Table Tennis England continue to follow the latest guidance and advice from the Government, and are working closely with Sport England. A dedicated page has been created on the Table Tennis England website to ensure that members are able to find the latest statement.

Clubs may find the following links useful for keeping up to date with the latest:

Government information

Table Tennis England

Sport England

As table tennis is an individual sport, we are not required to submit our pans to DCMS. However, DCMS and a Health and Safety consultant have reviewed and ‘approved’ the guidance that is provided through Ready to Return.

More information about which sports have to submit plans directly to DCMS can be found here

It is recommended that face coverings are worn by those who are not exercising. This includes those resting between matches.

The latest Government advice on face coverings can be found here

UK Active and the World Health Organisation have also shared guidance that face coverings are not required whilst exercising – click below to read the guidance.

World Health Organisation

UK Active

All information relating to table tennis bubbles, can be found in the ‘Hygiene and Facility Guidance’ document that can be accessed here

The Ready to Return section of the Table Tennis England website includes all of the latest guidance notes and templates for Clubs, Leagues and Coaches. This is updated regularly, and as such individual documents are dated of last change.

The International Table Tennis Federation has banned doubles for the 2020-21 season, and Table Tennis England guidance currently reflects the ‘no doubles’ stance. This is because of the near impossibility of maintaining social distancing whilst playing in this way.
Playing doubles against the guidelines can leave the Club or League potentially exposed to an uninsured claim being made against them.

Indoor table tennis can now resume, including that of casual pay and play hire at leisure centres. Social distancing and hygiene requirements must be considered.

Table Tennis England offer the ClubSpark Club Management Tool for PremierClubs. This has also been widened to include Associate Clubs and Leagues without charge until the end of September 2020.

More information about ClubSpark can be found here

There was also a webinar hosted in May which provided an introduction to the platform and an overview of the Bookings module. This can be viewed here

Venues are to be kept well ventilated, with any ventilation system kept on and/or windows/doors remaining open wherever possible. Venues should aim to turn any ventilation on and open any windows or doors at least 15 minutes before player arrival. If a venue has no ventilation system or windows and doors that can be left open, this would be difficult to maintain air flow and air quality. Time spent in that indoor space in that instance should be restricted to no more than 30 minutes according to the latest government advice.

More detailed information about venue ventilation can be found here

It is recommended that Clubs refer to the guidelines of their Local Authority in relation to local lockdowns and restrictions. Further information on areas affected by local restrictions can be found here

Table Tennis England is working to provide guidance and support to Clubs and Leagues to assist a return to play.

Leagues are encouraged to refer to the League Guidance that can be found here

Table Tennis England will also be running webinars specifically for Leagues on Monday August 24. More information will be available here

We are also offering one-to-one phone calls with a member of the Table Tennis England team. To organise a one-to-one session, please complete this form

The Ready to Return webinars, and the Q&A documents can be found here

Table Tennis England will be working hard to stay up to date with the latest information, and ensuring that relevant support is provided to the Club network.

The support for Clubs will focus on 4 key areas:

• Providing Clubs with the latest up to date guidance and information
• Identifying and supporting the most at-risk clubs
• Helping Clubs to stay connected
• Helping Clubs plan for the future

To assist in the above, the following pages have been created on the Table Tennis England website:

• Ready to Return: This contains the latest guidance and information for Clubs and Leagues relating to a return to play. Click here to visit this page.
• Club Webinars: Since April 14, Table Tennis England have hosted weekly Club webinars on a variety of topics from Sport England Funding to Club Matters, and Be TT to ClubSpark. Clubs can catch up on previous sessions, or book onto future sessions by clicking here.

Although we recognise it is a difficult time, Table Tennis England welcomes conversations with Clubs, whether this be relating to coronavirus or your Club’s development plans.

Please get in touch with your local area officer, or if you are unsure who to contact, please contact [email protected]

When table tennis activity outside of the home resumes, we anticipate this to be through a series of stages, where restrictions are lifted gradually, whilst closely following Government advice at all times.

It is unknown at this time what each stage will look like in detail and how long each of these stages may last, but we hope it is useful to start providing some thoughts on this area, as to how we anticipate table tennis returning.

The stages outlined are as follows:

• Stage 1 – Play and exercise at home and limited outdoor play
• Stage 2 – Limited club activity (from July 25th)
• Stage 3 – Preparing for localised competition (where we are now)
• Stage 4 – Local competition resumption
• Stage 5 – Full play and spectating in place

All information relating to Ready to Return, including the associated guidance can be found by clicking here.

Table Tennis England will be working to take on board the questions, queries and concerns of the Club network. We will use your feedback to build on this FAQ document and the support provided.

If you have concerns for your Club, please get in touch with us and let us know the following information:

• Your name
• Your email
• Your club’s name
• How the coronavirus is impacting or will/could impact your club
• The type of support that could be beneficial
• The level of concern you currently have (high, medium or low)

Please send your information to [email protected]

Table Tennis England will continue to work with Sport England to guide and advise Clubs at this time. If you would like to contact Sport England directly, you can do so via [email protected]

Table Tennis England have started to see some innovative and creative ways Clubs are staying in touch online. From social media challenges, to sessions via Zoom, we encourage the membership to stay connected.

Ready to Return Stage 1 Guidance includes information on Member Engagement and Planning for the Future. This can be viewed here.

If you have some fun table tennis video content, Table Tennis England would love to share this. Please connect with us on Twitter (@TableTennisENG) or via our Facebook page

Sport England is making up to £195 million of funding available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the ongoing coronavirus crisis, including a £35 million Community Emergency Fund, which made grants between £300 and £10,000 available. This fund is currently paused to new applications, but you can find out more about it by clicking here.

Sport England Active Together

Crowdfunder and Sport England have teamed up to make £1 million of match funding available to help the sport and physical activity sector through the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Sports clubs that have had to cease operations due to the ongoing pandemic and in doing so are experiencing short-term financial difficulty, can set up a crowdfunding campaign and apply for up to £10,000 match funding. Click here for more information.

Table Tennis England Be TT Funding (now closed)

For the latest list of cancelled or postponed events, please click the link below.

Click here to see a list of cancelled or postponed events

Table Tennis England strongly backs the position that physical activity is important and encourage all our members to stay active in a safe and healthy way.

Table tennis clubs, coaches and individual members are devising ways to stay in touch and keep training during these unprecedented times.

From online coaching sessions to inventive at-home training ideas, it is clear the table tennis community is determined to keep working together to stay positive and help each other adapt to the alien conditions under which we are all now living.

Some examples can be found here.

Sport England have also compiled some hints and tips on how you can get active whilst you are at home.

Table Tennis England will be working hard to stay up to date with the latest information, and ensuring that relevant support is provided to Coaches.

The support for Coaches will focus on:

• Providing Coaches with the latest up to date guidance and information
• Identifying and supporting the most at-risk coaches
• Helping Coaches with Continual Professional Development
• Working with external partners

Although we recognise it is a difficult time, Table Tennis England welcome conversations with Coaches; whether this be relating to coronavirus, or your Coaching development plans.

Please get in touch with the Coach and Education department, or if you are unsure who to contact, please email  – [email protected]

Table Tennis England will be working to take on board the questions, queries and concerns for Coaches. We will use your feedback to build on this FAQ document and the support provided.

As a coach, if you have concerns please get in touch with us and let us know the following information:

• Your name
• Your email
• How the Coronavirus is impacting or will/could impact your coaching
• The type of support that could be beneficial
• The level of concern you currently have (high, medium or low)

Please contact [email protected]

Table Tennis England will continue to work with Sport England to guide and advise Coaches at this time. If you would like to contact Sport England directly, you can do so via [email protected]

Table Tennis England are setting up a series of Coaching Webinars based around a variety of Coaching topics. These will be led by a number of our staff, tutors and qualified coaches. For further information on the Webinars please click here

We understand a number of coaches can’t complete their Coach Licence over the coming months and are advised not to coach.

If your Licence is currently suspended due to Safeguarding then there are two options in place. You can:

Complete an online Webinar that is hosted and run by UK Coaching. For further information please click here.

Complete an online renewal Safeguarding course by UK Coaching. This for coaches who have already attended a workshop but their Safeguarding has expired. For further information please click here.

UK Coaching have developed a forum to support coaches. For more information please click here.

Click on the links below to see the government’s advice for self-employed people, or to make a claim. If you would like help to make a claim, please contact [email protected]

Government guidance for employers, employees and businesses

Claim a grant through the coronavirus Self-employment Income Support Scheme

You might be worried about coronavirus (COVID-19) and how it could affect your life. This may include being asked to stay at home or avoid other people.

This might feel difficult or stressful. But there are lots of things you can try that could help your wellbeing.

Mental health charity Mind have put together information specifically to help us all look after our mental health at this time.

Click here to view this information.