elect their National Councillor and Deputy National Councillor for 2025/26. The County Administration Regulations require you to do this between 1 May and 15 June and submit the result by 20 June. Please submit the result on the appointment form published on the elections and voting page of the website.
ALL National Councillors must complete the CRCM Application Form and the County Committee the Appointment Form for their County Representative Company Member.
Engagement
We held a Question Time for Members where the Board and Senior Leadership Team welcomed members questions and answered them during the open session.
Best wishes
Sally Lockyer
Table Tennis England CEO
