The time has come to recognise and honour volunteers for the outstanding and often unseen contributions they make to enable our great sport to flourish.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of table tennis in England; therefore, it is essential we recognise the individuals and organisations who are committed to developing and improving participation and performance in table tennis up and down the country.

[button link=”https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/programs/pride-of-table-tennis/pride-of-table-tennis-awards-and-criteria/”]Click here to find out more about the categories or to make a nomination[/button]

This year, we are pleased to introduce two new awards. The first, reflecting recent unprecedented times, is for the Lockdown Local Hero. This award recognises an individual, club or organisation for the impact they have made on an individual, club or local community during the coronavirus period, when it has been vital to stay connected and support each other’s mental and physical health.

We are also pleased to include School of the Year for the first time. This award is for schools which have made a significant impact in developing young people through table tennis in the past 12 months. This could be through increasing the number of pupils participating, providing opportunities to compete, developing links with the wider table tennis community and/or creating leadership opportunities for pupils.

Last season, the Pride of Table Tennis Awards received a makeover to ensure the awards are an even bigger and better celebration of the volunteers who are the sport’s lifeblood. The awards follow a two-year cycle, which seeks to elevate the importance of volunteers at a local level. This season is the second year of the cycle and operates at local, regional and national stages.

Clubs and leagues will again honour their volunteers at local level – click here to nominate your club or league volunteer of the year.

There will also be a regional stage of the awards, into which all local nominees will be forwarded, alongside nominations in other key categories.

The national stage of the awards will then feature the full range of Pride of Table Tennis Awards, including those for coaches, officials, clubs, leagues and inclusivity – and of course featuring the Blue Riband Volunteer of the Year and Young Volunteer of the Year.

These will be presented at a gala dinner to be held at the National Conference in June 2021.

Key dates

Wednesday July 1, 2020: Launch of Pride of Table Tennis Awards

Friday October 2, 2020: Nominations close

Friday January 22, 2021: Announcement of regional winners

Friday March 5, 2021: Announcement of national shortlist

Saturday June 5, 2021: National Conference and Pride of Table Tennis Awards gala dinner