It has been a year when table tennis players have taken centre stage in England – from the elite athletes headlining major events to the thousands competing at local and national competitions across the country.

Behind every one of those moments is the Table Tennis England membership community. Every player, parent, coach, official, volunteer and supporter helps create the foundations which allow the sport to flourish.

As the new season approaches, we are saying a heartfelt thank you to our members for helping us to support players of all levels to achieve their goals and realise their dreams.

Creating unforgettable experiences and achievements

The biggest event of them all was the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals London 2026 Presented by ACN, bringing the world’s best teams back to the city where the World Championships began in 1926.

For the England athletes who went toe-to-toe with the world’s best players, their journeys to appearing under the spotlight at OVO Arena Wembley can be traced right back to the grassroots of the sport.

Their performances do not happen in isolation – they are built on years of club sessions, coaching, competitions and support from the wider community. This activity is underpinned by fees paid by our members – which help us to support clubs, educate coaches and officials, and create an ecosystem of competitions at all levels to help aspiring players take their game to the next level.

Those who make it on the court – and the podium – at international tournaments are a powerful example to inspire more people to pick up a bat, visit a club or see table tennis in a new way, and our members play a key role in helping them get to the top.

Oh, one more thing . . . our members receive priority access to tickets for major events, a benefit that thousands used to secure seats at London 2026. It’s one way we can thank our members for their investment in the sport.

Helping players and competitions flourish

Members also help create the competitive structure that gives players of all ages and standards somewhere to test themselves, from National Championships, British Clubs Leagues and other national competitions to local tournaments across the country.

In 2025/26, British Clubs Leagues accounted for 846 teams and 4,397 players across Senior, Women’s, Veterans’, Youth, Junior and Cadet competitions. We also saw the launch of girls-only Cadet British Clubs League activity, create more welcoming routes into the sport for young female players.

At a local level, we’ve evolved the 1*/2*/4* structure to make these events easier and more cost-effective to run for hosts and to enter by participants.

We’ve also trained more tournament organisers and developed more resources to both support them and help players and parents better understand the competitions landscape.

All this has helped underpin growth in the number of regulated events at all age groups held around the country.

If you do play in competitions, you also appear in the national rankings. Membership fees help us to maintain accurate rankings across multiple age groups, so you know exactly where you are in the national order, and how you have performed in relation to those around you.

And don’t forget, whatever level you play at, you have peace-of-mind insurance to cover you and third parties in the event of anything going wrong – all covered by membership fees.

Why membership matters

Membership is about more than access to competitions, rankings, insurance, priority tickets and other benefits. It is a way of investing in the future of the sport.

Every membership helps Table Tennis England support clubs and leagues, uphold safeguarding standards, develop coaches and officials, run competitions, create inclusive programmes and promote the sport to new audiences.

It also helps us respond to the needs of the community. Member feedback has shown that people value being able to compete, feeling part of the table tennis community, safeguarding reassurance and supporting the game in England. Those priorities shape the work we do and the improvements we continue to make.

So, whether you play every week, volunteer behind the scenes, coach the next generation, support your club, organise competitions, cheer from the sidelines or simply want to see table tennis grow – thank you.

Because when you are a member of Table Tennis England, you are not just joining a sport. You are helping build a community.