Getting more youngsters into the sport has been a real mission statement for the Stroud & District League.

A combination of an enticing competition structure, building school-club links and investing in coaching and equipment has seen the league meet with success.

And they have been named as the League of the Year in the Cloudathlete Pride of Table Tennis Awards.

The league’s citation reads as follows:

Stroud & District Table Tennis League has delivered a forward-thinking competitive structure, strengthened growing junior competition and invested in new tables, maintaining a high standard. Coordinating player recruitment through a sophisticated school club link programme and coach development, the league has helped build a connected network, creating clear pathways for young players to compete, improve and progress within the sport.

Cliff Jordan, who is Chairman of Gloucestershire TTA and also part of the league’s development team, collected the award during the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026, when he and other shortlisted Cloudathlete Pride of Table Tennis Awards nominees also had the chance to watch an England match at OVO Arena Wembley.

Cliff, who is also Chairman of the Nailsworth Phoenix club, said: “We were runners-up last year and we’ve done even more development in our local league for grassroots table tennis, and so that feels really good.

“The accolade is obviously brilliant. That’s why we do table tennis to obviously get the accolades, but also to get all the new people playing table tennis, especially where I am and where our league is, getting all the schools and younger people into table tennis. That is the future. So that’s where we’ve got to go with it.

“The kids want to perform. They want to do well, and you need to show the recognition for doing that. And obviously more importantly, every single volunteer needs to have a tap on the back to say how well they’re doing, let alone winning something. It’s really what it’s all about.”