The long wait is almost over as indoor table tennis can resume from Saturday July 25! Clubs up and down the country are preparing to open up again and get their members back on the table, playing the sport we all love.
There are of course a lot of guidelines in place as play starts up again – click here to visit our Ready to Return section. The resumption of play is Stage 2 of our roadmap towards a full return and it is hoped to be able to move into Stage 3 – preparation for local leagues to resume – in the near future.
Table Tennis England Chief Executive Sara Sutcliffe said: “Firstly, a huge thanks to all those people, most of them volunteers, who have been working really hard in their clubs to help us get to this stage.
“This is a big day and an important step on the road back to a full resumption. I’d like to wish everyone good luck as they get back on the tables around the country – have fun, be responsible and please keep to the guidance.
“We will continue to work hard ourselves to help clubs and leagues adapt to the new ways of doing things and to prepare for further easing of restrictions in the coming weeks.”
One club which will be back in action is Bishop Auckland, which has its first session on Monday. The club has temporarily moved to Whitworth Park Academy in Spennymoor as its normal venue at Bishop Barrington School is undergoing planned refurbishment.
Chairperson Matt Porter said: “The new venue has 10 tables, so we’re having fewer sessions but getting more people playing within social distancing.
“It’s fantastic to be back on the table – a lot of our younger players in particular have been chomping at the bit to be back. There’s a little bit of anxiety as well about opening, but we’re fully confident about everything we’ve done, even though there’s that bit of nervousness.”
If your club is back in action in the next few days, please let us know by posting your photos and news on Twitter and tagging @tabletenniseng – and we will share with the rest of the table tennis family.
Here are a few of the clubs which have already posted ahead of the big day:
Deighton are ready to return this weekend to Huddersfield Table Tennis Centre, with 8 tables available to TTENGLAND court size spec, are you ready to play @5Sportcoaching @oc_kirklees @tslkirklees @RastrickSports @CrossHeathSport pic.twitter.com/WyxkEN9YOT
— Paul Simpson (@deightonttc) July 22, 2020
Table Tennis is restarting this month in a controlled way. Practice session planned for July 26 at Lostock Boys Club, Northwich. https://t.co/3lkyvBkYga #tabletennis #covid19 #midcheshire
— MCTTL (@MCTTL) July 20, 2020
— Ormesby Table Tennis (@OrmesbyTTC) July 23, 2020